When I hire, I would be happier to hire older (>40) engineers; they have more experience, they are usually done with job hopping, and are also mostly done with resumė stuffing and buzzword bingos that includes the latest framework.
However, it seems that those older people that I want are not actually looking for a job - they either found their endgame in tech or realized that they have to go to management/consulting for better salary and control.
Many of the 20-years of experience that do apply are better described as “having 20 times the same 1-year experience”. They are not any better than a recent grad despite those 20 years, but they lack the energy and expect much higher pay and automatic respect for their opinions.
The rare older engineer who wants to keep doing technical work, has learned from their experience, and can actually deliver is very valuable. Many people describe themselves in this population and complain of ageism but very few actually are.
However, it seems that those older people that I want are not actually looking for a job - they either found their endgame in tech or realized that they have to go to management/consulting for better salary and control.
Many of the 20-years of experience that do apply are better described as “having 20 times the same 1-year experience”. They are not any better than a recent grad despite those 20 years, but they lack the energy and expect much higher pay and automatic respect for their opinions.
The rare older engineer who wants to keep doing technical work, has learned from their experience, and can actually deliver is very valuable. Many people describe themselves in this population and complain of ageism but very few actually are.