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While I also agree this is true there are weekly threads there that imply people over 35 (or 40) cannot get a job in software. All Gen-Xers are over 35, so only

While I also agree this is true there are weekly threads there that imply people over 35 (or 40) cannot get a job in software. All Gen-Xers are over 35, so only one or the other reflects reality.

oliverz 7y ago
GenX is 40+ now
- pmiller2 7y ago
  40 is over 35.
bdcravens 7y ago
I don't think this is true. In my experience, those who are seem to have a constraint they don't mention, like knowing an older language that isn't in vogue (I spent a lot of time in the ColdFusion ecosystem, and there were many who really didn't know another language), and who haven't expanded their skillset as the industry has changed (front-end frameworks, Docker, cloud, git workflows, etc) (I'm not on the market now, but I'm 43, my coworker is 41 or 42 I think, and virtually every programmer friend/cohort I know of that's 40+ is still gainfully employed)
- fred_is_fred 7y ago
  I agree with your impression as well and am also over 40. This site I think generally does not seem to agree with this sentiment.
  - bdcravens 7y ago
    In many ways, I think HN has a very narrow view of the industry.
    - fred_is_fred 7y ago
      Agreed - and I suspect a lot of it is where people live. I could not fathom living in the bay area with a family - and I think a lot of people move out once they start to have kids, meaning everyone left seems to be < 30.
- dehrmann 7y ago
  > an older language that isn't in vogue If you've mastered C, you're still in decent shape.
  - xzel 7y ago
    Also, lots of older languages demand higher pay due to the small applicant pool. I know Cobol and Fortan in banking / finance devs making 400k plus bonuses and saw a K / kdb+ job that was offering 500k. Hell, I even know someone getting paid to write and maintain sql sprocs! Obviously these are anecdotal and not ubiquitous but the job market is a really funny thing when you get into esoteric knowledge.
    - fred_is_fred 7y ago
      There's something interesting about this in tech - jobs that are lucrative, but not great choices for your future. Oracle DBAs can still make a ton of money, but it's not a growth field - so anyone left is probably over 40.
- draven 7y ago
  I work for a startup and I'm in my late 30s. We recently hired a developer in his late 40s. All my friends working in the industry are around 40 and none of them has trouble finding work. I'm in France at the moment. Maybe this whole "developers have to be [..30] years old" is only the norm in the niche HN talks about most.
- machinehermit 7y ago
  I am sure a big factor with this is being married with kids also. I work in sales and pushing 50 but have no kids or wife. I am spending most the day today drinking coffee and trying to learn to think in functional javascript. The day just does not look like this when I am in a relationship. I can't even imagine if you throw kids in the mix. If I had a kid I would be spending my time wiring up their brain instead of trying to rewire my own.
pmiller2 7y ago
Looking around my office (when it's open) proves that there are Gen X-ers in software.
rootusrootus 7y ago
I haven't seen this at all. I know lots of people, including myself, who are Gen-Xers and still happily employed in software. Unless you let your skills corrode and become stale, I can't see it really being that big a deal.
jbay808 7y ago
Even accepting that dubious premise, you also seem to be assuming that startups only hire software devs.
perl4ever 7y ago
An increasing number of millennials are over 35, since 1982 seems to be the accepted beginning of the generation.

While I also agree this is true there are weekly threads there that imply people over 35 (or 40) cannot get a job in software. All Gen-Xers are over 35, so only one or the other reflects reality.

oliverz 7y ago

GenX is 40+ now

pmiller2 7y ago
40 is over 35.

bdcravens 7y ago

I don't think this is true. In my experience, those who are seem to have a constraint they don't mention, like knowing an older language that isn't in vogue (I spent a lot of time in the ColdFusion ecosystem, and there were many who really didn't know another language), and who haven't expanded their skillset as the industry has changed (front-end frameworks, Docker, cloud, git workflows, etc) (I'm not on the market now, but I'm 43, my coworker is 41 or 42 I think, and virtually every programmer friend/cohort I know of that's 40+ is still gainfully employed)

fred_is_fred 7y ago
I agree with your impression as well and am also over 40. This site I think generally does not seem to agree with this sentiment.
- bdcravens 7y ago
  In many ways, I think HN has a very narrow view of the industry.
  - fred_is_fred 7y ago
    Agreed - and I suspect a lot of it is where people live. I could not fathom living in the bay area with a family - and I think a lot of people move out once they start to have kids, meaning everyone left seems to be < 30.
dehrmann 7y ago
> an older language that isn't in vogue If you've mastered C, you're still in decent shape.
- xzel 7y ago
  Also, lots of older languages demand higher pay due to the small applicant pool. I know Cobol and Fortan in banking / finance devs making 400k plus bonuses and saw a K / kdb+ job that was offering 500k. Hell, I even know someone getting paid to write and maintain sql sprocs! Obviously these are anecdotal and not ubiquitous but the job market is a really funny thing when you get into esoteric knowledge.
  - fred_is_fred 7y ago
    There's something interesting about this in tech - jobs that are lucrative, but not great choices for your future. Oracle DBAs can still make a ton of money, but it's not a growth field - so anyone left is probably over 40.
draven 7y ago
I work for a startup and I'm in my late 30s. We recently hired a developer in his late 40s. All my friends working in the industry are around 40 and none of them has trouble finding work. I'm in France at the moment. Maybe this whole "developers have to be [..30] years old" is only the norm in the niche HN talks about most.
machinehermit 7y ago
I am sure a big factor with this is being married with kids also. I work in sales and pushing 50 but have no kids or wife. I am spending most the day today drinking coffee and trying to learn to think in functional javascript. The day just does not look like this when I am in a relationship. I can't even imagine if you throw kids in the mix. If I had a kid I would be spending my time wiring up their brain instead of trying to rewire my own.

pmiller2 7y ago

Looking around my office (when it's open) proves that there are Gen X-ers in software.

rootusrootus 7y ago

I haven't seen this at all. I know lots of people, including myself, who are Gen-Xers and still happily employed in software. Unless you let your skills corrode and become stale, I can't see it really being that big a deal.

jbay808 7y ago

Even accepting that dubious premise, you also seem to be assuming that startups only hire software devs.

perl4ever 7y ago

An increasing number of millennials are over 35, since 1982 seems to be the accepted beginning of the generation.