Re:Old Geek Jobs: fighting against ageism in the industry
by jondubois on Thursday September 15, 2016 @08:54PM
(#12511172)
I'm 27 now. My biggest fear is to not succeed in my career by the time I turn 40.
The idea of having to give up working on my startup goals after 20 years of continuous failure is in itself terrifying enough - But combine that with the fact that I might be penniless; forced to join a mega-corporation to become corporate cattle.
... In a company filled with arrogant lucky people in their 20s bossing me around. I couldn't take it.
I fear the next generation. I think MY generation is already so arrogant - We severely underestimate the value of experience.
I was one of the few people lucky enough to learn that lesson early though.
I once worked with a lady (a software engineer) who was in her early 40s and she always said that she never really cared much about her work. She always left work on the dot.
I was 21 at the time and I had been working like crazy since I was 14 but even back then it was clear that she was a much better software engineer than I was. For me, my career was the center of my life; for her, it was just a way to pay the mortgage.
In spite of what the media tries to tell us; 7 years of obsessive, passionate labour is not more valuable 22 years of 'bare minimum' labour. That's how valuable time is.
The idea of having to give up working on my startup goals after 20 years of continuous failure is in itself terrifying enough - But combine that with the fact that I might be penniless; forced to join a mega-corporation to become corporate cattle.
... In a company filled with arrogant lucky people in their 20s bossing me around. I couldn't take it.
I fear the next generation. I think MY generation is already so arrogant - We severely underestimate the value of experience.
I was one of the few people lucky enough to learn that lesson early though.
I once worked with a lady (a software engineer) who was in her early 40s and she always said that she never really cared much about her work. She always left work on the dot.
I was 21 at the time and I had been working like crazy since I was 14 but even back then it was clear that she was a much better software engineer than I was. For me, my career was the center of my life; for her, it was just a way to pay the mortgage.
In spite of what the media tries to tell us; 7 years of obsessive, passionate labour is not more valuable 22 years of 'bare minimum' labour. That's how valuable time is.