shoeless

I received my CS degree in 1984. I started my first consulting business 12 years later at 35, and founded a startup last year with a co-founder.

You will experience ageism, so plan on cutting your own path in either consulting, freelance development, or founding your own company. Build your network - that is where you will expand your opportunities.

Don't let anyone ever tell you that you can't have a productive software development career at any age.

That's an awfully big assumption. Was the fact that the police beat this guy and cracked his spine reported in the Baltimore Sun yesterday?

There has been no conclusion that that is the case. Those that are rioting are guilty of exactly what they accuse the police of. I believe the mayor called them "thugs".