Ageism in IT: There's still hope for the over-40s

Ageism in IT, as we're learning from our ongoing campaign, is no simple matter.

While our last round-up of reader feedback focused on the difficulties older individuals encounter when looking for a job, we've also heard a fair amount of encouraging stories.

Turns out it's not all gloom and doom for the over-40 set. Readers in their 50s, 60s and even 70s say they're still gainfully employed in IT, thank you very much. They admit there's age-based discrimination in the workplace but say it can be overcome - and offer advice on how to do so.

One such reader from Nottingham writes: "I got a job in IT at the age of 47 and am still going strong at almost 51... All you need is some common sense and the ability to work both as an individual and, more importantly, as a team member."

It's even possible to start a career in IT after middle age, says a reader from Kettering, Northants: "At the ripe young age of 57 I had not even looked at a computer let alone used one or understood what they did - that was only seven years ago. Then I had an idea and now as the MD of one of the UK's leading interactive terminal solution providers, I feel this must be some sort of achievement."

A reader from Hampshire said he's had better luck as he's aged: "My job prospects have improved dramatically since I passed the magic 50. I... retrained for the IT industry eight years ago and have not looked back since. I have to admit I never include my date of birth on my CV and discovered this made a huge difference - CV's now get passed from the agency to the potential employer."

The idea that all recruiters are dismissive of older applicants, put forth in our previous reader comments articles, was also challenged. A reader from Manchester writes: "As a recruiter... rapidly approaching 40 myself, I am pleased and relieved to be able to report that seven out of the last nine people I have placed have all been on the 'wrong' side of 40. In fact my clients have actually commented on the high quality of the placements and the ability of the contractors concerned to take a step back and deal with tricky situations better then their younger peers."

A UK reader says older workers are still around in IT - because they're capable: "None of our management team are under 40. I am the oldest at 54, I drive the most miles in a year, spend more nights away than anyone and travel abroad on business the most... I am quite confident in 10 years' time that I will still be able to handle a sales call better than most of our salespeople, have more understanding of applications than most of our system engineers and run a campaign better than most our marketing team... Some of the most successful companies I know have a large number of people like me."

Perhaps the most common story we heard was that older workers who can't find a job in IT have a great deal of success as consultants. After long, fruitless job searchers, many readers gave up and set up their own consultancies.

A 56-year-old reader from Reading who has undergone a lengthy job search after being made redundant writes: "As an IT professional with 20 years experience marketing and selling of enterprise software products... I am now planning to create a services-led value added reseller of IT security products aimed at the medium-sized organisation."

He goes on to say that he'll actively seek employees who have been around the block because "in-depth experience is important to the customer-service-focused company that I am creating".

It seems the same people who were turned down for staff position because they had 'too much experience' are sought out in an advisory capacity.

A 64-year-old reader from Baildon, Shipley writes: "When job hunting back in 1994, I found that companies were clearly unwilling to take me on, unprovably, but suspiciously, the grey hairs put them off. However, as a consultant I found the problem disappeared and indeed the grey hairs are an advantage."

A handful of employed IT workers were only too happy to share some tips on how to combat ageism.

A 48-year-old reader from Houston, Texas, who recently conducted a job search and landed in academia says to look beyond the leading corporations: "Don't overlook non-profit organisations, state agencies, and schools. They may not pay as highly as the commercial world... but they are stable, usually have reasonable benefits and are often much less stressful to work for. "

A 65-year-old tech writer from the US who's employed at a large software company says: "Yes, there's ageism, but don't give up... I keep my skills up-to-date (partly by changing jobs frequently), act enthusiastic, stay thin, dress properly and get my hair done once a month... My advice is to do everything you can to counter the negative stereotypes about age. Sometimes, you'll win."

And finally, a 74-year-old reader from London who was made redundant at 51 but is still active in IT offers a few more ways to foil the ageists:

• Avoid those chancers laughingly-called 'human resource consultants', and forget big corporations - they are all irretrievably ageist.
• Get out of the mainstream and check out the technologies coming over the horizon. Then, make your move.
• Get out of programming - rates of coding are one of the few things that deteriorate with age.
• Get out of management - a real dead-end job [for people] over 50.
• Get business know-how.
• Accept savage pay cuts.
• From age 35, network like crazy - outside your company.
• Set up your own company or go freelance.
• Get professional advice on what you are good at. Your first career was probably based on what was socially acceptable when you left college, not your real abilities.
• Learn how to write CVs and how to do job interviews.
• Make yourself invisible: grey hair is a big turn-off for ageist recruiters.