Hopefully never too old (Score 1)

Interesting thread. I am an engineer turned programmer due to a combination of job-market and my interest and abilities in programming and algorithms, and I am up there in age (56). I enjoy solving problems and working technically and so never tried to move into any kind of management. And I also have this fear that one day I no longer will be considered for a new job (if I need one) because I have gotten too expensive. However, due to company finances, I have had to change jobs a number of times over the last decade, and each time, despite receiving a depressingly large number of rejections, I have managed to land something. The reason? Not because I am an expert in any particular language or technology (I have no formal software development education, and have programmed a little in just about everything including APL, Fortran, PHP, Java, C++ etc. etc.) and I am at least factor two more expensive than most of my colleagues. It has been explained to me that I have been hired each time because there was a need for someone with more experience in general, and with a more general broad experience in various aspects of IT technology. Programming APL after having knowledge of C# code architecture makes one a better APL programmer. Likewise, programming Java having algorithmic experiences from more engineering type jobs working with Fortran and Pascal makes one a better Java programmer. Not every company, but many have so far been willing to pay my salary instead of hiring another far cheaper, perhaps more formerly educated in some language but less experienced colleague. In short, there is still a vast need for non-managerial highly technical employees with a large experience base (either broad like mine or focused in a particular technology). It is just a matter of finding the enlightened employer needing such a person.