I am 42, and I don't agree with your assessment. I didn't get my first full time software dev gig until age 40 (learned to code over previous few years). The

I am 42, and I don't agree with your assessment. I didn't get my first full time software dev gig until age 40 (learned to code over previous few years). The primary thing my employer cares about is my contribution to the company's mission. If lose sight of that, and try selling the value of my many years of X, I am missing the point. To put it another, my age is not coupled to my value. It's up to me, at any age, to focus on what it takes to make my employer more successful. Employer: "I need a developer who can do A, B, and C." Me: "That's me!" Employer: " I can't ask you how old you are, but maybe sometime you can tell me what it was like to start your career at a time when computers read your code off punchcards and ran it on vacuum tubes." Me: "Nah, I started when computers ran on steam and looked like a building sized abacus. All kidding aside, why do you need A, B, and C? Let's talk about how I can help you make mad stacks of greenbacks." Employer: "I like making money! OK, I here's what we're working on..."