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I don't think so!!! I am an engineer in my 30s but i know a lot great engineers over 50 and beyond. The wisdom and knowledge they bring to the field is important and I would say essential for stability in our field. I have called on them from time to time to help me out of a jam, big time. I guess when you(JW) turn 46 you might want to get a job cleaning toilets.....
The best IT workers are those with expertise and judgment, both of which are highly correlated with experience. They are people who long ago drained the swamp, and quietly and calmly maintain and improve the sewage system so the alligators never come back.
Sure, sometimes people work and study hard, get the right experience, and begin to get really good at an IT field by their early 30s. But more often than not, when an IT professional needs expert help, they don't seek the advice of a 25-year-old. They usually sidle up to a grizzled graybeard and strike up a conversation.
The Internet and Unix are both 42 years old. The first decent Windows operating system (IMO) is only 17 years old. By and large, it's a young but graying profession, filled mostly by people who grew up in a PC world. The best of the best are those with the most experience, and - sorry, youngsters! - most of you have a lot to learn before you even meet the "best IT workers" entrance criteria.
Sure, sometimes people work and study hard, get the right experience, and begin to get really good at an IT field by their early 30s. But more often than not, when an IT professional needs expert help, they don't seek the advice of a 25-year-old. They usually sidle up to a grizzled graybeard and strike up a conversation.
The Internet and Unix are both 42 years old. The first decent Windows operating system (IMO) is only 17 years old. By and large, it's a young but graying profession, filled mostly by people who grew up in a PC world. The best of the best are those with the most experience, and - sorry, youngsters! - most of you have a lot to learn before you even meet the "best IT workers" entrance criteria.
from where I come from for the youth to get to IT in an established company, it might take you like a decade to be hired, they talk of expirience even if you got all that takes, all because they are scared of the young ones and bieng out dated as you wrote, and that's killing the industry and creativity among the youth
Jack Wallen is simply giving his perspective. Since our soldiers give daily to this same cause, Freedom of Speech, we should be open minded enough to listen, even if we don't agree. I have been in IT for 20 Years, 10 Years of which in Medical IT. I'm degreed, Ceritified and experienced in Networking. However, every day it seems I'm teaching the NEW guys, NEW skills. At this time I'm unemployed. How can a Degreed, Certified, and Experienced person like myself be unemployed ? Bottom Line, Money and Corporate Profit.
We have become a nation that blames each other for our issues. Let us reflect on why we got into IT and retrain ourselves with better and more up-to-date skill sets. Now that is repulsive Logic isn't it. Retrain, Rethink, and Reflect, Many Blessings to all, Young and Older alike.
We have become a nation that blames each other for our issues. Let us reflect on why we got into IT and retrain ourselves with better and more up-to-date skill sets. Now that is repulsive Logic isn't it. Retrain, Rethink, and Reflect, Many Blessings to all, Young and Older alike.
As an older worker, it's heartening to hear such a chorus of affirmation re: our skills and glorious intelligence, etc. However, isn't the real issue what kind of a workplace and what kind of a working world we want for the future? The whole concept of burning out or utilizing people till they drop seems really old-fashioned and inefficient. I would like to be thinking about how we can utilize more people in ways that are more efficient AND cover the needs of the organization or enterprise. Why aren't we talking about changing such out-moded models?
Good points on everything, except I'll join in the age discrimination chorus.
By your logic, age should also apply to doctors, nurses, airplane pilots, police men, fire fighters, and 100s of professions that require odd hours.
I'm 32, started IT at 25, been using computers and wrote my first BASIC program in Commodore 64 since I was 9, and if anything I always look at older workers with respect and as mentors, provided they stay current in their field.
By your logic, age should also apply to doctors, nurses, airplane pilots, police men, fire fighters, and 100s of professions that require odd hours.
I'm 32, started IT at 25, been using computers and wrote my first BASIC program in Commodore 64 since I was 9, and if anything I always look at older workers with respect and as mentors, provided they stay current in their field.
Its not age, it is health that matters. Keep yourself up. Contrary to many beliefs, the IT industry is just as demanding physically as it is mentally. If you do not keep up to date in your knowledge, and in great physical condition, one of two things WILL give. Your job, or your health. Stay active, take care of your self, and know your limits, and you will strive in both areas. I commend everyone in the industry for doing their best, Remember, we all fall short of perfection, but it is the pursuit that makes us proud of who we are.
