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I'm 44, and wondered about this very question the last time I applied for a job. I ended up removing my first couple jobs, not only because they make me look ol

I'm 44, and wondered about this very question the last time I applied for a job. I ended up removing my first couple jobs, not only because they make me look old, but because I wanted to keep the length of the resume down, and I didn't see them as being all that relevant anymore anyway. My stance is that I don't want to work for a place that would remove me from consideration because of my age, but it's convenient that I had some reasons not to put that to the test. In general, I can't see any ethical objection to leaving off any previous jobs from your resume. The resume is not a legal document, it's a marketing document: you are presenting your best case for a half hour of somebody's time to interview you as part of the next phase. If you think that removing your earliest jobs—or your latest jobs, or some jobs in the middle—would help, then that's what you should do.

bb88 2y ago
I'm over 40, and this is the most productive I've ever been as a programmer. Code just flows today where it didn't 20 years ago when I struggled with C++. Honestly, I'm not so worried about ageism. I feel like if a company is so ingrained in keeping people out that they're gate-keeping the hiring process, it's probably not a company I want to work for anyway. A 30 year old engineering manager is more likely to be focused on ego and personal ladder climbing than what the company needs. (For the record I think one can do both ladder climb and manage people effectively, but most haven't learned how to do this.)