4 ms·

> You won't find all of those in a 25 year old developer. What makes you think that? It's absolutely possible for a 25-year-old to be a more experienced, more

> You won't find all of those in a 25 year old developer. What makes you think that? It's absolutely possible for a 25-year-old to be a more experienced, more technically competent, and more mature than a 40-year-old. Some 40-year-olds have 20x 1 year of experience, compared to some 25-year-old's 5 years of experience. If you think you're inherently better as a 40-year-old developer than all 25-year-old developers then I think you're deeply mistaken.

Veen 5y ago
> It's absolutely possible for a 25-year-old to be a more experienced, more technically competent, and more mature than a 40-year-old. It's also absolutely possible for a pig in a jetpack to fly past your window. Many unusual things are possible, but that doesn't make them any less unusual. In the vast majority of cases, older developers will have more experience and be more mature than younger developers.
no-s 5y ago
> 20x 1 year of experience That person has 20 years of experience in gaining short experiences. Something the 25 year old prodigy can’t have. Skippercat was just stating a fact. I feel the way you expressed your opinion reflects some intrinsic ageism. Bigotry often seeks a plausible rationale for justification.
- chrisseaton 5y ago
  No I'm arguing against ageism. I'm over 35 myself. I'm just realistic that having been alive a long time doesn't automatically infer wisdom like people think it does. Someone who's spent 20 years not really learning anything or bettering themselves can be behind someone who's spent five years working hard. They said: > at 40, I had a much deeper understanding of the tech, I understood of the whole business process and I had the maturity to deal with people in a productive way. Understanding tech, business process, and maturity don't necessarily take a long time to learn. Someone can spend 20 years not bothering to learn these things, while someone who's worked 5 years can have mastered them. Highly effective people can be young. Don't assume you'll have more of anything compared to them just because you've been around for longer.
  - ywei3410 5y ago
    But the original comment has specifically talked about the quality of the experience is important rather than just the quantity. > I worked with someone my age who only strong skills are a large enterprise storage system. He is a dinosaur and his future is limited.
    - chrisseaton 5y ago
      They said you wouldn't find some combinations qualities in younger people at all. > You won't find all of those in a 25 year old developer
      - ywei3410 5y ago
        I took the gist of the original post as saying they didn't agree with the original article and didn't think age was the defining factor of employment problems at 40. That, by developing and demonstrating relevant skills they hadn't found there to be any problems. I took the quote as meaning that certain skills take time to master and it's impossible (which I took to be hyperbole) someone with less time would be able to master /all/ of the them; reinforcing their first point about how someone who is older should find it easier to find employment.
ThrowawayR2 5y ago
Yes, a 25 year old genius developer can be as good as a 40 year old average developer and better than a 40 year old subpar developer. However, geniuses are, by definition, extremely rare, so it should be self-evident that the heuristic is generally valid.
- chrisseaton 5y ago
  'Won't find' vs 'may rarely find'. How about we just assess each individual without going in with any prejudice based on their age?
  - ThrowawayR2 5y ago
    I already do. But that doesn't have anything to do with the validity of the heuristic.
    - chrisseaton 5y ago
      Applying heuristics against people using personal characteristics they cannot control like their age is harfmul.

Veen 5y ago

> It's absolutely possible for a 25-year-old to be a more experienced, more technically competent, and more mature than a 40-year-old. It's also absolutely possible for a pig in a jetpack to fly past your window. Many unusual things are possible, but that doesn't make them any less unusual. In the vast majority of cases, older developers will have more experience and be more mature than younger developers.

no-s 5y ago

> 20x 1 year of experience That person has 20 years of experience in gaining short experiences. Something the 25 year old prodigy can’t have. Skippercat was just stating a fact. I feel the way you expressed your opinion reflects some intrinsic ageism. Bigotry often seeks a plausible rationale for justification.

chrisseaton 5y ago
No I'm arguing against ageism. I'm over 35 myself. I'm just realistic that having been alive a long time doesn't automatically infer wisdom like people think it does. Someone who's spent 20 years not really learning anything or bettering themselves can be behind someone who's spent five years working hard. They said: > at 40, I had a much deeper understanding of the tech, I understood of the whole business process and I had the maturity to deal with people in a productive way. Understanding tech, business process, and maturity don't necessarily take a long time to learn. Someone can spend 20 years not bothering to learn these things, while someone who's worked 5 years can have mastered them. Highly effective people can be young. Don't assume you'll have more of anything compared to them just because you've been around for longer.
- ywei3410 5y ago
  But the original comment has specifically talked about the quality of the experience is important rather than just the quantity. > I worked with someone my age who only strong skills are a large enterprise storage system. He is a dinosaur and his future is limited.
  - chrisseaton 5y ago
    They said you wouldn't find some combinations qualities in younger people at all. > You won't find all of those in a 25 year old developer
    - ywei3410 5y ago
      I took the gist of the original post as saying they didn't agree with the original article and didn't think age was the defining factor of employment problems at 40. That, by developing and demonstrating relevant skills they hadn't found there to be any problems. I took the quote as meaning that certain skills take time to master and it's impossible (which I took to be hyperbole) someone with less time would be able to master /all/ of the them; reinforcing their first point about how someone who is older should find it easier to find employment.

ThrowawayR2 5y ago

Yes, a 25 year old genius developer can be as good as a 40 year old average developer and better than a 40 year old subpar developer. However, geniuses are, by definition, extremely rare, so it should be self-evident that the heuristic is generally valid.

chrisseaton 5y ago
'Won't find' vs 'may rarely find'. How about we just assess each individual without going in with any prejudice based on their age?
- ThrowawayR2 5y ago
  I already do. But that doesn't have anything to do with the validity of the heuristic.
  - chrisseaton 5y ago
    Applying heuristics against people using personal characteristics they cannot control like their age is harfmul.