I retired last year after 39.5 years as a working programmer. I started with Fortran, used C, C++, Java, Objective-C (both modern and NeXT variety), Javascript,

I retired last year after 39.5 years as a working programmer. I started with Fortran, used C, C++, Java, Objective-C (both modern and NeXT variety), Javascript, lots of assembly languages and the last 6 years, Swift; also dabbled in other languages. Was always a full time programmer no matter my title and other duties. The key is always learning new things, which is a minefield since so much stuff winds up losing popularity. Most of what I worked on was targeted at people, even server side stuff always had a client as well. I also learned a lot about dealing with people, deciphering and untangling requirements, and how whatever industry I worked in functioned. I only retired because I was tired of working 60 hrs/week and endless meetings. Compared to today there were only a handful of people programming when I started, so people with 4 decades of experience are still rare.