Wow. Who the hell are you? What qualifies you to make such statements?
I am fifty-one. I worked in a NOC for several years, before being released along with three others, all of us over fifty. During my tenure, the "youth" at this organization, constantly called in sick, came in late, left early , and essentially showed no respect to anyone. They were terrible at math and spelling, and are easily baffled by any vocabulary that goes beyond Adult Swim.
Here's the kicker. I am 5'11', 160 lbs. I take care of my body, and my mind, I read, study anything I can get my hands on, am open minded, and have tons of energy because I take care of myself.
Out of twenty-three "youths" in that organization, 18 are morbidly obese, they are sluggish and lazy.
None have any post K12 education and what they do know about I.T. is only applicable in their current environment, where they learned the "system", which is so unstable the network goes down daily. If they haven't been through a situation a dozen times, they don't know how to react.
I had never encountered an environment like that until I worked at that NOC. I do not allow that experience to sour me to all youth. It sounds to me like this author thinks he's been around, I was like that once, it was called "the arrogance of youth".
I am fifty-one. I worked in a NOC for several years, before being released along with three others, all of us over fifty. During my tenure, the "youth" at this organization, constantly called in sick, came in late, left early , and essentially showed no respect to anyone. They were terrible at math and spelling, and are easily baffled by any vocabulary that goes beyond Adult Swim.
Here's the kicker. I am 5'11', 160 lbs. I take care of my body, and my mind, I read, study anything I can get my hands on, am open minded, and have tons of energy because I take care of myself.
Out of twenty-three "youths" in that organization, 18 are morbidly obese, they are sluggish and lazy.
None have any post K12 education and what they do know about I.T. is only applicable in their current environment, where they learned the "system", which is so unstable the network goes down daily. If they haven't been through a situation a dozen times, they don't know how to react.
I had never encountered an environment like that until I worked at that NOC. I do not allow that experience to sour me to all youth. It sounds to me like this author thinks he's been around, I was like that once, it was called "the arrogance of youth".
I just want to point out that it is illegal to use age as a factor in hiring employees.
Yes I understand the real world and the way employers can get around it.
At 59, I have hired many people for IT positions and the ones that are the most useful to me tend to be over 40. I have hired several 20 somethings and they were good at their jobs but lacked a solid background. In some cases for what I need, I find younger employees to be somewhat of a burden because of the constant learning curve.
Yes I understand the real world and the way employers can get around it.
At 59, I have hired many people for IT positions and the ones that are the most useful to me tend to be over 40. I have hired several 20 somethings and they were good at their jobs but lacked a solid background. In some cases for what I need, I find younger employees to be somewhat of a burden because of the constant learning curve.
Youth need to grow up. Mature / Smart people of all ages get along well in all professions. The creative ones do better here. We figure out how to solve everyone else's problems with technology.
Your assertion that youth is best suited for the IT Industry is woefully misinformed. It has always been my experience that it is the older workers, who are the ones willing to sacrifice, and put in the long hours neccessary to solve a production problem, to complete a successful rollout, or to come in the weekend when it can't be avoided.
I'm north of 55, had 3 back surgeries, and I am in constant chronic pain, yet I find the wherewithall to put in the extra hours at night after returning home from a full day's work, to put in the requisite weekend hours, or to ride a production problem to it's conclusion - even if it means putting in 30+ hours at a clip. The only workers in my company that put in equal, or any where near the same effort, are those in the 50+ age bracket. Then again, maybe you need years of experience to recognise the gravitas of a given situation, and realize the effort needed to accomplish a task, fix a problem, or implement a new feature..
You are doing we older workers a grave disservice by making such lame assertions.
I'm north of 55, had 3 back surgeries, and I am in constant chronic pain, yet I find the wherewithall to put in the extra hours at night after returning home from a full day's work, to put in the requisite weekend hours, or to ride a production problem to it's conclusion - even if it means putting in 30+ hours at a clip. The only workers in my company that put in equal, or any where near the same effort, are those in the 50+ age bracket. Then again, maybe you need years of experience to recognise the gravitas of a given situation, and realize the effort needed to accomplish a task, fix a problem, or implement a new feature..
You are doing we older workers a grave disservice by making such lame assertions.
