Do Old Programmers Need To Keep Leaping Through New Hoops?

Nerval's Lobster writes: In recent years, it seems as if tech has evolved into an industry that lionizes the young. Despite all the press about 21-year-old rock-star developers and 30-year-old CEOs, though, is there still a significant market for older programmers and developers, especially those with specialized knowledge? The answer is "yes," of course, and sites like Dice suggest that older tech pros should take steps such as setting up social media accounts and spending a lot of time on Github if they want to attract interest from companies and recruiters. But do they really need to go through all of that? If you have twenty, thirty, or even forty years of solid tech work under your belt, is it worth jumping through all sorts of new hoops? Or is there a better way to keep working — provided you don't already have a job, that is, or move up to management, or get out of the game entirely in order to try something startling and new.

Comments

From the 2nd article

[Marxist Hacker 42]

"Companies say they can't find enough qualified candidates. "

Law of supply and demand affects salaries. Companies that have not learned this, can't find qualified candidates, because they're not paying enough.

Re:From the 2nd article

[Anonymous Coward]

Companies that have not learned this

Companies fully understand what they are doing.

It's called 'lying'.

Keep up your verbal and written skills too....

[technomom]

Yes, you should stay current. That doesn't necessarily mean GitHub, but you should at least have a pretty good idea of what GitHub is, what it does and how to use it.

Here's the thing. If you want to get a programming job today, chances are you'll need to pass through some kind of "white board" programming test. That is, a 1-3 hour session where the hiring manager and team will sit you down and ask you to come up with code and architecture to solve a real world problem. That means that you'll need to be able to think on your feet. It can be a terrifying, humbling experience if you are not prepared for it or even if you are. So, the best thing you can do is be prepared.

If you're selling yourself as a Java developer, you had damned well know Java inside out. Yeah, that means crack open a recent website and read up not just on all the fundamentals you've forgotten but also read up on some of the newer stuff that Java's added in the last few years. Walk through some sample interview questions on the web.

Secondly, work on your people skills. You'll have to be able to explain yourself clearly and concisely. You can be a brilliant technical person but if you cannot be understood, you won't get the job. During the white board session, people aren't looking for perfect syntax. What they are looking for is how you approach a problem, how you break it down, and how you communicate your path through the problem. Again, this all comes down to good communication skills as much as how well you sling code.

For the record: I'm a 53 year old programmer. I just "retired" from one company and landed in another with a 20% pay raise and better opportunities to move upwards. And yeah, I did have to pass a grueling 3 hour "white board" test. It can be done.

You still go through HR for jobs?

[tlambert]

The problem is that the HR departments want X years in specific technology.

You still go through HR for jobs?

That's so darn cute!

Re:You still go through HR for jobs?

[thegarbz]

This is marked troll but it is right on the money.

I have been on the job market for the last 6 months due to an imminent redundancy coming my way (I was lucky to have a lot of notice). After 6 months my resume and experience didn't even land me an interview, yet a phone call or two with a few acquaintances and even to a vendor netted me 2 actual offers.

Re:You still go through HR for jobs?

[tlhIngan]

This is marked troll but it is right on the money.

I have been on the job market for the last 6 months due to an imminent redundancy coming my way (I was lucky to have a lot of notice). After 6 months my resume and experience didn't even land me an interview, yet a phone call or two with a few acquaintances and even to a vendor netted me 2 actual offers.

Exactly.

When people talk about the "hidden job market" - be aware it's real. No, you do not go to a website and there's no "magic" way to look at the "hidden job listings". Those don't exist. There is a market, and if you've got the experience and the knowledge, it can land you a job quite easily.

Thing is, to access it requires soft skills. I know there's a strong temptation to "bottle up" and be one with the machine, but you have to realize that your next job will come from your coworkers. So do socialize with them, do spend time going out on lunches together, make friends and be civil.

Because when it comes time to jump ship, being able to call a friend or an acquaintance is what will get you the job. Sometimes it may be more runabout - you got a job from a friend-of-a-friend-of-a-friend who heard you're looking around and knows someone is needing someone.

And yes, this job market is hidden. Because if you're good, companies will make a job for you. Their public postings may be slim, but going in the back door, especially at smaller companies, may create a job just for you.

The HR and job posting thing will never find the best candidates (only the good ones amongst those looking). It's why companies have referral bonuses because they know great employees don't answer job ads. All it takes is someone putting your resume on a manager's desk, say "we need this guy" and you're in.

Re:You still go through HR for jobs?

[AmiMoJo]

It's a bit OT but this effectively dispels the myth that hiring is a meritocracy. It's often more about who you know, and who you are known to. That's why companies are making so much effort to improve their hiring practices and diversity levels - otherwise they end up just hiring more people like the ones they already have, rather than the best ones from a wide pool.

As you say, many HR departments are clueless which really doesn't help.