Let's say that I am in my 30s now, reasonably healthy both mentally and physically, and want to take steps that will allow me to continue working in a technical field for as long as possible (40+ years) so that I can maintain my income well into old age.
What are some things I should start doing now and/or think about doing in the future that will allow me to stay "on my game" in terms of being able to work and earn a living?
Marry wisely. One of the biggest financial hits I took was a very costly divorce.
Don't be afraid to move to lower cost areas. Maybe not today, but realize that you might need to at different points in life in order to maximize your savings.
Realize that you might need to find a career niche or even a different career that value your age and experience. I did this and it's working well.
Take good care of your body and mind so that you can continue to work.
Live modestly. This isn't about whether you drink Starbucks every morning, but rather whether you use your money overall in the smartest way possible. If you live modestly, you can live on less, which means if you get to a point where you need to make career compromises you are in a position to do that.
If you are in tech, consider going to work at blue chip firm that makes its money in tech. You'll have variety in your career and it is likely they will still be in business 10, 20, 30 years from now, ie: if part of your desire to work a long time also revolves around stability and the likelihood you won't lose your job in a merger, etc at an age where it would be hard to find a new job.
For me the most important is to keep starting new things and learning new very hard things (for me) and trying to apply them in business(es). The rest, at least to me, is rather obvious; stay healthy and don't overwork or work with toxic people. I made all those mistakes.
Another one is: learn to manage. If if you are a coder, your eyesight will weaken, you might get all kinds of physical issues even though fit; as a manager, even on a small scale, you can last much longer with those problems.
Build networks; you do not want to do job interviews at 60 if needed. Your network has to be solid enough to ask for a job and get one without any vetting. That is an advantage of getting older: this is very possible if you keep up this network.
But, rolling back to your post: why can you not retire? Thought about moving somewhere were this is not a problem? Because if you don't enjoy your work, it makes it vastly harder to keep it up.
Drink water, eat healthy, exercise regularly, get enough sleep, have an active romantic and social life.
https://www.reddit.com/r/starterpacks/comments/6wszws/why_do...
It sounds like you have career and budgeting down.
Generally, applying for jobs is a young person's game. As one gets older, a lot of the opportunities come through the network you've built, so investing in building a network is an absolute must.
But at some point, even the concept of "having a job" gets precarious. So investing early in building the skills to generate your income independently of an employer is super worthwhile for career longevity. It's harder to master than yet another framework, but will do more to guarantee your income.
A big part of building this skill is figuring out a market you can serve, and the needs of that market. It's more likely to be an existing product or service, but over time one builds their own unique take on it, so that over time one becomes the best at servicing a particular type of client. This, coupled with ongoing investments in networking, is the closest thing one can get to "job security" in modern labor markets.
The management - and more broadly people skills - are acquired just like tech skills are, and just like tech skills some learn them faster or slower than others. Just like tech skills these are valued to companies.
But one needs to mix, I think. So people management skills + tech == tech manager. Sales + tech = well, sales, or pre-sales. Or consulting if it's more tech than sales. Design / project management skills + tech == product manager. If you're an absolute SME, then you can be a tech lead, an architect, and so forth, but you really need to stand out.
The above are purely my career observations, and are subject to disagreement on semantics, the spirit or the letter of what I'm saying, and such. I don't claim absolute truth.
My other observation, though: people in their 20's have hotter skills than people with white hair who had to re-tool their skillset. And re-tooling every few years sucks in my opinion. Again, my opinion. I hate working on personal tech projects or studying on the side outside of work just to keep my head above water.
I'd rather go hiking, or to the bar.
I have never stopped programming. Even now my work is exceptional although I don’t think I could get a job.
Keep at it. Develop non-programming deep domain knowledge. That can be a asset getting interviews When people think you’re too old.
Generally "stay willing to learn new things" seems like decent advice no matter what you're doing.
* Ergo keyboard
* Learn keyboard shortcuts
* Learn to use a mouse with both hands
* Take hourly breaks
* Ask why things need to be done rather than jumping into them. There might be a better way.
* Rest your eyes (look at long distances periodically)
* Stay curious
* Connect to people on LinkedIn
* Consider consulting (you can often moonlight to try it out)
Management skills (meaning, managing others). It might not be your cup of tea, but not having them after a certain point devalues you.
Hobbies.
Being proactive in learning new techs you actually like.
I would underline that in (a reasonably successful) life one progresses from doing to owning. Ownership can be of skills and knowledge, of a network of friends and acquaintances, or simply a place to live. The doing (and doing the doing well) contributes to the owning, such that eventually when you can't actually do much anymore, you are still valuable to society.
Of course this all falls apart when the world changes under our feet, and the things we own become worthless!
I’d focus on building a diverse age range in your professional network. You need younger people in your network to stay aware of technical and cultural changes, and you need older people in your network to better understand the challenges you’ll face later on.
You aren't doing it right then.
Switch to a mostly stock-based compensation. Capital gain is much better than employment income.