I’m in my 50’s and have been working as a software engineer for 11+ years now. I believe you can do anything if you have a passion for it.
Let's talk about ageism in tech ; it’s rampant among hiring managers, recruiters and team leaders. That being said, I know many people in tech who focus on getting the job done - not how old their teammates are.
I’ve been out of work since this pandemic started and interviewing has been a nightmare.
Here are some of the red flags of ageism I've seen in the interview process:
First interview is a video interview
The focus is on regurgitating algorithmic computations - not on the technologies you will work with
They request a photo
The job description asks for “recent graduates”
Requesting graduation dates in the education section of the application
Its a start-up and they ask you if late night office parties will be a problem
They ask you how old your children are
The video interview includes the entire team and one person who is your age & gender
Here are a few that are out and out illegal:
Are you married?
How old are you?
Are you healthy?
When did you graduate?
When do you expect to retire?
If this sounds like I know a bit about this, its because I’ve been looking for a job for 8 months now and I’ve experienced all of it.
I have thought about consulting and freelancing as an alternative and that may be the direction I have to go in now. I’ve been successfully contributing to software development for more than a decade with some great work especially in online education and accessibility platforms.
It seems like no one values my experience. The attitude is what work did you do today? Which is fine, if you ask me to make an app; but if you want me to whiteboard some nebulous code to show you I understand a binary search - its not going to be a barometer to show what I can do as an employee.
Okay, rant over.
I love my work and as messed up as this issue is for people in my age group, I don’t let anyone tell me what I can do with my life. If I want to stick with it I will because it’s my life. No one tells me when it's time for me to quit except me. Opportunities are out there and I will find the right ones for me.
Latest comments (21)
Those interview questions, ridiculous all of that ... "late night office parties" I mean WTF seriously??
Anyway I really think this works both ways - this is also a way for you to know which companies you do NOT want to work for, so the "filtering" is also on your part, not just on theirs ... if you don't fit into the "culture" of a team then you won't be happy.
This just shows how important diversity and inclusiveness are. But practically speaking I think as one gets older it becomes an ever more attractive proposition to become a contractor/freelancer, because I think age is less of a thing when you work in that kind of role (even more so when you work remote).
Thank you for putting this article out there.
I've seen all of this too and its pretty gross and often illegal as you've said.
Thank you for this post.
I hadn't thought about the concern regarding a requesting a video interview for the first interview. Our team recently needed to hire a developer - something we haven't had to do since before the pandemic. Considering the shift to work from home and video conferencing, I just immediately scheduled a video call with the interviewee. I didn't even think about the ramifications of this; how it could be stressful for the person, and I especially didn't think about ageism.
Thank you for shining a light on this topic.
Sounds like there is a lot of Veteran talent. Network, make connections, and make your own business, and ensure there is a channel to pass on your wisdom.
I'm really sorry to hear this is what you've gone through the past 8 months. I can imagine it must be very discouraging. I'm so glad you aren't letting it derail you though; that's the best thing you can do! Just take it for what it is and keep pushing forward.
I'm glad you took on this conversation though because it's something you don't hear about enough even though we all know it goes on. Just a few years ago, my boss was interviewing for a data position and after talking with an older candidate he commented to me on his age in a negative way. However, he did end up hiring him and he still works here. I was just shocked that he brought it up to me in the first place.
YES, I went back at 50 also. I was older than many of my profs. I don't think my profs cared but it hit me at times.
What about you?
Hang in there Judith hope you're ok! The ageist interviewers don't deserve you 😎
I sympathize with the article but I have to agree as well with you. While yes, people do judge because of age in some places, ironically a lot of them are the same people that will preach tolerance.
The article did open my eyes a little bit. It reminded me of last year when I was looking to hire a junior developer. In the job post I wrote I was looking for a recent graduate or going through school. In my mind, yes, I was looking for a younger person. Would I have considered an older person? Of course, I would expect the same, a decent portfolio, humbleness and a willingness to grow with a small company.
It was hard to get someone because when you post a tech job, anybody and everybody will apply blindly. I had people with doctorates applying. I'll assume they were looking for a freelance-kind of relationship.
I don't think it's just the industry it's also the year unfortunately. With all of these political news stories going on people have started to become quite judgemental of other people.
Slightly younger than you here, still considered "old" in this business. Even blogged about it here:
Can you teach an old developer new tricks?
Zohar Peled ・ Sep 24 '19 ・ 2 min read
My conclusion is: You're not too old, you're just talking to the wrong people.