[acid_bath]

For the older crowd on HN: How much of ageism is real, and how much is in your head?

I only ask because all the places I've worked at have had a lot of older programmers, at least in their mid 30s up to mid 50s being the typical range. Then of course there's the slew of non-quite-programmers-anymore but who still make tech decisions (managers).

Then there's the very frequently uttered "Well he doesn't really have enough experience but we need to fill this position ASAP" and "He worked for Corp XYZ for 5 years?! Get him now!"

I'm not saying it's tough to be a younger programmer because it's not, but strictly IME (internet companies) older devs are a rare and valued commodity.

Now that I think about it, could it be because most of the senior devs don't have much web-related experience, due to it being relatively new?

[msluyter]

I've yet to notice anything and I'm pretty old, but I also look much younger than I am, so I'm probably not a good data point. I think attitude plays a huge role here. I don't act like I know it all or have nothing to learn because I'm relatively new to development (officially), having done QA before that. If you're curious and willing to learn, it's unlikely that you'll written off as inflexible and closed minded. (AKA, "age is a state of mind.")

Regarding the article, I wish it had some actual empirical evidence to back its claims.

[akadien]

It's both. Ironically, the more progressive places I know of to work that do pretty cutting edge stuff are more likely to hire older programmers with demonstrable experience.