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"Am I TOO OLD To Become A Software Engineer?" is a thought-provoking video that explores the common concern of whether age is a barrier to entering the field of software engineering. The video likely discusses various perspectives on this topic, addressing concerns such as the rapid pace of technological advancements, the prevalence of younger professionals in the industry, and the potential challenges faced by individuals transitioning into tech later in their careers. It may offer encouragement and insights for individuals of all ages who aspire to pursue a career in software engineering, highlighting the importance of passion, continuous learning, and resilience in overcoming obstacles. Ultimately, the video aims to inspire viewers to pursue their goals regardless of age and to challenge preconceived notions about the tech industry.
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0:00
Am I too old to become a software engineer
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It's the question every 12-year-old should ask themselves. I'm just kidding. In this video, I'm going to talk about my observations of age in the software workplace
0:11
And then I'm also going to talk about three questions you should ask yourself before becoming a software engineer
0:16
Then I'm going to talk about ageism in working in the software industry and some of my experiences
0:22
And then I'll answer the question, is it worth it becoming an older software engineer
0:26
So the places that I've worked, I've actually seen a large variety of ages in software
0:32
So I've worked with fresh grads that are straight out of college. And I've also worked with people who are getting closer to retirement
0:39
not just who are in management, but who are still writing code on a day-to-day basis
0:44
So really, there is a huge range. At some companies, for example, at startups
0:49
you're going to tend to have a lot more younger software engineers
0:52
When you get into some of the bigger engineering companies, then you're going to have a little bit more of a variety
0:58
They'll still be weighted more towards younger and stuff, because it seems that once you hit about in your 40s and stuff
1:04
you start to see more people moving on into management. And I don't know whether that is just because they're getting pushed into management
1:11
or whether they're seeing their peers moving more into management and just kind of want to be associated with people more in their age range
1:18
or for whatever reason, or maybe they're just getting tired and looking for change. And leave software
1:23
But it seems like after 40 and stuff, you do start to see a little bit of a decrease
1:29
in those who are older, who are actually writing code on a day-to-day basis
1:34
Because there are opportunities, even within the individual contributor track, to grow up into principal and then into architect
1:42
where you may not be doing as much coding on a day-to-day basis, but you're still very influential in the direction of the company
1:48
and in the technologies and how things are being built. Another reason why they might make that transition over into management is
1:55
that it does seem like with these positions of becoming an architect and stuff
2:00
there aren't a lot of those positions. And so competition gets more fierce and more fierce
2:05
So if you do move over to a management track, there's probably gonna be a lot more growth opportunities
2:11
as you work up through directors and maybe the VPs and things like that
2:16
And as for discrimination, I would say that it does happen. I first felt it when I was 36
2:21
And I'll talk about my experience a little bit more in a minute
2:25
It is there, but in general, I would say I haven't felt a lot of it
2:30
And I've been in a lot of interviews with people who are older than myself and felt like everyone, including myself
2:34
were good with people who are applying, regardless of their age, looking at the experience they've had
2:41
And because everyone who has some really good experience brings a lot of value
2:46
But there are gonna be situations that you might encounter some discrimination
2:50
So here are three questions that you should be asking yourself. Are you passionate about learning
2:54
Because that's one of the things that anyone who's contemplating becoming a software engineer has to accept is that this industry changes a lot
3:00
There's a lot to learn. And we're always gonna be learning new things and better ways to do things
3:06
So if you're passionate about learning, then that's great. Do you like problem solving
3:10
And that's a huge draw for me to this career is the ability to constantly be trying to figure out solutions to problems
3:18
and developing tools to make people's lives easier. And if that's something that really excites you
3:23
then software is a really great career. And finally, you need to ask yourself
3:27
are you okay working with a lot of software engineers who are younger than yourselves
3:31
And this isn't an ageist question and stuff. It's just the fact that you will be working with people who are younger than yourself
3:38
And there are gonna be a lot of them who don't have families to take care of and who might be willing to dedicate a lot more time
3:44
to their job than someone who actually has a family. For me, I have a wife and I have kids
3:49
And so I need to have a work-life balance where I'm also giving them attention. So, you know, spending lots of time at the office working extra hours
3:56
you know, just because I'm absorbed in what I'm working on is not something that I can do because that wouldn't be fair to my family
4:03
Whereas some of the other younger software engineers who don't have families
4:07
and who work is also pretty much their hobby, may choose to spend even more time
4:12
And so you have to kind of be okay with that. And that obviously, if they're spending more time at work
4:19
they're going to be accomplishing more things. And you have to be okay with saying
4:23
look, I'm okay that I am not producing as much as they are
4:27
but I am delivering a lot of value during the time that I am working a regular schedule
4:32
It's just something to keep in mind. All right, so now for some of my personal experiences
4:36
I did feel some discrimination when I was 36 in an interview
4:40
and a guy who's doing the interview who is several years younger than me
4:45
was very open with his language and descriptions of me as being someone who is older
4:51
And I definitely felt that judgment. And for me, I just decided, you know what, I don't want to work at that place
4:55
because I don't think it's going to be a good culture fit working with them. Aside from that, I have felt that every other
5:02
every place that I have worked at has been very good about
5:06
encouraging and doing trainings to encourage diversity and not discriminating based on age
5:14
And I actually haven't really seen much discrimination or observed it from other software engineers
5:20
I've been involved in several interviews where we've hired people who are older than me
5:26
because they clearly had the skills and were great people and they've been great to work with
5:30
And so while it does exist out there and it would be a lie to say that it doesn't
5:35
I think there are a lot of places out there where, you know, age discrimination isn't going to be a problem in software
5:40
I mean, all of the teams that I've worked on have felt very cohesive despite wide ranges of age
5:45
I've seen on some other teams that I haven't worked on, you know, a little bit of cliquishness with, you know, some of the younger software engineers
5:53
but mostly around like going to lunches or their own little, you know, groups and stuff like that
5:57
So when it comes to age and software engineers coming into the field later in their career
6:02
I think they really actually bring a lot of new perspectives and wisdom that provides a lot of value to the team
6:08
And so I think overall the benefits and value of learning to become a software engineer when you're older far outweighs any of the negatives
6:17
I mean, it totally changed my life. It was totally worth it. And I have zero regrets becoming a software engineer
6:23
And so if that's something that interests you, I definitely think you should go for it. You should first find out if you're cut out to be a software engineer
6:29
and you can do that by watching this video up here. And I'll see you in the next one. Leets
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