Senior Programmers [€mployment]

Some arguments to throw in there in your next interview as a senior developer

The world of work is rife with ageism, and the IT industry is undoubtedly one of the worse offenders, but is it justified? Join me for some honest thoughts on the subject. Why don’t older players in IT find new jobs; let’s talk about the issues and try and qualify the truth behind them.

Senior Programmers

Senior programmers are more expensive. This is both true and false — more senior programmers are more costly on average, but, senior players most likely understand the word budget better than Junior ones; managers put your cards onto the table; negotiate.

Senior programmers won’t fit in. This is collateral damage caused by a world where IT organisations purge players older than forty-five. Is it true, sure? Of course, if your team is made up of WASPs, anybody who doesn’t belong to that group isn’t going to fit it.

Senior programmers need more time to do the job. This urban myth, nothing more. I suspect they are lightly to do a more complete job, meaning it will take longer.

Senior programmers are out-of-touch. This I have to object to; everyone is out-of-touch. You don’t learn the latest techniques in school unless you’re doing a PhD; perhaps even then, they are more than likely bleeding edge, not leading edge. And most of us find ourselves sidelined by the company we’re working within at…