[pfedor]

I wouldn't say our field devalues competence and experience. It's just that in our field seniority doesn't give you such an enormous advantage as in other fields. In many professions, if you are 40+ you will expect a multiple of the salary that an equally competent 25 years old gets. Software engineering is more of a meritocracy, you may get paid a lot even at a young age if you're good, and it won't get much better with age unless your skills also get better (and in practice, contrary to what all of us like to believe, it's hard to get significantly better over time.)

The contrast with other professions is so great that this age-blindness seems like age-based discrimination, kind of like a 80 degrees pool seems cold if you've just jumped out of a hot tub.

[tptacek]

This is a myth. The reason that there's no huge premium on seniority in software development is that there are thousands and thousands of 25 year old senior software developers who are extraordinarily well compensated (relative to the broader market) and thus less wiggle room. That's a benefit to working in this field --- you reach your prime earning years earlier --- not a liability for older developers.

[pfedor]

It would seem to me that you're in exact agreement with what I said, if not for the fact that you started with "This is a myth." What exactly is it that you disagree with?

[wglb]

It's just that in our field seniority doesn't give you such an enormous advantage as in other fields. is the opposite of my experience.

Well perhaps you are drawing the distinction between seniority and experience. There are likely some folk who have programmed in cobol as long as I have been programming. Unlikely they have equivalent experience.

The more things that I learn that don't work, the more value I offer to my clients/employers/colleagues.