a) Is "respect" really so important to you that you are willing to sacrifice a 25 year career? Surely if the pay is good and you enjoy that's all that matters.
b) By switching professions to a more "respected/cool" one do you not think you're just contributing to the problem of programmers not being taken seriously?
b) By switching professions to a more "respected/cool" one do you not think you're just contributing to the problem of programmers not being taken seriously?