[jriot]

You forget that those of us who learned to program later in life were doing other things the company finds valuable. I am 32 and have been a data scientist for the past 3 years - completing my PhD in mathematics. Prior to that I was an air traffic controller and prior to that I spent all my time playing sports - not once did I sit down and teach myself to code.

The skills I learned that don't relate to coding are how to effectively work on a team, how to handle extremely stressful situations (no situation will compare to pushing tin in Iraq), how to lead and have people wanting to follow, how to communicate verbally and in writing, how to just do something without seeking approval etc... I could go on.

Just because you spent the past 13 years learning numerous technologies and missed out on fun doesn't mean those of us who learn to code later in life aren't as valuable. We have skills and talents you might not see but are deemed equally as valuable to our employer.