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Ask Slashdot: Programming / IT Jobs For Older, Retrained Workers?
12_West writes "I seek opinions from the Slashdot community about entry level job opportunities as programmers (or other I.T. Staff) for seniors who want to switch careers and continue to work full time. I do not want to retire, nor go part time, as long as I can get up and drive myself in to work. I'm currently 58 years old, working as an industrial electrician in a maintenance department setting for a building products manufacturer. I like the work, but it is becoming hard on my aging body, so, I would like to begin gradually retraining and hope to switch careers in about four years. A lower paying, less physical job would be just fine as there will be pension money coming in. I'm not currently a programmer, but have done some hobbyist level coding in Qbasic and MS-DOS batch files 'back in the days.' I also have some exposure to the Rockwell Automation RSLogix programming tools that are now going obsolete. So, I will be retraining whether I switch careers or not."
It's never too late to get back to coding. I know people who are 60+ and code like there's no tomorrow. LOL, literally speaking.
Speaking from honest experience, it's an uphill battle for someone your age.
Generally, IT companies looking for junior level engineers or programmers want a smart, young person who is up on the latest technology. From there, they can be trained in "best practices," and specific skills for the job. Usually, they are very happy just to get the job and willing to put in 10-12 hour days and learn things as fast as possible. Once they are up to speed, the company gets to keep them for at least a couple years, paying them a low rate.
Also, there's the political issue of the fact your managers and mentors will generally be much younger than you...and that can be a hard pill to swallow for the young guys (who might behave brashly and arrogantly) and you (who might feel bad being talked down to by someone who could be your son).
Most young IT workers will have to switch companies to get into a better pay grade. There's not a lot of IT companies hiring 50+ year old junior engineers, so that's another stumbling block.
Older workers cost more for insurance, benefits, and typically salary; are likely to have families, and not be willing to put in long hours. Also, at age 58, that means an employer can only expect a few years after training you before you retire.
If you can find someone willing to hire you, go for it, but my experience in the industry says that it will be very difficult to start at entry-level at your age. Just an honest opinion.
Check with your local state universities, many of them offer programs for people who have been out of school for a while. It allows people to get the proper training and job placement. Also, why not seek a management position in your field of expertise?
Maybe you should look into a teaching position. Your life experience puts you in a better position to relate to students and help them learn.
The key here is to use your strengths. Being a senior, you have a big advantage over young people in several areas, like teaching, quality control (Q&A), or project specifications.
Also, since you worked as an electrician, maybe computer maintenance might be something that will interest you, or network infrastructure.
morcego
There are the programmers and the in-house folks, of course, but network field engineers are doing physical work. I've technically got a desk job and yet I'm often crawling across the floor dragging network lines, hauling servers and workstations up and down stairs, and contorting my body to fit into tight spaces to check lights, cables, etc. Whatever you do, make sure you're not getting involved in stuff that's as much work as what you currently do, or else your career will be a side grade, not an upgrade.
Occasionally living proof of the Ballmer peak.
That't not as uncommon as you'd think, because a lot of people would get utterly bored and wouldn't like it.
My father is in his 70's, and he's got his hobbies, as well as keeping a job (it takes certification to do what he does and they don't have a replacement yet, he's still being trained).
He'd be bored to tears if he didn't have several things on the go. I fully expect that he will work until he dies -- and I believe if someone forced him to stop working, he'd probably die much sooner.
For now, it keeps him out my mother's way, brings in some income, and keeps him doing things to keep himself busy.
I've known many people for whom 'retirement' mostly meant start drawing your pension and then find another job since you can't fathom not working. (And put up with less bullshit at work because you can always leave. ;-)
My father will fully retire when he wants to, but so far we've seen no evidence he wants to.
Lost at C:>. Found at C.
All night coding sessions while acceptable in start-ups are a major symptom of a business with major flaws in their development practices. Yes development can be unpredictable but if you are having employees forced to regularly stay-up you are scraping by. It might be nostalgic to say we do our best coding then, but we don't and such practices are inviting failure.
Even better, go into configuring physical security, the access cards, security cameras, alarm systems and the like that keep the data centers safe. After 10 years doing server and desktop support I made the change and have never looked back. It's great fun. Imagine setting up an intercom to 1) call Security, 2) send a message to the patrolling guards' pager, 3) point a camera at its location, 4) have the camera launch on Security's PC screen, 5) make a link between the alarm event and the camera recording, 6) pop up the map with its location and all pertinent hardware on all Security workstations, 7) record the call. (We're doing all of this right now on an installation.)
Having said that, avoid ADT and other companies that do home security systems like the plague that they are. Companies that do retail store security as well, they're going to push you for volume over quality.
Your background gives you an advantage, since you know what a Normally Open relay means, the difference between wet and dry contacts, how cable runs are pulled, and the like. Take a basic server administration class at the community college (yes, you'll be the oldest person there), and learn a little bit about networking. Buy an Axis IP camera on Craig's List and set it up to record your bird feeder with the one free recording license you can get from the Axis web site. Use the camera's relay to hook up a light to go on when the camera detects movement. You now have a portfolio of talent that is superior to most of the ex-helpdesk guys applying for these jobs.
"Think about how stupid the average person is. Now, realise that half of them are dumber than that." - George Carlin
Don't commit to hard deadlines further than 2 weeks out. Agile is a life saver. A 160 hour 2 week period is not even possible with Agile (unless you were a spineless moron and willingly agreed to do the slave hours up front). Worst case, some things just end up late. I would rather look for a new job than work those kind of hours, so if the boss is unreasonable about it, too fucking bad. Fortunately, most employers will not hang you for getting something in a bit late. Most deadlines slip because of a change in scope anyway, so it really is not something to feel bad about.