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Discussion on: Do you think ageism in tech is improving?

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hamsterasesino profile image
Gabriel • Edited

What does ageism really mean?

Does it mean hiring someone in their 40s with 20 years of Software Development experience?

Or does it mean hiring someone in their 40s, completely brand new to Software Development?

On average, I would say that someone in their 40s is less suited to learn from scratch an entirely new skillset than someone in their early 20s who is at their peak of mental abilities.
Edit: actually the above doesn't make any sense according to science so I am taking it back:
journals.plos.org/plosone/article?...

However, contrary to our prediction, older adults showed similar rates of learning as indexed by a configural learning score compared to young adults. These results suggest that the ability to acquire knowledge incidentally about configural response relationships is largely unaffected by cognitive aging

It also depends on the role. I would never hire an architect without a considerable amount of proven experience, but I can get away with paying half the money to a new grad for moving a pixel on the screen.

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mburszley profile image
Maximilian Burszley • Edited

It means not hiring people due to their age, fearing they are too slow to keep up with technology and compete. I've never really heard about it in established companies like banks, but startups definitely have that culture.

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nbageek profile image
Patrick Minton

someone in their 40s is less suited to learn from scratch an entirely new skillset than someone in their early 20s who is at their peak of mental abilities.

This sounds like... ageism. The assumption that a 27 year old has greater mental capacity than a 47 year old is tenuous even in a general sense, and is of course ridiculous to assume that it is true for every individual.

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hamsterasesino profile image
Gabriel

Actually you are right, and some quick reading proves that it is a general misconception:
journals.plos.org/plosone/article?...
health.harvard.edu/mind-and-mood/h...

However, contrary to our prediction, older adults showed similar rates of learning as indexed by a configural learning score compared to young adults. These results suggest that the ability to acquire knowledge incidentally about configural response relationships is largely unaffected by cognitive aging