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Ask HN: Is ageism in tech still a problem?

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Re: Ask HN: Is ageism in tech still a problem?

#81

Post by blindriver »

I don't think it's age. I think it's energy level and attitude.

I'm in my 50s and had no problems getting hired 3+ years ago at a FAANG as well as a handful of other companies. Granted it was a good hiring environment, but I also took 3 years off and I had to work hard to Leetcode back into shape.

I still have a lot of energy and it comes across in my interviews. I don't have an ego, I know that just because I have >30 years experience doesn't mean that I know more than my coworkers that are 30 years younger than me. I work hard and try to earn my paycheck every day and I'm not quibbling over lunch menus and complaining about the ingredients used at the cafeteria.

I think as long as you not only have the technical skills but can also sell yourself as a good teammate with matching energy, it shouldn't be a problem. I think younger folks respect people that can match their energy and motivation and don't want to be dragged down by know-it-alls or slow workers.

Re: Ask HN: Is ageism in tech still a problem?

#82

Post by tuyguntn »

carlosjobim wrote: post #39
adamredwoods wrote: post #13

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Recently, I've had a co-worker be "okay" with alerts in the middle of the night. I refused because I have to drive my child to school at 7.30am.

If your kids school is more important than your job is, that only means your job is extremely unimportant. Like my job. Your kid is better off not going to school for a day, or arriving late. They're not doing anything important in school. Depending on company, maybe they need to hire people to do important things and have responsibility for important things. Somebody who would prioritize things like driving their ki…

> Your kid is better off not going to school for a day, or arriving late. They're not doing anything important in school.

Not sure, if you are serious.

Maybe we should become slaves of corporations? Should we divorce maybe with our partners because sometimes we go dining and on-call is more important than me having a dinner with my partner?

Re: Ask HN: Is ageism in tech still a problem?

#83

Post by goatlover »

ilc wrote: post #73
jimt1234 wrote: post #35

I used to work with a guy that was known for dressing nice, very formal. Back in the 2000s, he would wear button-down shirts, slacks, nice shoes; he stood out for a software nerd. Anyway, when I saw him recently, he was dressed in jeans and flip-flops, wearing a t-shirt. I asked him what's with the casual attire. He just said, "Trying to keep my job." Being an older dude in this field as well, I know what he's talkin…

I call this "Wearing your uniform." You need to look like you are a person who would be doing the job. You wouldn't hire a gardner with smooth hands, clean shoes, and no dirt under their nails would you? Car mechanics, you can see it in their hands, and the way they act around cars. Every profession has its tells, from what we wear, to our physical traits etc. After a while, you know if someone adds up or not. But pa…

Don't understand what physical appearance has to do with tech.

Re: Ask HN: Is ageism in tech still a problem?

#85

Post by Nextgrid »

softwaredoug wrote: post #52
ldjkfkdsjnv wrote: post #50

Earlier quoted context omitted.

yeah young business people dont want older engineers that can call them out around. they want other young clueless engineers to just build

Possibly, but I’ve noticed this is independent of age.

But age and/or proven experience (and not merely the "senior" title that everyone nowadays has) is a good proxy to be able to do this.

Re: Ask HN: Is ageism in tech still a problem?

#87

Post by tuyguntn »

mindtricks wrote: post #26
tuyguntn wrote: post #3

Yes, when 50 years old applies as a senior engineer, 25 years old senior engineers get uncomfortable. You might not notice it in any public conversation, but there is still a resistance: * will they be on-call? * can they work long hours? * how do I delegate to them? * are they going to resist new tech?

This is basically ageism. It's not accurate and should be coached out. Flip the question for a 25 year old: * Will they be on on-call or out partying with their friends? * Are they committed to the work or will they hop to another company once trained? * Are they able to work within our codebase or just jump to the next hot thing? These types of questions are ridiculous for both sides.

> should be coached out

No, it won't work. Biologically, 25 years old without a family responsibilities will not get it anyway.

If you are 25 years old, single and your friends are similar to you, what would you do? Most I know are working 12-14 hour/day, because they eat breakfast, lunch and dinner at work.

Re: Ask HN: Is ageism in tech still a problem?

#88

Post by lovich »

goatlover wrote: post #83
ilc wrote: post #73

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I call this "Wearing your uniform." You need to look like you are a person who would be doing the job. You wouldn't hire a gardner with smooth hands, clean shoes, and no dirt under their nails would you? Car mechanics, you can see it in their hands, and the way they act around cars. Every profession has its tells, from what we wear, to our physical traits etc. After a while, you know if someone adds up or not. But pa…

Don't understand what physical appearance has to do with tech.

If you work on a team with a size >1 you are dealing with other apes and will have to deal with social signaling

Re: Ask HN: Is ageism in tech still a problem?

#89

Post by pragmatic »

If I were to start another company, I'd try to hire only 40+ people.

- I've found junior engineers super resistant to new tech. Very rigid thinking, there is only way way to do something bc that's all they've ever learned, very religious about tech stacks, crazy strong opinions based on crazy limited experience - lack of work ethic, no call, no show, procrastinating right up until the deadline and then expecting code reviews, merges/releases to work on their schedule -tendency to fuck around and play games etc all day (see above) -limited experience with people from different backgrounds, culture etc.

Re: Ask HN: Is ageism in tech still a problem?

#90

Post by tuyguntn »

mixmastamyk wrote: post #61
tuyguntn wrote: post #3

Yes, when 50 years old applies as a senior engineer, 25 years old senior engineers get uncomfortable. You might not notice it in any public conversation, but there is still a resistance: * will they be on-call? * can they work long hours? * how do I delegate to them? * are they going to resist new tech?

As the fifties version of myself, I won’t need to be on-call or work long hours because I did it right the first time. Reply to below: Of course. But if you plan ahead properly, it will be extremely rare. To the point where it isn’t economical to have people on call. Because the downtime was caused by a meteor or maybe AWS. If it is truly mission critical, have a night shift.

> I did it right the first time.

Maybe you are writing libraries/frameworks?

Any service running on production can fail anytime, whether you did everything right or not, things break sometimes.

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