I'm 34, and just in the last year reached the point where I have:
- enough experience and context to do great work, and
- the right people to leverage that context and experience on meaningful applications
It took a lot of waiting for that ideal blend of circumstances to come around. I wish I'd have been able to tell my 26 year old self that as he slogged through an entry level EE job. The choices he made affected where I am now, but he definitely made some sacrifices on my behalf.
I think people can do great work at any age. Sometimes newcomers look at a long-standing problem and discover or design a new approach that is substantially better. Other times established experts can leverage the breadth of their experience to develop a better solution or offering. For me, the key elements are the desire to create something of value or make a contribution, a willingness to collaborate to extend what you can accomplish, and the self-discipline to work hard for extended periods of time.
have you got any kids?
I'm 30 and one of my biggest worries is that starting a family will mean I will never get the time to do great things.
I also got a fair share of skills under my belt and a lot of motivation. My relationship always ends to taking time away from my projects however and that's only going to get worse once there's a kid 5 years down the road.
Then again Bach had a lot of kids, and look at the body of his work.
I'm 34, and just in the last year reached the point where I have:
- enough experience and context to do great work, and
- the right people to leverage that context and experience on meaningful applications
It took a lot of waiting for that ideal blend of circumstances to come around. I wish I'd have been able to tell my 26 year old self that as he slogged through an entry level EE job. The choices he made affected where I am now, but he definitely made some sacrifices on my behalf.