I’m 63. I’m not on Twitter or Facebook, not from their difficulty, but from lack of time.
However I taught myself enough SQL and databases to set up one for my books, though I haven’t had time to write code to generate the loads from the spreadsheet where the information is stored. And I plan to learn JavaScript when I retire - no time now except for the rudimentary stuff.
I taught my father-in-law how to program in BASIC when he was over 60. And he used it. He is 99 now and whipped our butts in Rummikub last week.
I agree that you can filter what will be useful to you better when you are older. I can estimate how much time some new hobby will take and whether it is worth it. At the moment, usually not.
But what you are comfortable with is also important. Since I’ve taught computer architecture and operating systems, I’m never going to get confused. And I also know how to write requirements. If my PC requirements are such that pretty much anything out there is going to satisfy them (I’m not a gamer) then I’m not going to waste a lot of time studying chipsets.
I’m in my mid-60s and I’m on the cutting edge of my field. I recommend new projects, projects I’d like to run and they get approved,funded,then handed off to someone else.
Really, why.do.I.bother.
A Note to My Future Self:
Dear Me:
One day, hopefully not soon, you will tell yourself that a certain thing is not worth learning, because the cost is not worth the perceived benefit. Unless you do something about it, this will mark the beginning of an incurable mental decline.
You will be utterly convinced of your cost/benefit analysis because it is correct. The immediate benefits will not exceed the cost. What you fail to account for, however, are the benefits that accrue against future costs. Every thing you fail to learn now means that some other thing in the future has that much greater cost. Furthermore, you fail to improve your ability to learn, and this increases the cost even further.
When you were young, your enthusiasm smoothed over the perceived costs of learning. Now, with experience, these full costs are apparent and they seem not to be worth it. Your calculation is correct, but only in isolation. Most likely, you still have decades ahead of you–do not cut off your education now.
You do not have to force yourself to learn things that seemingly have negative value, or appear to be a fad. But do not be too enthusiastic in labeling any advance as a fad. Your were wrong in the past about many things and you are no better now at predicting the future. If you think there is the slightest chance that a new technology will succeed, learn how to use it.
In short, do not be like your parents. You saw what happened. You can change your own future.