I'm a 21 year old and Age defiantly is an added benefit for the field of IT for the very reasons you've mentioned. But as I am about to begin a new very serious, very deep route in the world of IT this article made me feel good about what I've decided to do with my life.
Jack, while I have the greatest respect for your professional knowledge, abilities, and contributions to the industry via TechRepublic and other venues as well, I must tell you that on a personal level you disappointment me with your comments which I consider a blatant endorsement for others to discriminate in regard to age. In a time which you and all other professionals should embrace the industry-wide talent that is available you are advocating throwing an uncomfortable percentage of talent and experience under the bus. I truly hope that somewhere down the road that no one posts comments that would make you feel unwanted, unneeded, and useless. As I said, truly disappointing.
To be in IT today I think you should also care about what the business goals for the brand it. Don't just try to use tech to keep your job, find ways to improve employee working situations. After all, that is what IT does, help people (and machines) to get real work done.
At thirty, my work in IT was conflicting with children's activities and other folks' demands on my time. At sixty, I'm in control of my own schedule. The years of experience have given me time to develop the other excellent qualities you mention, including the maturity to focus on the work that will deliver the most benefit to the business rather than the most technically fun.
I'm 56, been in IT for over 30 years and have no problem "keeping up" with today's youth. while they're busy "tweeting" or checking Facebook at work, I'm busting my ass developing multi-threaded real value solutions for my company. While they're busy trying to implement "Agile, Scrum, or whatever else is the lastest fad", I'm eating their lunch and developing robust, user loved systems that just plain work and are done on time, under budget. Sorry to see you 've fallen into the "younger is better" mindtrap... you should know better.
My company had been trying to fill positions that are critical to support our IT operations and despite offering excellent pay and benefits we were not able to consistently find young people who were willing to be called in during off hours. The ones who did do the job for a while complained incessantly or wanted ridiculous sums of money and moved on as soon as they found an "easier" or better paid position. The company has now recruited older employees who were retired but still skilled and we have had superior results. Your assertion about age is idiotic and incorrect. Young people, as a whole, have no work ethic whatsoever!
If you were based in Canada it could be an issue due to over time. Without a written wage averaging agreement, they would have to pay overtime for any calls or work you did from home (yes, even in a salaried role).
In ANY role, if you work outside of work hours or have an averaging agreement and work more than 40 hours in a week, you ARE entitled to overtime, the ONLY exclusions are self employment or real estate (because you are deemed self employed anyway).
Chances are, they found out your company doesn't pay fairly compared to either labour relations standards or industry standards. I've seen it from even the biggest and, supposedly, best employers too.
In ANY role, if you work outside of work hours or have an averaging agreement and work more than 40 hours in a week, you ARE entitled to overtime, the ONLY exclusions are self employment or real estate (because you are deemed self employed anyway).
Chances are, they found out your company doesn't pay fairly compared to either labour relations standards or industry standards. I've seen it from even the biggest and, supposedly, best employers too.
Just for starters: I'm 42, B.S. in Computer Science with a minor in Mathematics, and a programmer of almost 20 years in IT, as well as having fulfilled 3rd-party software and hardware implementation roles of all sorts of types over the years.
I think that in regards to IT being better suited for younger people: That all depends on the environment...and the person.
In the environment that I work in, I am the youngest full-time staff programmer. The other (hardware) staff ages go all the way from 25 to 53.
Why? Well, we have a mix of systems here. The financial systems are all on an old HP mainframe. And, you can hardly get programmers that write COBOL still from universities. Most BS/BA programs have focused either on Windows development, web design, or Unix systems with language programming in C/C++.
The local university does still teach COBOL, but the reason is not us: it is that the world's largest retailer recruits every year most of the graduates to go work in their programming group. Basically, all the good programmers go for the money.
But, IT is not necessarily better suited for the young. Some environments make it that way, due to technology used or pace that some lifestyles prohibit.
But, IT itself is not the discriminating factor. The work situation is.
I think that in regards to IT being better suited for younger people: That all depends on the environment...and the person.
In the environment that I work in, I am the youngest full-time staff programmer. The other (hardware) staff ages go all the way from 25 to 53.
Why? Well, we have a mix of systems here. The financial systems are all on an old HP mainframe. And, you can hardly get programmers that write COBOL still from universities. Most BS/BA programs have focused either on Windows development, web design, or Unix systems with language programming in C/C++.
