5 ms·

Do you have any reputable research that shows people produce better-quality work in their 20s vs say, their 40s or 50s?

by nvy 3y ago

slibhb 3y ago
Virtually every genius is most productive before 40, usually before 30. Counterexamples exist but are rare.
- mixmastamyk 3y ago
  Often has to do with family obligations, they are a lovable distraction.
- deleted 3y ago
  [deleted]
- deleted 3y ago
  [deleted]
- Kluggy 3y ago
  Our industry isn't powered by the rare genius, but by the magnitude of line coders that the best impact they can do is just not cause issues as they develop the next version that adds feature x and y promised by some sales engineer to a big client. Sure, by 40 you're not likely to change the world. But in your 20's, you're not likely to change the world either. It's a long shot. Focusing on the fact that the long shot odds gets worse as a reason to not hire people just doesn't make sense.
  - slibhb 3y ago
    Geniuses follow the same curve as virtually everyone else. Humans are most active, energetic and quick in our late teens to early 30s and fall off steadily after that. People in this thread need to ask themselves why they're engaging in age-denialism.
    - hightrix 3y ago
      As a self proclaimed genius, you may want to take a step back and question your position. If everyone in the comments is disagreeing with you, that may be a signal that you are missing due to your own bias.
    - johnnyanmac 3y ago
      >People in this thread need to ask themselves why they're engaging in age-denialism. Simple: compensation and hiring practices run counter to this notion. If you're most productive in your 20's you should be paid more for that productivity, and years of experience wouldn't be such a mandatory metric. Neither is true in practice. Older people have more expeirence, and get paid more. Policy makers have a median age in the late 50's. Young people are hired for peanuts and hope to get more money as they get more experience, regardless of if they are treading water or are in fact the most productive member of a company. Your notions are only really true for top level sports, where gynmasts and professional athletes are in fact hired, compensated, and performed at their peak in the early 20's and tend to burn out (relative to other early 20's athletes) as they approach 30.
      - slibhb 3y ago
        It's true everywhere. Older people are paid more for no good reason, it's just "the way things are" that you get a raise every year. In a freer market, it wouldn't be the case.
        johnnyanmac 3y ago
        >It's true everywhere. I just described an industry where it's not. You don't make money playing sports in your 30's. If you still wanna work by that time, you teach others sport, be a newscaster, or sell your brand. They may or may not make millions. It depends on how you sell yourself, but most athletes aren't salesmen. > In a freer market, it wouldn't be the case. We're about as free as we're going to get. You can quit or be laid off at anytime and hires in tech get amazing compensation for relatively little experience compared to fields like medicine, law, or accounting. You're free to enact such a model yourself and see how well it works if you're confident in it. But market forces aren't dumb either.
- sethammons 3y ago
  https://www.zippia.com/founder-jobs/demographics/ https://www.zippia.com/founder-jobs/demographics/ The average founder is over 40. They are the folks making money. Not sure what geniuses have to do with where you are coming from. Sure, most mathematicians who make a name for themselves are young. But most people changing the world and making money with tech? That's the over 40 crowd because they have been professionals and understand what other professionals need.
- bdcravens 3y ago
  Are we talking about geniuses, or your average developer using the state management library du jour?
- nvy 3y ago
  So, no reputable research backing up your opinion, then?

Do you have any reputable research that shows people produce better-quality work in their 20s vs say, their 40s or 50s?

by nvy 3y ago

Do you have any reputable research that shows people produce better-quality work in their 20s vs say, their 40s or 50s?

slibhb 3y ago

Virtually every genius is most productive before 40, usually before 30. Counterexamples exist but are rare.

mixmastamyk 3y ago
Often has to do with family obligations, they are a lovable distraction.
deleted 3y ago
[deleted]
deleted 3y ago
[deleted]
Kluggy 3y ago
Our industry isn't powered by the rare genius, but by the magnitude of line coders that the best impact they can do is just not cause issues as they develop the next version that adds feature x and y promised by some sales engineer to a big client. Sure, by 40 you're not likely to change the world. But in your 20's, you're not likely to change the world either. It's a long shot. Focusing on the fact that the long shot odds gets worse as a reason to not hire people just doesn't make sense.
- slibhb 3y ago
  Geniuses follow the same curve as virtually everyone else. Humans are most active, energetic and quick in our late teens to early 30s and fall off steadily after that. People in this thread need to ask themselves why they're engaging in age-denialism.
  - hightrix 3y ago
    As a self proclaimed genius, you may want to take a step back and question your position. If everyone in the comments is disagreeing with you, that may be a signal that you are missing due to your own bias.
  - johnnyanmac 3y ago
    >People in this thread need to ask themselves why they're engaging in age-denialism. Simple: compensation and hiring practices run counter to this notion. If you're most productive in your 20's you should be paid more for that productivity, and years of experience wouldn't be such a mandatory metric. Neither is true in practice. Older people have more expeirence, and get paid more. Policy makers have a median age in the late 50's. Young people are hired for peanuts and hope to get more money as they get more experience, regardless of if they are treading water or are in fact the most productive member of a company. Your notions are only really true for top level sports, where gynmasts and professional athletes are in fact hired, compensated, and performed at their peak in the early 20's and tend to burn out (relative to other early 20's athletes) as they approach 30.
    - slibhb 3y ago
      It's true everywhere. Older people are paid more for no good reason, it's just "the way things are" that you get a raise every year. In a freer market, it wouldn't be the case.
      - johnnyanmac 3y ago
        >It's true everywhere. I just described an industry where it's not. You don't make money playing sports in your 30's. If you still wanna work by that time, you teach others sport, be a newscaster, or sell your brand. They may or may not make millions. It depends on how you sell yourself, but most athletes aren't salesmen. > In a freer market, it wouldn't be the case. We're about as free as we're going to get. You can quit or be laid off at anytime and hires in tech get amazing compensation for relatively little experience compared to fields like medicine, law, or accounting. You're free to enact such a model yourself and see how well it works if you're confident in it. But market forces aren't dumb either.
sethammons 3y ago
https://www.zippia.com/founder-jobs/demographics/ https://www.zippia.com/founder-jobs/demographics/ The average founder is over 40. They are the folks making money. Not sure what geniuses have to do with where you are coming from. Sure, most mathematicians who make a name for themselves are young. But most people changing the world and making money with tech? That's the over 40 crowd because they have been professionals and understand what other professionals need.
bdcravens 3y ago
Are we talking about geniuses, or your average developer using the state management library du jour?
nvy 3y ago
So, no reputable research backing up your opinion, then?