After taking a package, I decided that I wanted to do programming again. I developed FORTRAN engineering aps for 25+ years, then went into electronic publishing and IT management. After exhausting myself on Halo, I learned C, C++, and got a Sun Certification in Java which I loved. Then I couldn’t get a job because I didn’t have enough experience in Java. So, I volunteered as a web master. I now have a couple of customers and am trying to grow my business with my skills in CSS, HTML, PHP, and a little mySQL.
I’ve always had to figure out stuff on the job and always did. Now, with consulting, I still figure out stuff. Today’s online searching is unbelievable, but a time spent with books and actual programming cements the skills and provides the support necessary for doing the job. I do like my own hours and find time for riding a bicycle and martial art classes. After searching fruitlessly for years and being rejected for just being old or not having the experience, it would have to be a sweet deal to lure me back to corporate, not critical to the core business, life. I still struggle with the pricing model and how I should bill my time. Sometimes, I have to spend hours on an error, and half the time, it’s not mine, but the browser. The other half it is mine, and that just makes me stronger.