IT's age problem

Are older workers facing tough times in high tech? Or are they simply not pulling their weight in an industry that never stops innovating?

By Tam Harbert

Computerworld |

Age bias: Some consider it IT's dirty little secret, or even IT's big open secret.

Most high-tech employers would likely deny that age discrimination is an issue at their companies. But many IT workers over 50 beg to differ, saying they have experienced age bias or know someone who has.

The bias can take several forms, they say. Their salaries might stagnate. They might have few or no opportunities for advancement. They might not be included in training and professional development programs. And they might be the first to be laid off and the last to be hired.

As a result, they may be hit harder by the recession. According to recent U.S. government data, unemployment rates for older IT professionals have increased more quickly than the rates for younger tech workers since the recession began some three years ago.

All of that can add up to a tough road for older people in high tech.

Age bias is "something that no [employer] talks about. But it's a reality in tech that if you're 45 years of age and still writing C code or Cobol code and making $150,000 a year, the likelihood is that you won't be employed very long," says Vivek Wadhwa, who currently holds academic positions at several universities, including UC Berkeley, Duke and Harvard.

As Wadhwa's observation indicates, "age bias" is a simplistic label for a complicated set of factors that influence the job prospects for senior tech employees. When considering workers over the age of 50, employers take the following factors into account:

The relevance, applicability and currency of their skills, which may or may not be up to par with those of younger employees.
The level of compensation they expect, which is typically higher than the salaries younger people seek.
Their behaviors and attitudes, which can become rigid and narrow-minded with age.
Their energy level, which is presumed to be lower than that of a 25-year-old.

While none of these generalizations is necessarily true for any particular candidate, each is a stereotypical assumption about older workers. What's more, they are all logical and legal reasons for an employer to fire, or not hire, someone.

Aging gracefully in IT

Dos and don'ts

You may not be able to turn back the clock, but there are a few things you can do to increase the likelihood of getting a job and staying employed as you age. Step 1 is recognizing that your skills have a certain shelf life. Rather than fight it, IT professionals should consider that when planning their careers.

In fact, Vivek Wadhwa believes that colleges should tell computer science and engineering students that "between age 40 and 45 you'll hit your peak, so plan for it." That could mean saving a substantial part of your salary when you're young, so you'll be able to earn less and still get by in IT as you age or use the savings as a cushion if you change careers, says Wadhwa, who started his career as a programmer and then went on to be an entrepreneur and later entered academia.

Here is a list of things you should and shouldn't do if you hope to stay in IT:

Do:

Keep your skills up to date, even if your employer doesn't pay for professional development.
Consider moving into IT management, where longevity and experience are more likely to be seen as positives rather than negatives.
Take advantage of a technical career path, if your company offers one. Some corporations have a dual-track system that allows technical folks to move up a ladder that's comparable to the one managers climb, says Paul Ingevaldson, who spent 40 years in IT and retired from his job as CIO of Ace Hardware in 2004.
Build and maintain a professional network independent of your current position so you have lots of contacts to tap if you are laid off or decide to start a consulting business.
Learn how to use social media to promote yourself, research potential employers and find current employees to refer you for jobs.
Dress like your co-workers. Dress codes vary widely from company to company and from job function to job function, but in general you should aim to dress like your colleagues. If they're wearing shirtsleeves, your Dr. Who T-shirt probably isn't appropriate.

Don't:

Act bored or tired either at your job or during an interview. That feeds into stereotypical assumptions about age.
Come off as a know-it-all. While decades of experience are valuable, employers are wary of narrow-mindedness in candidates who think they know exactly how things should be done. "You must be flexible to new ways of working and to a new culture," says Steve B. Watson, a managing director at executive recruiting firm Stanton Chase.

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