I have no doubt that discrimination exists, and I've probably run into it a couple of times, though of course there's usually no way to know. But what are you going to do? As far as I can tell, my play is to relentlessly work on polishing my skills, and try to remain in the vanguard. More often than not, I'm the guy dragging my Gen Y colleagues into the future. What's not to like?
Last year I was 48. As part of something like a mid-life crisis, I interviewed at several of the Bay Area majors. In some ways, it was kind of a Logan's Run sort of experience, with me in the role of Old Man (Peter Ustinov). (Maybe next time I should bring some cats with me to the interview.) I was turned down by several, but received a good offer from Facebook. After a lot of careful number-crunching and soul-searching, though, I felt that I couldn't accept it. The primary reason is that I have a wife and kids. Though the offer would have been fabulous for a single guy, it probably would have been ruinous with my financial responsibilities.
I guess what I'm saying here is when discussing ageism and the Valley, one needs to be careful to pick apart reluctance to hire older people (which I don't doubt is a bias sometimes) versus the personal economics of the Valley, which makes it a marginal place to consider living for many people (and probably tends to hit families the hardest).
As an aside, I think many younger managers are nervous about hiring older workers. For what it's worth, I recently worked for several years for a guy that's at least ten years younger. Best boss I ever had. We got along and got things done.
I had a really good offer for a major Bay Area company a year ago, and after running the numbers, realized that (largely because I have kids) there's simply no way to afford it. Maybe if my wife was also a tech person, but she's not. Ended up taking a job in NYC, as it's considerably more affordable if you have kids...
If you've been around long enough to see a few technologies die off, you'll recognize the hell out of this chart:
http://www.google.com/trends/explore?q=git%2Csvn#cat=0-5&q=git%2C%20svn&cmpt=q
As for me, svn is one of the few version control systems that actually managed to lose my work (VSS is the other), so I won't miss it. That said, I would pick Subversion over Perforce every day of the week...
Perhaps not even that. You betrayed the Duke, you took his wife, stole his castle.
Now no one trusts you.
You're not the one, Uther.
(from _Excalibur_)
ATT, Cracker Barrel (discrimination against gays), Optimum/Cablevision (outrageous treatment of their employees), pretty much any retail investment operation (excepting a few good apples like Vanguard and Schwab), almost anything that requires a contract/commitment (inevitably ripoffs). Lots more I'm not thinking of.
Someone mentioned Monsanto (who are definitely bad guys), and this points to one flaw in this idea, which is that some such companies are difficult to identify and shun. You do what you can.
It's not as immediate, but I maintain a "shit list" of companies that I will never deal with again (dire circumstances excepted). AT&T is already on it, and for much worse shenanigans than this.
The important thing, though, is to have that list and follow through. Don't think that it doesn't matter. One less customer pulls cash straight off the bottom line, and there's absolutely nothing they can do to change that.
I agree with you, in theory. But, in order for that 10x-100x to be achieved, conditions have to be conducive. It's like starting up that 600mph car to make a record run on the salt flats. If things are right, you can achieve phenomenal results. But, things usually aren't that optimal, and in a suboptimal environment, your gifted driver will be much less able to distinguish themselves from a merely good driver.
Having watched things play out many times over a (eek) long career, I've observed that it's fairly rare that skill and opportunity coincide. If you find yourself in such a position, revel in it, as it probably will not last.
The awful truth is that there is likely nothing you can do about this. Just as in the rest of life, slobs will win out over those who value order, following standards, lawful behavior, etc. every time.
Your best hope is to get your own little pasture (which might be an open source project) of code that you "own" (meaning that you have the power to exclude crap) and learn to satisfy your desire for order there. In the professional world, first to the finish line always wins, no matter how much of a radioactive stinking turd it is.
Usually this doesn't happen. But it should, because having said dumbass charged with a crime totally solves the problem. In fact, I think most parents, given the choice, would rather have a charged felon than a live child. In fact, make it *two* charges and it's a totally done deal.
Yeah, that's about where I'm at, too. I think of those Buddhist monks making the sand paintings (which they then sweep away). It's an exercise in recognizing the impermanence of all things.
My point is that vehicle-involved deaths are a major health problem, and we should be working a lot harder to reduce their incidence. If it's appropriate to jail someone for a laser flash, it's certainly appropriate to jail them for blowing through a crosswalk.
Slashdot Mirror
I have no doubt that discrimination exists, and I've probably run into it a couple of times, though of course there's usually no way to know. But what are you going to do? As far as I can tell, my play is to relentlessly work on polishing my skills, and try to remain in the vanguard. More often than not, I'm the guy dragging my Gen Y colleagues into the future. What's not to like?
Re "apologist", you're reading an awful lot into something I tapped out in a few seconds...
