As a person going through a career change, ageism is something I am sort of concerned with. If it takes me a few years to become "good" at what I am doing, I am

As a person going through a career change, ageism is something I am sort of concerned with. If it takes me a few years to become "good" at what I am doing, I am really pushing being considered "old" in the tech industry. However, I really think it is a money issue that is subconsciously present in how the tech industry hires or funds people. It's much cheaper to hire/fund a 23 year old than it is a 33 year old. 23 year olds negotiate a lot worse. They are easier to manipulate and take advantage of. You can convince a 23 year old to take a cut in salary for "huge potential". A 33 year old with 10 years of experience will have been fooled a few times and be much less willing to take a bad deal. Also, there is a misconception that the 23 year old has comparable skills to the 33 year old. If the 23 year old has been coding since he was 15, then he has 8 years "experience". We all know that is sort of bullshit. While some teenagers take coding seriously, it's a lot different than working on a real project with deadlines, customers, and "It has to work" attitude. So, the hirer/funder convinces himself that the younger person has similar skills AND will be easier to guide or manipulate. It's not just in tech that this happens, but it is more prevalent because tech is such a fasting changing and relatively young industry. I mean, at one point, railroads were the latest thing and people starting railroad companies were young guys full of piss and vinegar. I think as time goes on, you will see a gradual changing of attitudes, but it has surprised me how long this prejudice has stayed.