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So heres a pretty simple question for older developers. If the field is so rough why not apply to remote working jobs with a stripped down resume that makes it

So heres a pretty simple question for older developers. If the field is so rough why not apply to remote working jobs with a stripped down resume that makes it look like you're in your mid thirties? Throttle your internet for any video calls so at best it looks blocky and then switch to just voice. If all that matters is your code why would anyone notice? Like women in tech I can understand, it's harder to disguise yourself, but if you're in your mid 40s or mid 50s why not just pretend?

AndrewDucker 10y ago
I like working in an office with other people. So I'm not interested in remote-working jobs, and I'd rather work somewhere where I'm not having to disguise who I am.
andyjohnson0 10y ago
Its better to be honest about yourself. Get into the habit of pretending and it'll catch up with you eventually.
asimuvPR 10y ago
Id rather be turned down for being myself than accepted as a fake.
ccallebs 10y ago
I think plenty of people take this route. There are stories from SV about middle-aged men who undertake cosmetic surgery to look younger, so it's not a stretch that some people would do what you're saying. However, what you're suggesting isn't a solution. It's not even a band-aid. Imagine living your days worrying about whether or not you'd be exposed for being older than what you are. That would be maddening. I'm only 28, but I fear what the career landscape will look like when I hit mid-life as well. My inclination is that the field has grown so much we're looking at peak-agism right now. Although I've never seen it in person, it makes me wonder when so many teams don't look like they have anyone over 40.
- ydt 10y ago
  I was worried about this when I was younger, but as I've reached my mid-40s I still get lots of great offers and have no problems finding contract/freelance gigs with good rates. Now, I'm in Denver so perhaps this is more of an SV thing. In the real world, businesses are having a hard enough time hiring and retaining productive devs to engage in that kind of discrimination.
- 3pt14159 10y ago
  I think I'm being misunderstood. I'm not saying this is a solution, I'm asking why this doesn't happen. Maybe it does though.
  - ccallebs 10y ago
    Ah, gotcha. I wasn't trying to put words in your mouth. But I think it does happen frequently (and not just in software development). Certainly if I were faced between not providing for my family and dying my hair / getting botox injections, I would choose the latter.
ourmandave 10y ago
If the field is so rough why not apply to remote working jobs with a stripped down resume that makes it look like you're in your mid thirties? Throttle your internet for any video calls so at best it looks blocky and then switch to just voice. If all that matters is your code why would anyone notice? Somewhere in Hollywood this wacky comedy script is being written with Steve Martin on the short list.
ryandrake 10y ago
I typically lop off the first 10 or so years from my resume, partially for this reason. I thought this was pretty common. Nobody reads past the first page anyway.
JabavuAdams 10y ago
If it's hard to get hired as a woman, why not dress like a man? If it's hard to get hired as a black person, why not bleach your face white? The real answer is that past a certain age, it's just shitty to be working for other people. But ... some companies have great projects that you can't work on anywhere else.
- amyjess 10y ago
  Given that femininity is so devalued in society, it's actually not uncommon for women to butch up to fit in with various groups. That's not quite the same as "dress[ing] like a man", but a lot of us do suppress our girly tendencies so we can be seen as an honorary guy. Way too many guys say "I don't like being around girls, but she's basically one of the guys so she's cool".
AnimalMuppet 10y ago
Because I get paid way more than I did in my mid thirties.
amyjess 10y ago
If I find myself unemployable in my 40s or older, I intend to give that a shot. I'd like, though, to be as honest as possible first and only consider doctoring my resume if it's absolutely necessary. Yeah, sure, removing older jobs and omitting the year I graduated college isn't technically lying, but it's close enough that I'm uncomfortable doing it unless it's necessary for my survival. Also, at some point, I want to transition to working remotely for reasons completely unrelated to age. That'll mean I won't have to meet people in person, and I can always just use a heavily airbrushed picture taken at a cherry-picked angle for my LinkedIn headshot. Or, for that matter, I could use an older picture: I've seen so many people's using headshots (on both LinkedIn and their companies' staff pages) that were clearly taken over a decade ago. For example, the CEO of my first company was about 60 and had light gray hair, but his headshot on the company's staff page showed him to be in his 40s with dark brown hair. Also, I do want to save up and get some cosmetic surgeries and other age-reduction treatments when I'm older. Not because of ageism in the industry, but because I have issues with aging in general and the idea of looking older personally disturbs me. If it helps keep me employed, it would be a nice side effect.

