Hacker News Board Hacker News, browsed like a classic message board
Live data from Hacker News

Ageism Haunts Some Tech Workers in the Race to Get Hired

wired.com

Post reply on HN
Print view View original

51–60 of 219 posts

Re: Ageism Haunts Some Tech Workers in the Race to Get Hired

#51

Post by ttyprintk »

imbusy111 wrote: post #29

I did feel a disadvantage myself when I was job searching a few months ago, but for me it was my personal attitude coming through more than anyone judging me by my age. I felt that I just cannot get excited anymore about some of the bullshit the company leadership is throwing around, and neither could I overlook the massive mistakes the companies are making based on my own interview questions. But I do understand tha…

This.

Interviewers and executives are often younger than me. I never make the claim that I’ve seen this or that mistake being made before. If I need to inject something, I say “anyone read [that book on JAX]” or “happy to help setup a long-term Kanban for Kubernetes if we go that way”.

Re: Ageism Haunts Some Tech Workers in the Race to Get Hired

#52

Post by SuperNinKenDo »

Ageism is pretty much only talked about when it affects older people. Younger people - broadly millenials and younger - have just had to make piece with the ageism they've faced their entire lives and continue to face. I understand that one day I'll be old too, but my sympathies are limited and it'll be nothing truly new for us when people start dismissing us for being old, since people have been dismissing us for being young plenty. It'll probably hurt a little more since I tend to identify more with younger people than Gen X or older millenials, but in the end it won't be anything I'm not used to. So consider this me playing the world's smallest violin.

Re: Ageism Haunts Some Tech Workers in the Race to Get Hired

#53

Post by pojzon »

costanzaDynasty wrote: post #33

The jokes on them. The generations are getting smaller and smaller. The lack of junior roles is making that pool even smaller. A giant bubble is forming. They spent the last 5 years talking about diversity and how great it is and how it makes better teams. Now every job is 5+ YOE. Do as I say, not as I do tech.

AI changes the landscape alot.

Even as an experienced engineer the sheer amount of knowledge you get access to from a single prompt without having to read any tutorial or book can change a Junior into Senior very quickly.

I just hope it wont face the same issue google had:

- starting with good answers and evolving into mud

Re: Ageism Haunts Some Tech Workers in the Race to Get Hired

#54

Post by Izkata »

7thaccount wrote: post #43
wheaties wrote: post #31

I feel this. I got the "you look older than your profile pic" comment during an interview last year. That one was fun. Dude wanted to know if I could even code anymore.

Isn't that illegal in the US and opens up doors for lawsuits?

Likely yes: https://www.dol.gov/general/topic/discrimination/agedisc (second paragraph)

I'm not sure what if means by "certain" applicants and employees, but my guess would be jobs where it's relevant, like physical labor, are excluded.

Re: Ageism Haunts Some Tech Workers in the Race to Get Hired

#55

Post by gosub100 »

imbusy111 wrote: post #29

I did feel a disadvantage myself when I was job searching a few months ago, but for me it was my personal attitude coming through more than anyone judging me by my age. I felt that I just cannot get excited anymore about some of the bullshit the company leadership is throwing around, and neither could I overlook the massive mistakes the companies are making based on my own interview questions. But I do understand tha…

I've had a similar attitude issue, not due to lack of excitement but just being more blunt, assertive, and fearless than I was as a junior. I'm not a total jerk completely missing a verbal filter, but I definitely have a shorter fuse and ended up getting let go last year for being rough with an inept coworker (politics were against me as a consultant too). I guess I need to cage my rage a little bit.

Re: Ageism Haunts Some Tech Workers in the Race to Get Hired

#56

Post by pojzon »

supportengineer wrote: post #46
77pt77 wrote: post #39

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Once that impression has been made (and it takes a fraction of a second) it's effectively engraved in stone and can't be changed. You disproving their assumption by showing you can code will only elicit extreme disgust from them.

"If you ever feel the need to defend yourself, you have already lost."

Where is this quote from ?

Re: Ageism Haunts Some Tech Workers in the Race to Get Hired

#57

Post by 77pt77 »

panzagl wrote: post #50
77pt77 wrote: post #37

Earlier quoted context omitted.

No. They get kicked out of the field. Like someone said, it's an open secret.

Depends on how you define 'the field'- if you mean SV cutting edge unicorn selling ad stuff, then yes. If you include some place like Lockheed Martin or Northrup Grumman doing boring non-cutting edge stuff like aerospace or signal analysis, then no.

Of all the companies you chose those 2?

Curiously I was specifically thinking of people that worked in LM.

One worked there for decades, didn't want to manage people and they just kicked him to the curb.

Re: Ageism Haunts Some Tech Workers in the Race to Get Hired

#58

Post by ska »

javajosh wrote: post #28

Discrimination is what happens when you don't have good measurement for capability. People have to make decisions, and in general you have more applicants than roles, so you use heuristics. Obviously its wrong (and illegal) but it's not going to change until you offer a reasonable alternative that measures technical and social (personality/EQ) merit.

> Discrimination is what happens when you don't have good measurement for capability.

This is obviously not the general case for discrimination, often it flies in the face of good measurements. Do you mean in this particular case, that because we don't have good metrics for developers, discrimination easily slips in?

Re: Ageism Haunts Some Tech Workers in the Race to Get Hired

#59

Post by pojzon »

The thing about ageism in IT is a matter of statistics.

If you hire a bad junior you are few thousend in back.

If you hire a bad senior you are tens of thousends in back.

Noone wants to make bad decisions, so we use stereotypes we know to prefilter. Its not very pragmatic but lets be honest as engineers we know world is not pragmatic.

Re: Ageism Haunts Some Tech Workers in the Race to Get Hired

#60

Post by antod »

georgeecollins wrote: post #47
wheaties wrote: post #31

I feel this. I got the "you look older than your profile pic" comment during an interview last year. That one was fun. Dude wanted to know if I could even code anymore.

How about: We're not sure the team will be comfortable working with someone so experienced. Pretty obvious what that was about.

Sheesh - what a lame statement. All the juniors I've worked with are very keen to learn from us old timers, and likewise their enthusiasm and energy rubs off on us. It's a win-win as far as I'm concerned.
Post reply on HN