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0 pointssmt885y ago0 comments

> Ageism is pervasive in some corners of tech. I'm nearly 50, and in my R&D group, there are few developers under the age of 35. Few of the older developers are managers, either.

Of course there are exceptions, but they're rare. Your personal experience has no bearing on industry-wide data[1].

> I think you are conflating age with experience. If the OP has enough skills for an entry level position, then I would not expect him to have anywhere near the same level of expertise as someone in the industry for nearly 20 years.

You're putting words in my mouth. I said nothing about age and experience being the same thing. I'm saying that OP wants an entry-level job at middle age, and that's more difficult for many reasons (ageism being one of them).

> If the OP wants to get into web development, then they should work to progress their skill set over time

People are hired (or not hired) for many reasons, and only one of them is their skill set. I'm sure OP can acquire the necessary skills, but it can be painful and life-consuming, which a lot of people can't tolerate as well at 40 as they can at 22. A lot of people over 35 have mortgages, spouses, children, elderly parents, health conditions, and a variety of other responsibilities that are less common in younger people. Taking a grueling, low-paying job is not necessary feasible in those circumstances.

1. https://www.marketplace.org/shows/marketplace-tech/celebrati...

0 comments

bmj5y ago

Your Market Place reference is about "the biggest tech companies." There is work outside of FAANG, and, in my experience, a fair bit of it. As you point out, the work isn't "sexy," but, truth be told, many of us don't do "sexy work" day in and day out.

You are also assuming that every entry level software development position is grueling and low paying. I understand that some companies treat younger employees are disposable (even my own employer, who hires younger/less experienced devs as operations support, which assumes lots of crappy work), but I don't think that's the case in every entry level position.

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