IT's Dirty Little Secret

Over break I'm catching up on my reading I neglected during the end of the Fall semester.  One of the articles I came across today was a Computerworld article about the age bias in IT.  This article reflects my observations of the IT industry during my time as an IT professional.

When looking at the IT field objectively, this age bias does make sense.  The new programmers are more apt to be adept with the most current technologies, willing to work for less money than required by older and more experienced IT professionals, and are able to dedicate more of their time towards work.  These factors make the younger programmers more appealing to employers.  However, older IT workers who move into system architect, IT management, or IT project manager roles are able to use their experience to their advantage.

IT workers must continually develop and refresh their skills in order to remain relevant and employable in the field.  This may require learning new programming languages, new architectures, or returning to school in preparation for potential management positions.  As a younger IT worker, the field of IT is fantastic since it offers the excitement of continual change and opportunities to learn and experience new technologies. Older workers need to remember this characteristic of the field and realize the constant change requires us to continually learn.  We must not loose our passion for learning or we are at risk to be left behind.