[jronsomers]

I would assume the compensation for a software engineer with 20 years of experience vs one with 5 years considering the output each of them can do. I would assume the younger software engineer can do as much 'typical' programming work as the older one for less pay.

However, I feel the older software engineers shouldn't be writing as much as the younger guy but should be utilized for architecture purposes, handling requirements with clients or internal product people, and even mentoring while having some programming tasks. I think that is where they really earn their significant compensation and bring much more value to the company.