4 ms·

If you are willing to share, I'd be curious to hear more about your situation. I've seen salary plateau at certain career levels and ages (40s usually), but say

by fecak 10y ago

If you are willing to share, I'd be curious to hear more about your situation. I've seen salary plateau at certain career levels and ages (40s usually), but saying salary goes down at all (let alone sharply) is something that I expect is not a general truth about the market at large. My anecdotal data comes from ~20 years in recruiting engineers. There are several reasons you could see a salary drop (stagnating skill set no longer in demand, move to company that pays less, move to industry that values programmers less, etc.), but age alone isn't likely to be one of them.

stray 10y ago
Would a significant gap in employment be that damaging? I was severely burned in an automobile accident (60%, 3rd degree) on June 6, 2006 -- and was completely unable to work for a couple years. It took a little over 4 years total from the date of the accident till I got another job. Every job since then has been with a startup.
- fecak 10y ago
  A four year gap in employment is a much more logical conclusion to a reduction in salary than your 44th birthday. Even if it was something like an accident (I'm glad you are better now BTW), candidates are sometimes reluctant to share medical issues on resumes/cover letters (and rightfully so in some instances) which can lead to the reader making all sorts of assumptions about why you haven't had a job in n years.
- kafkaesq 10y ago
  If you can explain it -- like you obviously can -- then no, not "that damaging". You've definitely gotten over the hump already (both in terms of recovering from such a disaster physically -- and in finding work afterwards). So at this point, while a 4-year gap will still be a downward multiplier to some, the effect will be relatively mild. Better to focus on the the sheer inner strength it must take (which I, and almost all these people summarily rejecting you, can only begin to imagine) to pull off a recovery like that, and how that makes a much more solid person overall -- and hence, a way better hire.
VLM 10y ago
If ageism is the direct cause of the move to less green pastures that kind of circularizes the argument.
- fecak 10y ago
  I'm not quite sure I follow - how is ageism leading someone to leave?
- stray 10y ago
  The direct cause of the move to less green pastures was being broke and hungry.

by fecak 10y ago

stray 10y ago

Would a significant gap in employment be that damaging? I was severely burned in an automobile accident (60%, 3rd degree) on June 6, 2006 -- and was completely unable to work for a couple years. It took a little over 4 years total from the date of the accident till I got another job. Every job since then has been with a startup.

fecak 10y ago
A four year gap in employment is a much more logical conclusion to a reduction in salary than your 44th birthday. Even if it was something like an accident (I'm glad you are better now BTW), candidates are sometimes reluctant to share medical issues on resumes/cover letters (and rightfully so in some instances) which can lead to the reader making all sorts of assumptions about why you haven't had a job in n years.
kafkaesq 10y ago
If you can explain it -- like you obviously can -- then no, not "that damaging". You've definitely gotten over the hump already (both in terms of recovering from such a disaster physically -- and in finding work afterwards). So at this point, while a 4-year gap will still be a downward multiplier to some, the effect will be relatively mild. Better to focus on the the sheer inner strength it must take (which I, and almost all these people summarily rejecting you, can only begin to imagine) to pull off a recovery like that, and how that makes a much more solid person overall -- and hence, a way better hire.

VLM 10y ago

If ageism is the direct cause of the move to less green pastures that kind of circularizes the argument.

fecak 10y ago
I'm not quite sure I follow - how is ageism leading someone to leave?
stray 10y ago
The direct cause of the move to less green pastures was being broke and hungry.