The local university does still teach COBOL, but the reason is not us: it is that the world's largest retailer recruits every year most of the graduates to go work in their programming group. Basically, all the good programmers go for the money.
But, IT is not necessarily better suited for the young. Some environments make it that way, due to technology used or pace that some lifestyles prohibit.
But, IT itself is not the discriminating factor. The work situation is.
I agree with Jack that people over 45 are simply too old to handle the stress of network administration, and particularly work related to Linux, Android, and writing articles for TechRepublic.
Not many people know this, but Barack H. Obama used to be a network administrator. However, on his 46th birthday, he quit to seek less stressful work. Well done, Mr President; and well done to you, Jack, for turning an otherwise lackluster article into something worth commenting on.
Not many people know this, but Barack H. Obama used to be a network administrator. However, on his 46th birthday, he quit to seek less stressful work. Well done, Mr President; and well done to you, Jack, for turning an otherwise lackluster article into something worth commenting on.
... thread for me to read - the comments more so than the post, which itself was extraordinarily well-reasoned. Outside Flood Lights | Outdoor Party Lights
I thought this was going to be another article extolling this platform and that gadget, so I was pleasantly surprised to find an astute, insightful breakdown of the immaterial side of the business. Unfortunately, connections are a big deal in IT, and even more unfortunately, it means improvements and promotions are based on who you know fairly often. I would have ranked Connections #1.
I'm not sure how far back the saying goes, 'it's not what you know but WHO you know', but I'm positive it predates IT.
"Unfortunately, connections are a big deal in IT"
Why is being social and being able to network with peers an unfortunate requirement, unless of course you are a hermit looking to enter the workforce and have a little 9-5 cave with separate entrance from your underground parking stall?
"and even more unfortunately, it means improvements and promotions are based on who you know "
Are you brand new to the workforce?
Even labour jobs with unions are filled by people who knew someone that got them a job, has been that way for centuries.
Why is this new and unfortunate to you and yet so common for anyone else who has ever had a job? If you think it's a new development that's IT specific, you have a lot to learn still.
I just don't understand why having social skills and networking skills would be seen as an unfortunate precursor to employment. How else would you expect to get a job?
"Unfortunately, connections are a big deal in IT"
Why is being social and being able to network with peers an unfortunate requirement, unless of course you are a hermit looking to enter the workforce and have a little 9-5 cave with separate entrance from your underground parking stall?
"and even more unfortunately, it means improvements and promotions are based on who you know "
Are you brand new to the workforce?
Even labour jobs with unions are filled by people who knew someone that got them a job, has been that way for centuries.
Why is this new and unfortunate to you and yet so common for anyone else who has ever had a job? If you think it's a new development that's IT specific, you have a lot to learn still.
I just don't understand why having social skills and networking skills would be seen as an unfortunate precursor to employment. How else would you expect to get a job?
About Jack Wallen
Jack Wallen is an award-winning writer for Techrepublic and Linux.com. As an avid promoter of age discrimination Jack tries to convert as many corporate hiring decision makers as possible to continue to foster the idea of Obsolescence of older I.T. professionals.....
When Jack isn't writing about Linux he is hard at work on his other writing career -- destroying careers and by manipulating perceived reality of mis-infromed hiring zombies career killers, assorted zero's, and just about everything else he can manipulate between the folds of reality. You can find Jack.....Jack?......Jack?.... Ooops! Your over 40 and nobody wants to hear from you anymore......
Jack Wallen is an award-winning writer for Techrepublic and Linux.com. As an avid promoter of age discrimination Jack tries to convert as many corporate hiring decision makers as possible to continue to foster the idea of Obsolescence of older I.T. professionals.....
When Jack isn't writing about Linux he is hard at work on his other writing career -- destroying careers and by manipulating perceived reality of mis-infromed hiring zombies career killers, assorted zero's, and just about everything else he can manipulate between the folds of reality. You can find Jack.....Jack?......Jack?.... Ooops! Your over 40 and nobody wants to hear from you anymore......
