3 ms·

> How many 40+ are still doing Math and Programming in such environments All the 40+ crowd around me is doing math and programming, that's kind of the day to d

> How many 40+ are still doing Math and Programming in such environments All the 40+ crowd around me is doing math and programming, that's kind of the day to day job at a hedge fund:) :) I'm sorry, I've read your comment 4 times and I still can't make sense of it. Are you agreeing or disagreeing with me? Could you please try and restate your opinion to be clearer?

maxerickson 11y ago
If your life gets off the well beaten track, (your deviation from) people's expectations will fuck you.
- wott 11y ago
  I know this from experience. I am still experiencing it and I can't see it improving any time soon. Or ever. :-/
akg_67 11y ago
Your choice of what you should be doing after 40+ should be based on not only what interests you but also what your environment may expect when you reach 40+. Looking at what 40+ people doing at your company gives you a clue of what is expected of you when you turn 40. Hedge fund might be an exception like academics and research. In most non-research oriented companies you will see more 40+ in management than in programming. Like you mentioned FoxPro people having bad time, even if you are skilled in latest 'programming' trend, a company might prefer (IME, most of the time it is true) someone younger than a 40+ in that role. For most companies, the marginal utility of a person plateaus or declines after about 5-7 years of progressive experience.
- trav4225 11y ago
  What if the person only entered the field at age 35? I'm not sure physical age is relevant. Also, many people, myself included, find the thought of working at the management level highly distasteful.
  - akg_67 11y ago
    People hire people like them. It is not as much as the absolute age but the age group and difference in your age with rest of your peer group in the company. If you entered a field at 35 (appear 35) when most of the peer group in the company is 21, you are going to have hard time getting hired for same role being performed by 21. If the company that expects/has most 40+ employees in management, you are going to have hard time staying in technical role unless you have built bridges with management that want to keep you around.
    - jqm 11y ago
      That should have absolutely nothing to do with it. Nothing. The only thing that should matter is ability to the job. Anything else is wrong and in most cases (rightfully so) illegal.

maxerickson 11y ago

If your life gets off the well beaten track, (your deviation from) people's expectations will fuck you.

wott 11y ago
I know this from experience. I am still experiencing it and I can't see it improving any time soon. Or ever. :-/

akg_67 11y ago

Your choice of what you should be doing after 40+ should be based on not only what interests you but also what your environment may expect when you reach 40+. Looking at what 40+ people doing at your company gives you a clue of what is expected of you when you turn 40. Hedge fund might be an exception like academics and research. In most non-research oriented companies you will see more 40+ in management than in programming. Like you mentioned FoxPro people having bad time, even if you are skilled in latest 'programming' trend, a company might prefer (IME, most of the time it is true) someone younger than a 40+ in that role. For most companies, the marginal utility of a person plateaus or declines after about 5-7 years of progressive experience.

trav4225 11y ago
What if the person only entered the field at age 35? I'm not sure physical age is relevant. Also, many people, myself included, find the thought of working at the management level highly distasteful.
- akg_67 11y ago
  People hire people like them. It is not as much as the absolute age but the age group and difference in your age with rest of your peer group in the company. If you entered a field at 35 (appear 35) when most of the peer group in the company is 21, you are going to have hard time getting hired for same role being performed by 21. If the company that expects/has most 40+ employees in management, you are going to have hard time staying in technical role unless you have built bridges with management that want to keep you around.
  - jqm 11y ago
    That should have absolutely nothing to do with it. Nothing. The only thing that should matter is ability to the job. Anything else is wrong and in most cases (rightfully so) illegal.