AndrewDucker 10y ago

I like working in an office with other people. So I'm not interested in remote-working jobs, and I'd rather work somewhere where I'm not having to disguise who I am.

andyjohnson0 10y ago

Its better to be honest about yourself. Get into the habit of pretending and it'll catch up with you eventually.

asimuvPR 10y ago

Id rather be turned down for being myself than accepted as a fake.

ccallebs 10y ago

I think plenty of people take this route. There are stories from SV about middle-aged men who undertake cosmetic surgery to look younger, so it's not a stretch that some people would do what you're saying. However, what you're suggesting isn't a solution. It's not even a band-aid. Imagine living your days worrying about whether or not you'd be exposed for being older than what you are. That would be maddening. I'm only 28, but I fear what the career landscape will look like when I hit mid-life as well. My inclination is that the field has grown so much we're looking at peak-agism right now. Although I've never seen it in person, it makes me wonder when so many teams don't look like they have anyone over 40.

ydt 10y ago
I was worried about this when I was younger, but as I've reached my mid-40s I still get lots of great offers and have no problems finding contract/freelance gigs with good rates. Now, I'm in Denver so perhaps this is more of an SV thing. In the real world, businesses are having a hard enough time hiring and retaining productive devs to engage in that kind of discrimination.
3pt14159 10y ago
I think I'm being misunderstood. I'm not saying this is a solution, I'm asking why this doesn't happen. Maybe it does though.
- ccallebs 10y ago
  Ah, gotcha. I wasn't trying to put words in your mouth. But I think it does happen frequently (and not just in software development). Certainly if I were faced between not providing for my family and dying my hair / getting botox injections, I would choose the latter.

ourmandave 10y ago

If the field is so rough why not apply to remote working jobs with a stripped down resume that makes it look like you're in your mid thirties? Throttle your internet for any video calls so at best it looks blocky and then switch to just voice. If all that matters is your code why would anyone notice? Somewhere in Hollywood this wacky comedy script is being written with Steve Martin on the short list.

ryandrake 10y ago

I typically lop off the first 10 or so years from my resume, partially for this reason. I thought this was pretty common. Nobody reads past the first page anyway.

JabavuAdams 10y ago

If it's hard to get hired as a woman, why not dress like a man? If it's hard to get hired as a black person, why not bleach your face white? The real answer is that past a certain age, it's just shitty to be working for other people. But ... some companies have great projects that you can't work on anywhere else.

amyjess 10y ago
Given that femininity is so devalued in society, it's actually not uncommon for women to butch up to fit in with various groups. That's not quite the same as "dress[ing] like a man", but a lot of us do suppress our girly tendencies so we can be seen as an honorary guy. Way too many guys say "I don't like being around girls, but she's basically one of the guys so she's cool".

AnimalMuppet 10y ago

Because I get paid way more than I did in my mid thirties.

amyjess 10y ago

If I find myself unemployable in my 40s or older, I intend to give that a shot. I'd like, though, to be as honest as possible first and only consider doctoring my resume if it's absolutely necessary. Yeah, sure, removing older jobs and omitting the year I graduated college isn't technically lying, but it's close enough that I'm uncomfortable doing it unless it's necessary for my survival. Also, at some point, I want to transition to working remotely for reasons completely unrelated to age. That'll mean I won't have to meet people in person, and I can always just use a heavily airbrushed picture taken at a cherry-picked angle for my LinkedIn headshot. Or, for that matter, I could use an older picture: I've seen so many people's using headshots (on both LinkedIn and their companies' staff pages) that were clearly taken over a decade ago. For example, the CEO of my first company was about 60 and had light gray hair, but his headshot on the company's staff page showed him to be in his 40s with dark brown hair. Also, I do want to save up and get some cosmetic surgeries and other age-reduction treatments when I'm older. Not because of ageism in the industry, but because I have issues with aging in general and the idea of looking older personally disturbs me. If it helps keep me employed, it would be a nice side effect.