I once taught several 70+ year old engineers SQL and they picked it up right away; they were productive in well under an hour. So, the reality is that ability to do STEM work does not evaporate at age 35. The problem is that the employment opportunities evaporate noticeably starting at age 35.
http://www.aea.org/News/nsf_numbers.htm
"[During] the early 1970s... between 60K and 100K engineers and scientists were unemployed... Remember the early 1980s when the universities were lobbying for money to expand our engineering schools, turning away domestic students and at the same time were recruiting over-seas for students?... High school students were enticed to enroll in engineering only to find they were unable to get jobs upon graduation, older engineers were laid off and salaries failed to keep up with inflation."
Edith Holleman
"When I came to the Science Committee in July of 1991 as an investigator, by the end of my first week, I had heard that the much-repeated statement from the National Science Foundation [NSF] about a pending shortage of scientists and engineers was false. When I started to ask more questions, the first people I heard from were engineers telling me it certainly wasn't true for them. Older engineers were being off-loaded into contract positions [bodyshopped], losing their benefits and their careers as quickly as the new ones were graduated. Young engineers were doing work that in years past was done by drafts-people."
"'The industry says it wants the most recent skills, the hot skills, Java, for example.', said Bard-Alan Finlan, 43, who works as a temporary senior technician. 'But I could learn Java within a month. I've sent out 200 resumes over the past 15 months, but I can't find a full-time job.'... His annual salary? $36K."
"'I'd love to have somebody with 20 years of experience, but unfortunately I'm only paying for 3 or 4.', says the IT director at a large law firm on the West Coast."
"Career coaches acknowledge that looking younger -- or looking less old -- can shorten a job search..."
Well, there are a lot more out there, including articles which mention people who did re-tool in the latest publicized buzz-words, did well in the classes, had related experience, but still can't get the time of day from recruiters. Simply being savvy and knowledgeable isn't enough... because there is a ready supply of cheap, pliant labor from over-seas, with flexible ethics such that they are willing to do basically anything.
When one is young and starting out, of course, you don't necessarily know how you measure up in professional environment, so you tend to be willing to work very hard in hopes that the quality and amount of your productivity will eventually be rewarded. After you get a few attaboys, maybe a transfer/promotion of two and things are looking up; you start thinking about maybe being able to afford to start buying a home and maybe a family. And right about then the rug gets pulled you. You may still be learning, may continue to build up your personal knowledge-base, and may frequently be consulted within the firm and by customers for your expertise, but you're considered too old, not flexible/pliant enough, possibly a threat to management, and/or potentially too expensive, and the work is let out to the bodyshoppers. This is the pattern I read in other people's personal stories and in the published articles.
http://www.aea.org/News/nsf_numbers.htm
"[During] the early 1970s... between 60K and 100K engineers and scientists were unemployed... Remember the early 1980s when the universities were lobbying for money to expand our engineering schools, turning away domestic students and at the same time were recruiting over-seas for students?... High school students were enticed to enroll in engineering only to find they were unable to get jobs upon graduation, older engineers were laid off and salaries failed to keep up with inflation."
Edith Holleman
"When I came to the Science Committee in July of 1991 as an investigator, by the end of my first week, I had heard that the much-repeated statement from the National Science Foundation [NSF] about a pending shortage of scientists and engineers was false. When I started to ask more questions, the first people I heard from were engineers telling me it certainly wasn't true for them. Older engineers were being off-loaded into contract positions [bodyshopped], losing their benefits and their careers as quickly as the new ones were graduated. Young engineers were doing work that in years past was done by drafts-people."
"'The industry says it wants the most recent skills, the hot skills, Java, for example.', said Bard-Alan Finlan, 43, who works as a temporary senior technician. 'But I could learn Java within a month. I've sent out 200 resumes over the past 15 months, but I can't find a full-time job.'... His annual salary? $36K."
"'I'd love to have somebody with 20 years of experience, but unfortunately I'm only paying for 3 or 4.', says the IT director at a large law firm on the West Coast."
"Career coaches acknowledge that looking younger -- or looking less old -- can shorten a job search..."
Well, there are a lot more out there, including articles which mention people who did re-tool in the latest publicized buzz-words, did well in the classes, had related experience, but still can't get the time of day from recruiters. Simply being savvy and knowledgeable isn't enough... because there is a ready supply of cheap, pliant labor from over-seas, with flexible ethics such that they are willing to do basically anything.
