You’re the odd one out, perhaps due to your own abilities and other special qualities. For the average programmer ageism applies though. And the largest majority of devs is in the average region
I think it depends on your adaptability.
I know few devs over 50, but the ones I do are like the dev you reply to - they are some of the most adaptable, T shaped skills. Deep domain knowledge & experience in a couple areas and broad experience in many techs.
Another factor to consider is post-peak-comp. You may find yourself in roles when you are older that pay less than they used to. This may very well be fine because you no longer have a down payment or kids college to save for, and if you didn't keep upgrading homes.. your mortgage payments 10-20 years into owning should a smaller and smaller percent of your income. If you are no longer chasing comp, you have a broader selection of roles and can be more selective.
That just isn't true in my case. I started my career in the late 90s and was the young kid at the office. So on my network is full of older developers.
Very few of them have been pushed out of the field. Yes many moved up, but the majority still code. The ones who had not moved into management are either retired (Over 65), retired early (Rich, big payday) or dead.
> For the average programmer ageism applies though
It's easy to blame ageism, and ageism is real. There are a lot of people who really resent older people and believe flat-out untrue myths about cognition, value of experience and work ethic. That said, every time a friend shares a beer with me and tells me the woes of trying to get a job when older, I hear this:
I can't get a job that pays me like I'm senior, but requires the skills of someone half my age.
The solution is to break out of that box, and either be ok with lower pay, or go for jobs that leverage the value of your experience.
> perhaps due to your own abilities and other special qualities
I'm sure if you looked at yourself, or maybe had someone look with you, that you'd find you have quite a bit to offer when it comes to ability, and especially special qualities. As you get older it's hard to understand what is special because you've seen a lot, and it all seems average.
So the question becomes “why would a 50 year old be an average programmer?”
I am very much the “average programmer”, but I learned a long time ago how to focus on “adding business value”, talking to customers (internal and external), writing, presenting, explaining concepts to non-technical people and even once a decade ago talking to investors and potential acquirers when a startup I was working for when they wanted to talk to the “technical folks”
I keep hearing about ageism, but never encountered it. At 54, I've just landed my last job a year or two ago and age wasn't an issue. As in all things tech, I think if you have the skills that are in demand, good jobs are not too hard to find.
