I am a little experienced developer having approximately 5 years experience in PHP and somewhat less in Java, C# and trying to learn some Python nowadays. Since the start of my career as a programmer I have been told every now and then by fellow programmers that programming is suitable for a few early years of a career (most of them take it as 5 years) and that one must change the direction after it. The reason they present include headaches and pressures associated with programming. They also say that programmers are less social and don't usually like to give time to their families, etc. and especially "Oh come on, you can not do programming your entire life!"

I am somewhat confused here and need to ask others about it. If I leave programming then what do I do?! I guess teaching may be a good option in this case, but it will require to first earn a PhD degree perhaps. It may also be noteworthy that in my country (Pakistan) the life of a programmer is not very good in that normally they must give 2-3 extra hours in the office to accomplish urgent programming tasks. I have a sense that situation is somewhat similar in other countries and regions as well.

Do you think it is fair advice to change career from programming to something else after spending 5 years in this field?

UPDATE
Oh wow... I never knew people can have 40+ years of experience in this field. I am both excited and amazed seeing that people are doing it since 1971... That means 15 years before my birth! It is nice to be able to talk to such experienced people, we don't get such a chance here in Pakistan.

Thanks again for all the help and sharing. It has been a nice experience getting your thoughts on this.

I don't think this is a question which can be given a blanket answer that is always correct, except perhaps for the age-old "It depends."

The simplest advice is: if programming is what you love to do most, don't stop unless that changes.

There are many other factors to be considered, such as job market, promotion opportunities, location, and of course salary, but the single most important thing with any career decision is the question "Will this make me happy?"
