InformationWeek

Should this matter? No, it shouldn't. Does it matter? Of course it does. And imagine someone in his or her 50s-it probably matters a lot more. Flip it around to the perspective of the highly talented young whizzes in their early 20s, who unfortunately might be asking themselves questions like these: What can I hope to learn from people who grew up with mainframes? Without the Web? In a world where Java was just a little island somewhere between Australia and India? We can only hope these young professionals have the patience, insight, and depth to understand that there was indeed life before the Internet-as well as that experience, talent, drive, and value are precious assets in these dizzying times, and that those assets are not bounded by age.

These musings were inspired by a handful of E-mail discussions I've had recently with readers whose perspective on the Age Thing is decidedly one-sided: They believe there's a widespread and deep-seated bias against IT workers over 40 (MY people!). When I first read their letters, I admit that I wondered which conspiracy-theory convention they'd just attended; after rereading them, I'm still not sure exactly how much these letters reflect a broad reality, as opposed to just the experiences of these individuals. Making the matter more complex is the overwhelming evidence I see to the contrary, and upon which InformationWeek has reported regularly: hundreds of thousands of job openings for IT workers of all levels, in all industries, in all parts of the country. Some examples:

* March 1, 1999 (p. 80): An InformationWeek survey of 1,495 IT professionals reveals that 41% say there are job openings at their companies. Among respondents whose companies have revenue of more than $750 million, the figure is 60%.

* Feb. 15, 1999 (p. 61): "The demand for IT skills continues to soar as more businesses look at technology as a competitive enabler." This article describes how a rapidly growing number of talent-strapped companies are teaming with universities to produce more candidates.

* Jan. 4, 1999 (p.74): "Talent Hunt Gets Hotter-Companies strive to find technology workers as demand continues to outrun supply." In the article, we note that Federal Express wants to add 500 IT employees to its existing team of 4,500. We also cite an InformationWeek Research survey of 300 IT executives in which 37% say the IT people shortage is "very serious" and 51% say it's "somewhat serious."

My questions as I reread the letters from those readers who claim there is ruthless discrimination against "older" IT workers are these: Why would companies deliberately overlook such a talent pool? Is it, as these readers claim, about hacking at salaries? And is there any truth to these suspicions? Here's what some of those readers have said: "I am sick of hearing all these FALSE ASSERTIONS about there being a people shortage-it's just not true!!! ... I think 20 years in the IT field should be enough experience. ... Could it be that no one wants to hire a 45-year-old person?"

From another: "This entire field is so overloaded, so overheated, there are so many people out there that it's beyond comprehension. ... You want the facts? Come and talk to me! And I'll turn you on to more people in this field getting BURIED UNDER THE GLUT, THE MOUNTAIN, THE TANKERLOADS OF IT PEOPLE LOOKING FOR WORK."

And another: "For years, we've faced firings of hundreds of thousands of IT people by companies, along with the importing of hundreds of thousands of foreigners to fill IT jobs. 'Waiting' for the students to graduate is just a stall tactic. ... The IT industry, immigration attorneys, and the ITAA want to keep it so Americans can be fired while they import hundreds of thousands of foreigners to fill their jobs."

I don't really believe in conspiracies, particularly on the massive scale these readers are describing. And clearly, at least some of them have nasty axes to grind. On the flip side, though, could there be some conspiratorial fire under this smoke? I'd love to hear from IT managers and executives who've had success in tapping into this pool of 40- and 50-somethings-let us know at the address below.