I'm 60, and my career path has been anything but straight. I've held positions ranging from 3 to 6 years, which count among the longest I've ever had. My resume reads like an adventure story or disaster map, depending on who looks at it: I've been an au pair, worked in bookstores, been a welder, machinist, assistant DBA and front-end programmer, technical diver, industrial rope access technician, and worked at an engineering firm in the entertainment industry. I've also been a project manager, field installer, director of civil works, stage machinery builder, and controls and operations manager, both in the US and internationally.
Back in the 80s and 90s, I was already designing circuits with relays, then moving to microcontrollers like Basic Stamp and PIC chips, long before Arduino became popular. I bought my first computer, a Commodore PET 2001, back in 1977 and taught myself programming from BASIC to assembly, then onto C, Pascal, Lisp, and more. My curiosity led me to self-study artificial life, artificial neural networks, genetic programming, and genetic algorithms during a time when these fields were nascent.
I foresaw the trajectory of technology and its financial promise, but I chose not to settle into a "cube farm", where I felt my intellectual curiosity would be stifled or would not be fair to my employer. Instead, I've run my own companies and worked for others, always learning and adapting. Now, at 60, I find it's tougher to market my broad skill set in an era where tech has become highly specialized. Age can indeed color first impressions too, but remember, your diverse background makes you a macro thinker, which is still highly valued. And you have 15+ years on me.
I keep myself fit, unlike many of my peers, allowing me to take on demanding roles like those long hours on a construction site in Saudi Arabia. You might train anyone to dive or work at height, but the real challenge is what they do once they reach the problem - fixing motors or hydraulic lines under pressure. In 2003/4, I built my own CNC table, an 8x4' router, and developed software to turn black and white photos into bas-relief carvings, inspired by an old NASA algorithm for interpreting single-perspective images of celestial bodies. I wrote it in Blender's Python API. I was one of the first contributors of funds to make Blender opensource.
I don't regret my eclectic choices, but I recognize the need to perhaps find a more stable focus for the next chapter to support my family. Success, for me, has always been about showing up - waking up early, getting ready, and being present. That's 90% of it. The other 10%? It's the unique contribution you make to any team or company. My work history shows few sick days; I once went three years without one, now averaging about two a year. My father, similarly, didn't take a sick day for over 15 years. I think this is easier when you are passionate about your job. At least that's how it works for me.
So, if you're feeling discouraged by an unconventional career path, remember, your journey isn't just about the jobs you've held; it's about the insights, resilience, and adaptability you've gained along the way. Keep moving forward, and let your rich tapestry of experiences guide you. Good luck, and please update us on your progress!