Anonymous

UK

Company Director

When I started in the industry punched paper tape was still a valid medium, 8 inch floppy disks were used to load operating systems and it was advisable to have memorised a bootloader program and know how to enter it via the front control panel of the computer.

I haven't been able to get on a course since I turned 30, I was usually given he system manuals and told to get on with it, consequently my paper credentials suffered while my actual skills increased. When our company was bought out this placed me in the position of being junior in qualifications to a lot of people I was actually senior to. Needless to say the new company would not invest in me either.

I have lost count of the number of job applications I had rejected due to being overqualified. And eventually more out of desperation than anything else I started my own company to pay the bills.

This option is available to everyone but it is daunting and very easy to get wrong.

Don't write people off because of their age or gender, I now write and sell my own software, if I was as enfeebled due to age as I apparently should be I wouldn't be able to do that.