> I’m 41 and I totally understand this sentiment. A silver lining is that the tech industry is just so much larger now than it was when we started
I'd also point out that if people forget the growth-aspect, they will overestimate the problem of ageism in the industry.
Yes, there aren't that many grizzled 60-year-old programmers today... but much of that is because 40 years ago there were only a handful of 20-year-old programmers to start with.
Even if advancing age turned people into happy rockstars, they'd still be outnumbered today just because there are more jobs.
And a good chunk of them probably hit it big at some point and retired early. I know so many software engineers my age (40s) that are effectively retired already.
Yep. Most of my friends work as software engineers and we're in our 40s. And most of them have/could retire if they wanted to.
One was working at Google and got shit for taking time off when he planned it 6 months out. He quit and decided to retire early instead of putting up with it. He's 42.
I'd also point out that if people forget the growth-aspect, they will overestimate the problem of ageism in the industry.
Yes, there aren't that many grizzled 60-year-old programmers today... but much of that is because 40 years ago there were only a handful of 20-year-old programmers to start with.
Even if advancing age turned people into happy rockstars, they'd still be outnumbered today just because there are more jobs.