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Is 40 the New 60?

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Re: Is 40 the New 60?

#221

Post by throw1234651234 »

WriterGuy2021 wrote: post #196
throw1234651234 wrote: post #144

Earlier quoted context omitted.

When I studied for the Chartered Financial Analyst exams I tried to find out who got a job after the 3-year, 750 hr minimum commitment (GCP professional architect looks like a joke in comparison). EVERYTHING I read was positive. Once I passed, I found a ton of people in the same boat as me - unable to find work in finance. No one wanted to admit it though.

It happens a lot. I've seen it first hand and I've also read plenty of horror stories on the internet. There's definitely a shocking disconnect between the education system and the job market. Many people are becoming qualified for jobs that simply aren't there. What a nightmare.

I think it's genuinely the fact that interests of the university / professors / exam provider / "board" are completely counter to that of the student, especially when the profession is shrinking.

I was taught to think that education is sacred and to think that the professors/institution has my best interest in mind. The naivete lasted up to my mid early 20s, which is definitely an issue. (I am obviously still pro-education, but education with very deliberate goals, which can, of course, be general education).

Re: Is 40 the New 60?

#222

Post by thechao »

newsclues wrote: post #76
thechao wrote: post #64

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I was the only English-speaking TA (&, thus backup lecturer) to "Intro to C 101" at a major mass-population state university. Class sizes were ~800 students. I had an open-doors/open-lab/open-office policy. By the 4th semester, I remember laying on the floor in front of the class, and yet another bro (blond hair; blue eyes; chiseled jawline; backwards cap) came up to ask me a, frankly, very well thought out question…

The trick to teaching the same thing over and over, is to use each time as a way to master and refine your understanding of the topic.

I had 6 identical lab (secondary teaching) sessions per week, each 1 hour long. I handled lecture once a week, for two blocks of 400 students. It’s the equivalent of a decade teaching per school year.

Re: Is 40 the New 60?

#223

Post by comeonseriously »

cyberlurker wrote: post #107
mosburger wrote: post #95

Earlier quoted context omitted.

During my last job hunt a little over three years ago, I encountered what I think was some subtle ageism or at least discrimination based on family status (lots of questions about my family life when interviewed by the CTO and CEO, ultimately turned down because they didn't think I had the energy/disposition to be devoted enough to the company to put in extra effort when needed). I ultimately got a job at a better co…

Isn’t that technically illegal?

Yes, that's illegal.

Move fast and break (the law) things I guess?

Re: Is 40 the New 60?

#224

Post by fortran77 »

jasode wrote: post #73
SkipperCat wrote: post #33

40 is not the new 60. Not even close. At 40, I've done some of the best work I've ever done and my pay has been better than ever. I'm 52 now and the trend has only gotten better. Why? Its because at 40, I had a much deeper understanding of the tech, I understood of the whole business process and I had the maturity to deal with people in a productive way. You won't find all of those in a 25 year old developer. The onl…

>At 40, I've done some of the best work I've ever done [...] Its because at 40, I had a much deeper understanding of the tech, The blog post isn't about self-reported cognitive ability getting stronger (or not declining). It's about the job marketplace . Maybe it's instructive to compare/contrast different professional careers that depend on mental abilities and how age affects marketability: - computer programming :…

> The blog post isn't about self-reported cognitive ability getting stronger (or not declining). It's about the job marketplace.

C'mon! You don't expect someone here to have actually read the story.

He didn't even get the irony of the title (Usually the expression goes the other way, i.e., "50 is the new 40") which means he didn't even read the title too well, either.

Re: Is 40 the New 60?

#225

Post by thechao »

Aeolun wrote: post #106
thechao wrote: post #64

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I was the only English-speaking TA (&, thus backup lecturer) to "Intro to C 101" at a major mass-population state university. Class sizes were ~800 students. I had an open-doors/open-lab/open-office policy. By the 4th semester, I remember laying on the floor in front of the class, and yet another bro (blond hair; blue eyes; chiseled jawline; backwards cap) came up to ask me a, frankly, very well thought out question…

> I remember laying on the floor in front of the class Is there a nuance to this I’m missing? If my professor suddenly decided to lie down in front of the class I would not casualy amble up and ask a question, I’d be more likely to call an ambulance or burst out laughing.

