Age problem in technology?

"Yes grandpa, there really is an age problem in tech."

http://scripting.com/2014/04/13/#a1397402762

Yes grandpa, there really is an age problem in tech

I signed up for the EmpireJS conference in May here in NYC. At the time there were no speakers announced. They promised to announce one every day until the roster filled out. And of course, no surprise really -- they're all very young. I'm sure they know a lot about JavaScript, but surely there are some more experienced older people who also know about this great language? ... now I have a better idea how women and non-whites feel going to tech conferences. I wonder how people will react to me, with my gray beard, and knowledge of things other than JavaScript!

http://scripting.com/2014/04/13/#a1397404856

Zuck, who hired an 85-year-old architect to design Facebook's new campus. Would he consider giving such responsibility to an 85-year-old software engineer? How about a 45-year-old one?

Some professions are more acceptable of "old" people than others. I know "old" computer programmers exist, but it seems that the perception, generally speaking, is that a 50-year-old should not be hacking code anymore. A person that age should be in a position of management.

At local farmers markets, we get to meet the farmers. Some farmers are grizzled, weather-beaten, and "old." Some are missing a digit or two. Accidents. It's tough work.

So why do farmers over the age of 60 keep working the fields and maintaining equipment? Do people say to these farmers, "How come you are not sitting behind a desk in a nice building at a position of management in the food industry?"

Farmers of all ages continue to hack the fields, so why can't programmers at all ages continue to hack code? The old farmers have to stay current on changes with equipment, market demand, science, and practices. Old programmers should stay current too.

#ageism - #technology - #programming - #blog_jr