Recently I’ve been thinking a lot about age. Maybe because I’m at the cusp of a major milestone birthday (the big 4-0 is exactly 3 months away). Or maybe it’s because I’ve been having a lot of conversations centered around ageism in tech. The latter reason is of greater relevance given the fact that I am currently applying to jobs in tech as a midlife job seeker. I know I am not the oldest person to enter this field dominated by youth. I also know I am no authority on the topic, but it’s important to have these conversations at every level of diversity hiring. How can we continue to further the discussion about diversity and inclusivity while try to exclude or suppress generational voices?
The truth is this topic has been running through my mind since the moment I decided to take up coding at the age of 37. While my most ardent supporters cheered me on, I would occasionally get this nagging feeling that I was too old. In the midst of all the conversations about diversity, age doesn’t seem to figure as prominently as other areas of diversity. Even when I’ve spoken about diversity and how it affects me, I tend to focus on the facts that I am a woman, Latina (a black Latina to boot), and a mom. Age is usually the last thing I take into account when I think about diversity.
As I continue to apply for jobs I can’t help but wonder how companies perceive and receive people over 40. It doesn’t help when you read articles that give a really dire view of the current state of hiring people over 35. This is very frustrating. How can companies advocate for diverse and inclusive workspaces when an entire swath of the population is being ignored or discarded? Additionally, you have bootcamps that attract career changers usually in their 30s and 40s and beyond, but then those students may not be considered for some of the available jobs simply because of their age. I even read in an article that the biggest hurdle for some older employees is the fact that they have too much experience. Why is too much experience a bad thing? It’s disheartening to say the least.
I understand that the industry is primarily driven by youth and for youth. We have to remember that older workers were once the savants and innovators of their time, and everyone can only stand to gain from their experience and expertise. The same way that we love to see the latest trends and innovations come to life from young people full of energy, we can’t afford to lose the wealth of skills and knowledge that older workers bring. We (and I count myself in that bunch) still have a lot to offer and could be of great value in the development and production of new skills, languages, innovations, technologies, etc. The future of tech greatly depends on really expanding the table to include every single voice.