Last year I was 48. As part of something like a mid-life crisis, I interviewed at several of the Bay Area majors. In some ways, it was kind of a Logan's Run sort of experience, with me in the role of Old Man (Peter Ustinov). (Maybe next time I should bring some cats with me to the interview.) I was turned down by several, but received a good offer from Facebook. After a lot of careful number-crunching and soul-searching, though, I felt that I couldn't accept it. The primary reason is that I have a wife and kids. Though the offer would have been fabulous for a single guy, it probably would have been ruinous with my financial responsibilities. I guess what I'm saying here is when discussing ageism and the Valley, one needs to be careful to pick apart reluctance to hire older people (which I don't doubt is a bias sometimes) versus the personal economics of the Valley, which makes it a marginal place to consider living for many people (and probably tends to hit families the hardest). As an aside, I think many younger managers are nervous about hiring older workers. For what it's worth, I recently worked for several years for a guy that's at least ten years younger. Best boss I ever had. We got along and got things done.
I had a really good offer for a major Bay Area company a year ago, and after running the numbers, realized that (largely because I have kids) there's simply no way to afford it. Maybe if my wife was also a tech person, but she's not. Ended up taking a job in NYC, as it's considerably more affordable if you have kids...
Legalized gay marriage in 2009. (Four years earlier than California, and counting...)
Yes, the time it was taking to port Linux onto it was too long...
If you've been around long enough to see a few technologies die off, you'll recognize the hell out of this chart: http://www.google.com/trends/explore?q=git%2Csvn#cat=0-5&q=git%2C%20svn&cmpt=q As for me, svn is one of the few version control systems that actually managed to lose my work (VSS is the other), so I won't miss it. That said, I would pick Subversion over Perforce every day of the week...
Perhaps not even that. You betrayed the Duke, you took his wife, stole his castle. Now no one trusts you. You're not the one, Uther. (from _Excalibur_)
ATT, Cracker Barrel (discrimination against gays), Optimum/Cablevision (outrageous treatment of their employees), pretty much any retail investment operation (excepting a few good apples like Vanguard and Schwab), almost anything that requires a contract/commitment (inevitably ripoffs). Lots more I'm not thinking of.
Someone mentioned Monsanto (who are definitely bad guys), and this points to one flaw in this idea, which is that some such companies are difficult to identify and shun. You do what you can.
"screwing the elf"
Yup, they really screwed the elf on that one...
It's not as immediate, but I maintain a "shit list" of companies that I will never deal with again (dire circumstances excepted). AT&T is already on it, and for much worse shenanigans than this.
The important thing, though, is to have that list and follow through. Don't think that it doesn't matter. One less customer pulls cash straight off the bottom line, and there's absolutely nothing they can do to change that.
Yes, but on the plus side, they now have a brand that people think of as still being in business...
I agree with you, in theory. But, in order for that 10x-100x to be achieved, conditions have to be conducive. It's like starting up that 600mph car to make a record run on the salt flats. If things are right, you can achieve phenomenal results. But, things usually aren't that optimal, and in a suboptimal environment, your gifted driver will be much less able to distinguish themselves from a merely good driver.
Having watched things play out many times over a (eek) long career, I've observed that it's fairly rare that skill and opportunity coincide. If you find yourself in such a position, revel in it, as it probably will not last.
...sponge off of those who can.
How can a photon have volts? Aren't all photons created equal?
I can relate, and you have my sympathies.
The awful truth is that there is likely nothing you can do about this. Just as in the rest of life, slobs will win out over those who value order, following standards, lawful behavior, etc. every time.
Your best hope is to get your own little pasture (which might be an open source project) of code that you "own" (meaning that you have the power to exclude crap) and learn to satisfy your desire for order there. In the professional world, first to the finish line always wins, no matter how much of a radioactive stinking turd it is.
For many of us, doing things right in the first place is actually faster.
Usually this doesn't happen. But it should, because having said dumbass charged with a crime totally solves the problem. In fact, I think most parents, given the choice, would rather have a charged felon than a live child. In fact, make it *two* charges and it's a totally done deal.
Me neither. If a kid finds that gun on the piano, they should pay the price...
Yeah, that's about where I'm at, too. I think of those Buddhist monks making the sand paintings (which they then sweep away). It's an exercise in recognizing the impermanence of all things.
My point is that vehicle-involved deaths are a major health problem, and we should be working a lot harder to reduce their incidence. If it's appropriate to jail someone for a laser flash, it's certainly appropriate to jail them for blowing through a crosswalk.
...only outlaws will synthesize their own proteins.
You might very occasionally manage to kill someone with a laser, but illegal driving kills tens of thousands each and every year (just in the US).
...but at least I can keep them from being virtually killed by virtual guns.
The use case is that I'd like my kids to be able to play with Ableton, but I don't want them messing up my files.
Plus, this is so trivial to do, why *not* get it right?