Title: I&#x27;d like to get opinions on whether going back to programming as a career in my late 30s is a good idea or not.<p>I was a web programmer in the first four years of my career; however then I thought I could make more money doing things like project management and spent the next ten years pushing paper.<p>I&#x27;ve done a couple of side projects in the meantime as the thought of going back to programming has kept coming back. I even attempted to do a SaaS startup but failed to get any traction.<p>Anyways, at this point I&#x27;m sick of pushing paper and want to go programming full-time. A few things are holding me back though:
* I can&#x27;t leverage the last 10 years of my career; it would basically become a lost decade for me
* my technical skills are rusty; I&#x27;d have to most likely get a huge pay cut and start at a junior-level position
* I think recruiters are going to give me a weird look, meaning I&#x27;d most likely have to overcome additional barriers when seeking a job<p>So far all of the above is speculation on my part as I really don&#x27;t know what I would be getting into. I&#x27;d appreciate honest opinions going either way as I have to choose my moves wisely, having a family and all.
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