I don't believe much in this. I think a large percentage age discrimination in engineering is well-deserved. There's so many people at any large engineering firm who at some point just start doing the same thing over and over again for 20+ years, protecting their little knowledge island, resisting new ideas and approaches. If these people lose their job and enter the job market, yes they are discriminated against. I call this "lack of skills and interest discrimination". I believe that in most working economies, this is allowed.
Of course, as with anything, there's exceptions, but I'm convinced that if you keep investing in your own knowledge, keep exploring and learning, and keep figuring out what it is that you'd like to do most, you can avoid age discrimination pretty well. The few 60+ year old co-workers I have confirm this. The large amount of aged Software Superheros out there confirms this.
Of course, as with anything, there's exceptions, but I'm convinced that if you keep investing in your own knowledge, keep exploring and learning, and keep figuring out what it is that you'd like to do most, you can avoid age discrimination pretty well. The few 60+ year old co-workers I have confirm this. The large amount of aged Software Superheros out there confirms this.