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April 5, 1999

Age Discrimination:
Are Oldies Still Goodies?

Bob Evans

s there widespread bias against hiring IT professionals who are more than 40 years old? This was the subject of a column I wrote here a couple of weeks ago, and the responses--in volume, in ages represented, and in variety of opinion--were remarkable. I'd like to share some excerpts and the thoughts each triggered in my head. Because this topic seems to strike such a deep chord with so many readers, we're offering a couple of online features that delve more deeply into this highly charged subject: For a more-comprehensive look at the letters we received, go to InformationWeek Online at www.informationweek.com/docs/feedback.htm. We've also posted an instant poll on our home page that asks, "Do older IT workers face job discrimination?" Please take a moment to see what some of your peers are thinking and saying--and also let us know what you think.

Here's one from a senior systems administrator: "People straight out of college seem to be getting more and more high-level IT jobs, including senior system administration, network security, and even project-management positions. This scares me, because the lack of practical experience and people skills is quite evident. ... Unfortunately, the basics aren't always there--things like arrogance and unethical behavior offset any high-tech skills they possess. ... A message to the post-X-genners in IT: The world doesn't revolve around you--and neither will most companies. ... I would love to see some older, more-experienced IT professionals in my group. They have practical project-management and budgeting skills that many of the under-30 crowd are lacking. Ethical behavior is the norm for many of them. I feel I can trust them. Many of the older professionals don't play 'buzzword bingo' or the 'certification game' to bloat their value--they just sit down and get right to work. I can see why many of them are upset with the state of IT recruitment." Sound familiar? Yeah, it did to me too--except that the letter writer is 29 years old!

My naivete exposed, I offer this one: "There is clearly some truth to the idea that IT workers over 40 are less sought-after than those younger. Some of this is outright discrimination, but most of it relates to the real nature of all the IT jobs that are open. ... [Many] jobs require the ability to hit the ground running with the latest technologies. Employers are willing to pay top dollar, but those with years of experience in older technologies clearly don't fit this need. As a 28-year-old consultant, I find myself struggling to keep up, despite years of experience in Visual Basic, SQL Server, Sybase, and some Web development." Good grief, Charlie Brown--has the lower boundary of "older workers" come down to 28- and 29-year-olds? Or is the real issue that these times of relentless change are forcing all IT professionals to become incessant students of new technology? Are we moving toward a stage where constant learning is indispensable?

Here's a grim perspective: "Last year I left an unsatisfactory job and spent four months sending out 87 resumés without getting a single response. On the advice of a career counselor, I trimmed 15 years off my experience and eliminated references to any technology older than 1990. I was called for three interviews in the first week." This one got to me--do we as an industry, or as a society, really feel so uncomfortable about age and experience that we're forcing professionals to hide them? Or does the frenzy over new technology skills obscure any other type of thinking?

This from a 38-year-old IT director: "If I'm hiring for a specific talent, I'm looking for the best candidates with that talent, regardless of age. The biggest problem I see for someone becoming 'age-challenged' as you say is whether they've kept up with the technology changes over the years." And more from an IT manager at a midsize retailer: "Two-thirds of our staff is 40 or older. ... I consider myself to be lucky to be able to hire experienced individuals, regardless of age. ... There is too much work to be done, and too few really qualified applicants, to use irrelevant criteria such as age in the employment decision."

Some intriguing questions from a 50-year-old IT worker: "So what does the older IT worker bring to the table? How about an understanding of how computers really work? How about a knowledge of the employer's business? How about the ability to understand that the world doesn't revolve around Microsoft technology? How about the knowledge that REAL corporate data is kept safe on the mainframe?"

And some thoughts from a 44-year-old software consultant: "The bias is and always has been a skills bias. ... value was always the issue. ... As a businessperson, I must prove to my clients every day that I provide them the value they expect and deserve. To do less would be to steal their money."

Bob Evans
Editor-in-Chief
bevans@cmp.com