When one is young and starting out, of course, you don't necessarily know how you measure up in professional environment, so you tend to be willing to work very hard in hopes that the quality and amount of your productivity will eventually be rewarded. After you get a few attaboys, maybe a transfer/promotion of two and things are looking up; you start thinking about maybe being able to afford to start buying a home and maybe a family. And right about then the rug gets pulled you. You may still be learning, may continue to build up your personal knowledge-base, and may frequently be consulted within the firm and by customers for your expertise, but you're considered too old, not flexible/pliant enough, possibly a threat to management, and/or potentially too expensive, and the work is let out to the bodyshoppers. This is the pattern I read in other people's personal stories and in the published articles.
Just to rekindle the age one- i have gotten quite a number of old-timers on the internet lately-all working from home and doing just super. No fear of IT and loneliness? well what's that?
There is age discrimination but it isn't the young doing the discriminating it is the older people in the position to hire. Many of the commenters say that they have great IT jobs and they are over 40 but no mention of how many over 40's they have hired into IT positions.
I agree with skris88 about age discrimination. I am also an over 50 engineer that keeps getting turned down. I have worked corporate IT for over 15 years in such companies as Lockheed Martin and did everything on my own (in my 40s) when sister divisions had 4 people (in their 20s) to do the same job(s). I have also been in consulting role and have done some on location server upgrades for various companies. Lately I have beat out a company of 20 and 30 year old IT people to set up networks and have done their support and I feel darn good about doing that.
I'm 45+ and still play with my new android, Vsauce and Twitter. When a system is *really* broke who gets called? the old guys who have been around or where around when the system was installed.
There are lessons learned from taking backups, naming convention, testing backups with restore, keeping notes, organizing backups so they can be found and keeping a second set of installation media (disk or download)
PR to the non IT world can be hard. There is more to IT than "Insert CD, click accept, next, next and finish" though that is what friends and family see me do most often. Smile.
There are lessons learned from taking backups, naming convention, testing backups with restore, keeping notes, organizing backups so they can be found and keeping a second set of installation media (disk or download)
PR to the non IT world can be hard. There is more to IT than "Insert CD, click accept, next, next and finish" though that is what friends and family see me do most often. Smile.
"There is more to IT than "Insert CD,...."
Sure there is, that's just something IT guys say so people think they know a lot more, whether needed or not.
Same as, "well I could tell you but then I'd have to kill you"
or
Explaining the inexplicable with "God has his ways"
or
"Because I'm your mother and I TOLD YOU SO!"
Now that IT has become such a mainstream task, prices and value has evened out etc. IT guys have to make out like they have some secret society knowledge that only Certs can grant access to. Then they all congregate here and ask each other for help.
TR is today's Tabula Rasa.
Sure there is, that's just something IT guys say so people think they know a lot more, whether needed or not.
Same as, "well I could tell you but then I'd have to kill you"
or
Explaining the inexplicable with "God has his ways"
or
"Because I'm your mother and I TOLD YOU SO!"
Now that IT has become such a mainstream task, prices and value has evened out etc. IT guys have to make out like they have some secret society knowledge that only Certs can grant access to. Then they all congregate here and ask each other for help.
TR is today's Tabula Rasa.
Besides YOUTH, which I completely disagree with anyway, even though I see the point being made, the rest of the SPECIAL TIPS are common to any role in almost any company. Whether MacDonalds or CEO of a billion dollar mining company, these rules all apply.
Anyone who is employed builds these abilities over time, if not, they are constantly seeking employment.
I don't want to say the original article was pointless but it was...well.....yeah.
Anyone who is employed builds these abilities over time, if not, they are constantly seeking employment.
I don't want to say the original article was pointless but it was...well.....yeah.
I disagree with it too, but it's just a comment, who the hell cares? It's not AGE DISCRIMINATION! He's not refusing to hire anyone because of age, he just screwed up in thinking younger people are better candidates. SO WHAT?!?!?
All these posts about discrimination, losing credibility etc. What a lot of horse........
"I CANNOT believe in this day and age someone would actually practice AGE DISCRIMINATION so openly and flagrantly!!!"
@ron rocket....
He's NOT "practicing age discrimination", get over yourself. Did he not hire you because you were too old? No, so have a seat.
You want an apology, for a comment in an article, on a private website?
You are what's wrong with modern society, what a crotchety, bitter old dog!
@trichardson
"Jack Wallen is an age discriminate moron "
Learn what discrimination means before you spew you BS,
Seriously, the first thing you need in ANY role is a thick skin. Clearly, people are more focused on a single comment in a list of relevant observations than having a thick skin.
