And "avoiding industry experience" is a convenient excuse for ageism.

There's really great things about being 25. There's really great things about being 45. There's also things that suck about being 25 or 45. One of the things that suck about being 25 is KNOWING that being 45 means you're old and you don't know a damn thing. KNOWING that some 45 year old fart will just get in the way because they're slow and only know Perl. Hell, when you're 25 you simply KNOW so much. Then one day you wake up and you're 45 and you realize that even now you don't know a damn thing.

I guess you're right, it's ageism, but it's also just being 25 and being so sure of everything that you couldn't possibly learn anything from "industry experience".

45? Wow, and here I thought 65 was when people started getting the "old" label.

45 is pretty much right in the middle of the adult years. (Hence "middle-aged")

Some people discover they know nothing at the late 20's, other people at the 30's, by 45 almost everybody already knows how much they don't know (and the ones that don't might be a lost cause already).

"KNOWING that some 45 year old fart will just get in the way because they're slow and only know Perl"

This is such a horrible misconception that I think you've never worked with senior people in your life.

I think he was being sarcastic. I'm nearing 45 and wouldn't want to be 25 again for the world.

I'm closer to 45 than 25 these days and couldn't agree more. Took years to build up the experience I thought I had at 25, still a lot more to learn, wouldn't trade it for the world.

I would love to be 25 again.

Yup. Sad but true.