Its not just banging away at the keyboard or the elegance of the code your write, it is the heart's desire and the enjoyment you get. I have met too many even good programmers that state as soon as they get off work, the last thing they want to see is a computer. My retort to them is they are in the wrong field. I'm 58, took my first assembly code class in 1970, still in high school, at the college next door, for an IBM 360. Been with it every since. I have worked both sides, hardware and software. I currently work with Kennedy Space Center/CCAFS still pouring over code and when I get home, the first thing I do is log onto my home network. Every year I take my oldest son to Black Hat and DefCon at my expense. (DefCon is a lot more fun and the better of the 2 in IMHO). It is one of the only fields that is in a constant change and continuous study required. "They'll get my laptop when they pry my cold dead fingers from it."

Hmmm.... Old men are still having sex with young women, IE Tony Randal, 80+, had 2 children with a sweet young thing. The percentage may have gone done because of social morals, but the global population has increased sooo much that I predict it is moving at a faster rate. :')