This is great, but when people see an older programmer, their first, involuntary thought is "I wonder what went wrong with his career, why did he get stuck?".

This is great, but when people see an older programmer, their first, involuntary thought is "I wonder what went wrong with his career, why did he get stuck?". I vividly remember a manager (50-ish himself at the time) screening resumes once, letting out an exasperated sigh at the sight of one: "this one was born in the 60's, jeez!". I was the ideal age for a programmer at the time so it didn't affect me, but it still shocked me. (I know it's customary not to include a date of birth on an American resume, but they'll still figure it out from dates on your diplomas, work experience etc)