I had a good rapport with the students; also, the AC was out & it was hot.

Re: Is 40 the New 60?

#226

Post by [deleted] »

SkipperCat wrote: post #33

40 is not the new 60. Not even close. At 40, I've done some of the best work I've ever done and my pay has been better than ever. I'm 52 now and the trend has only gotten better. Why? Its because at 40, I had a much deeper understanding of the tech, I understood of the whole business process and I had the maturity to deal with people in a productive way. You won't find all of those in a 25 year old developer. The onl…

[deleted]

Re: Is 40 the New 60?

#227

Post by chasd00 »

brandall10 wrote: post #136
jasode wrote: post #73

Earlier quoted context omitted.

>At 40, I've done some of the best work I've ever done [...] Its because at 40, I had a much deeper understanding of the tech, The blog post isn't about self-reported cognitive ability getting stronger (or not declining). It's about the job marketplace . Maybe it's instructive to compare/contrast different professional careers that depend on mental abilities and how age affects marketability: - computer programming :…

As mentioned elsewhere in the this chat, I'm a 45 yo principal engineer at my current company who has seen nothing but an increase in attention from recruiters since turning 40. I'm also directly involved in hiring for my team, having helped add 15 members over the last year, working directly w/ the director to review all resumes, handling maybe 30% of the screens, and usually the veto vote. We've interviewed a numbe…

I can't stand the jaded senior engineer archetype. They're absolutely toxic to the junior and mid-level engineers who look up to them.

Years ago i was at a coffee shop and overheard a conversation between a college student and what had to have been an assigned mentor. This guy was going on and on about the very worst of his experiences in his career yet, in a weird way, bragging about them at the same. This poor kid was writing every word down in a notebook she had. He got up to the restroom and i walked over and politely told her this guy is only filling her head with poison and to run as far and as fast away from them as possible. She got up and left.

Re: Is 40 the New 60?

#228

Post by kristaps »

atemerev wrote: post #141
thiago_fm wrote: post #60

This is a very American centrist point of view. In Europe everywhere I worked there were a bunch of 40+ year olds writing code, it's just yet another profession. No big deal. I've found even a good amount of people at that age that were career switching(to development) and haven't had big issues entering the job market. But of course, you have to be flexible. Move elsewhere, or where the jobs are. Your white hair doe…

"it's just yet another profession. No big deal". Exactly, in Europe software engineering is just another profession, with pretty average compensation. Which is not exactly motivating.

I'm from EU, finance and IT are neck to neck for highest paid professions. Absoute pay numbers are lower than US, but under no circumstances could they be called average.

Re: Is 40 the New 60?

#229

Post by scotty79 »

giantg2 wrote: post #152
scotty79 wrote: post #72

Earlier quoted context omitted.

You are not old, you are just burning out. Pace yourself and pick your battles. It has nothing to do with age. Child prodigies can burn out at 20 because they are suffocated with work.

I'm already told I'm slow at work, so I don't think I can reduce the pace any further.

Change employer if you can. When I moved from small webshops to a consulting corporation that served very rich clients pace dropped by an order of magnitude while salary increased. As a rule of thumb you should change employers every two years to avoid underselling yourself and stagnation. You'll rarely get your market worth if you remove yourself from the job market to stick with a single company for years.

Re: Is 40 the New 60?

#230

Post by Scarblac »

hallway_monitor wrote: post #190
brandall10 wrote: post #159

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I have that optimism and it certainly is not fake. I love what I do. Yes, I bring experience to the table but not bad energy. WTF would you want to hire someone who poisons the well? It doesn't matter what the job/industry is, in what situation would that be remotely desirable?

This is 100% correct. As a hiring manager, the attitude of candidates was probably equally important as their skills when it comes to the decision of whether to hire. The baseline of is this someone I would enjoy working with every day? Is this someone my team would enjoy working with every day? If it's not a solid yes I'm going to pass on you.

> The baseline of is this someone I would enjoy working with every day?

And a problem is that hiring managers, but especially recruiters are often relatively young, and thus biased towards people closer to their own age.

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