Re:Over half of older US workers are pushed out of longtime ...
by scarface74 on Sunday December 30, 2018 @12:48AM
(#18787657)
When this boom ends, the 40+ should expect to be the first cut. Again. Just like in 1992, 2001, 2008,
In 2001, the dot com bust was just that - a bust of companies with no real business model and no profits. The local tech scene outside of the west coast didn’t even whiff. Corporations were still hiring staff developers to support their internal processes.
Between 2008-2011, I was already over 35 and older than most of the developers that were at the company I worked for. They let go of many of the younger less experienced developers during the time but by then I was the most experienced C# developer, the only experienced C++/MFC developer after they fired the founder, and the only one with the maturity to lead my own projects, do SOWs, and talk to our remaining customers.
Ten years later, I work for another small company, I’m in my mid 40s and I doubt very seriously that I won’t be the last to get laid off if it comes to that. I now have project management experience, I can jump between the three languages we use, and we are an AWS shop and I’m the most experienced (and certified) AWS person. I can also jump back and forth between development, Devops, and netops.
I’m not bragging, after 20+ years as a professional developer working at small companies, you pick up a diverse skillset.
In 2001, the dot com bust was just that - a bust of companies with no real business model and no profits. The local tech scene outside of the west coast didn’t even whiff. Corporations were still hiring staff developers to support their internal processes.
Between 2008-2011, I was already over 35 and older than most of the developers that were at the company I worked for. They let go of many of the younger less experienced developers during the time but by then I was the most experienced C# developer, the only experienced C++/MFC developer after they fired the founder, and the only one with the maturity to lead my own projects, do SOWs, and talk to our remaining customers.
Ten years later, I work for another small company, I’m in my mid 40s and I doubt very seriously that I won’t be the last to get laid off if it comes to that. I now have project management experience, I can jump between the three languages we use, and we are an AWS shop and I’m the most experienced (and certified) AWS person. I can also jump back and forth between development, Devops, and netops.
I’m not bragging, after 20+ years as a professional developer working at small companies, you pick up a diverse skillset.