[aguaviva]

There certainly is, and yes, tech skills can grow surprisingly stale in very short order if not continually exercised. Throw in the usual dose of impostor syndrome, and the humiliating grind of the interview process (which has indeed deteriorated in recent years) -- and it's perfectly understandable to wind up with these kinds of feelings.

But don't listen to what the internet supposedly says, or what any of these companies say (at least not without a heavy dose of salt). Or let the stigma this incredibly immature industry has against people who take sabbaticals or necessary health breaks "stick" to you in any way.

If programming is something you love -- just get back "in the ring", as they say. Even if it's just building stuff for yourself, or working on open source projects, or pro-bono projects for organizations you support (if you can afford to take the time to do so). It shouldn't take more than 6 months to get your memory muscles back in fully working order -- likely even stronger than before (as the shift in perspective can actually help the learning process).

Career breaks are healthy things, not bad things (or a sign of failure/weakness) the way the industry propaganda makes them out to be.