I could see it from kids if the comment was that you had to be older to be experienced and valued for such, which isn't too off base anyway, but this is just ridiculous. No wonder you live in such a PC society now where any comment results in a lawsuit from an easily offended and very think skinned loser.
Get a grip people, it's just a 'kin article. It's not a new law being passed, nobody is suggesting changing the Constitution, nobody has lost an eye, it was words and a personal opinion/comment, WHO CARES WHAT'S SAID? Disagree, offer your rebuttals but to take offense and start flaming the OP is just pathetic.
All these posts about discrimination, losing credibility etc. What a lot of horse........
"I CANNOT believe in this day and age someone would actually practice AGE DISCRIMINATION so openly and flagrantly!!!"
@ron rocket....
He's NOT "practicing age discrimination", get over yourself. Did he not hire you because you were too old? No, so have a seat.
You want an apology, for a comment in an article, on a private website?
You are what's wrong with modern society, what a crotchety, bitter old dog!
@trichardson
"Jack Wallen is an age discriminate moron "
Learn what discrimination means before you spew you BS,
Seriously, the first thing you need in ANY role is a thick skin. Clearly, people are more focused on a single comment in a list of relevant observations than having a thick skin.
I could see it from kids if the comment was that you had to be older to be experienced and valued for such, which isn't too off base anyway, but this is just ridiculous. No wonder you live in such a PC society now where any comment results in a lawsuit from an easily offended and very think skinned loser.
Get a grip people, it's just a 'kin article. It's not a new law being passed, nobody is suggesting changing the Constitution, nobody has lost an eye, it was words and a personal opinion/comment, WHO CARES WHAT'S SAID? Disagree, offer your rebuttals but to take offense and start flaming the OP is just pathetic.
Yes - I'm almost 58, and I have been a Network Admin (MCSE) for the last 15 or so years. I started as a PC Tech, and have worked my way up. The company I currently work at, the IT team are all over 55. We do just fine thank you. I have seen far more discrimination as far as being a "female" network admin (that does both hardware and software) than I have seen in age discrimination. But to both, my motto is "just work harder and smarter." I can always outwork a younger person, and/or a man!! LOL
Thanks for the entertainment. Heaven help you when you get to my age!! Theresa
Thanks for the entertainment. Heaven help you when you get to my age!! Theresa
Now a days age of most of the professional IT are around 25 and above and it seem that even in that age they are making impossible stuff.
Yikes! At 44 I guess I fall into the category of "older" person that you think shouldn't bother with an IT career. I've been an enthusiastic superuser, tinkerer, and general computing enthusiast for years (first computer was a Commodore 64) but decided to take the plunge and get my M.S.I.T and certifications this year and am halfway done. I also have a steady work history consisting of both military and federal operations (logistics & communications) work which required many long hours in many austere climates and divers conditions around the world, many times while being shot at, mortared, or other types of dangerous, life-threatening situations. Most of what I know I learned on my own either out of pure interest or as a result of on-the-job necessity in situations where there were no I.T. personnel readily available but I knew what to do and did it or otherwise improvised a workable solution.
It is with that all in mind that I read your article and laughed out loud at your comment implying that us "older" workers could not hack the I.T. lifestyle. Do you think that everyone over 45 has had SUCH an easy life that I.T. would be SO difficult? Perhaps you experienced working with I.T. personnel in that age range and were dissappointed with their work/attitude but don't judge all by the actions of a few.
Right now I'm wondering if anyone else in their 40's who didn't know better may have read your article and been discouraged from pursuing I.T. as a career. If so, here's hoping they were able to scroll down and read the many comments here discrediting your rather erroneous and biased statements.
It is with that all in mind that I read your article and laughed out loud at your comment implying that us "older" workers could not hack the I.T. lifestyle. Do you think that everyone over 45 has had SUCH an easy life that I.T. would be SO difficult? Perhaps you experienced working with I.T. personnel in that age range and were dissappointed with their work/attitude but don't judge all by the actions of a few.
Right now I'm wondering if anyone else in their 40's who didn't know better may have read your article and been discouraged from pursuing I.T. as a career. If so, here's hoping they were able to scroll down and read the many comments here discrediting your rather erroneous and biased statements.
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