

Too Late? For What? - peachananr
http://blog.bucketlistly.com/post/40425981793/too-late-for-what

======
GiraffeNecktie
For myself, in my late fifties, I'd say that it's too late to do all the
things that I'm interested in, that I'd like to do, but that don't really hold
my attention enough to get going in.

Learning to program is one of those things. Always been fascinated by it,
always wanted to do it, but every time I've made a stab at it, it doesn't hold
my interest.

But for the last five years I've been learning Chinese. Something that I NEVER
had the slightest interest in doing (until I started) and never would have
believed that I could do. But for some stupid reason, I work at it every day,
365 days of the year and I like it, even though my progress has been painfully
slow.

I'm not sure what the moral of this story is. Maybe just that you might as
well do what you love, no matter what age. And also, that you might not know
what exactly you really love until you try it.

~~~
dlss
I think you're confusing "too late" with "physically impossible". I'm a 28
year old with more things I'd like to do than I can do (barring medical
advances that drastically extend my lifespan). I wouldn't say it's too late to
do them, just that there are too many to do. I have to prioritize.

It's not too late for you to learn to program -- it may take a couple of
years, but you sound smart. I think you're physically capable of programming.
Perhaps what you're saying is you want to _know_ how to program, but you don't
(yet) like the act of programming. Kind of like someone who wants to be
physically fit, but doesn't (yet) like exercising.

So I respectfully disagree. There are surely some situations where it's too
late to do something (deathbeds, after a stroke, etc), but I think they are
few and far between.

> you might as well do what you love, no matter what age.

Awesome :)

------
freework
This is true, for the most art. If what you want to do depends on other
people, it may be "too late". For instance, if your dream is to work for a
startup in Silicon Valley, and you're in your 50s, it may be too late. No one
will hire you. You can start your own startup though...

~~~
zxcdw
> _No one will hire you_

Out of curiosity, why is this? I've heard similar statements from people who
have found or worked in startups that they'd never hire a programmer who's
over ~35 years of age or so, but I've never been able to figure out why.

