[taurath]

Not really. The problem in general is that there are very few active "junior" level positions about, and a lot of people wanting to break in - see /r/cscareerquestions. For later learners especially self taught learners the problem really comes from finding the FIRST job, not the second when they have professional experience.

Coming out of college though is a different experience. If you're 33 and just finished a BS in CS you could probably make a run at most jobs. But self taught at 33 requires a lot more to get in the door than self taught at 25.

[ryandrake]

There may not be a lot of jobs out there for junior people but there are very few out there for people with 20+ years of experience, either. Everyone seems to be looking for that “4-6 year” sweet spot where they think they are getting the best of both worlds: someone senior enough to have made and learned from a few mistakes but not too senior that they have to offer more than peanuts and worthless equity as pay.

[flukus]

I think it depends on the technology stack actually, I've noticed it's been trending up in mine (.net) with many now wanting 8-9 years experience. It seems like the sweet spot is generally age of technology divided by 2.