The Tech Industry’s Darkest Secret: It’s All About Age

The post says tech work is an “up or out” field where market value tends to fall with age. It points to research on semiconductor engineers and says the same pattern appears in software, where employers prefer younger workers with lower salaries and current skills.

It also argues that age brings strengths that employers often overlook, including wisdom, pragmatism, loyalty, and mentoring ability. The advice for older engineers is to move into management, architecture, or design, broaden experience across business areas, become an entrepreneur, keep skills current, or save money and expect lower pay over time.

Reading notes

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• Tech jobs are described as highly competitive and shaped by age, with older coders facing greater unemployment risk.
• A Berkeley study is cited to show salary growth slowing after 40 and falling after 50 in semiconductors, even for advanced degree holders.
• The post says investors and employers often prefer younger engineers because they are cheaper, easier to train, and more willing to work long hours.
• It also says older workers can be steadier, more pragmatic, and better at mentoring and leadership.
• The author advises moving into management, architecture, or design, working across business functions, or starting a company.
• Staying current with programming trends is presented as necessary for anyone who wants to keep coding later in life.
• The post ends by saying universities should prepare engineering students for the long-term realities of technical careers.