CCNA - age limit to break into IT world

Author

age limit to break into IT world

hsmaia

2002-02-22, 9:52 pm

I have heard there is some kind of age barrier that will keep older professionals from entering the IT world. Something like the ideal candidate should be 20 years old with 40 years of experience. Seriously, has anyone experienced any kind of age discrimination, even if subtle?
Would appreciate any replies.
hdm

cross36

2002-02-22, 10:34 pm

LOL. Age is only a number that carries no weight nor significance. Geez we have geniuses in the world at the age of 8.

So go ahead and get certified

strikeattack

2002-02-23, 7:21 am

quote:
LOL. Age is only a number that carries no weight nor significance. Geez we have geniuses in the world at the age of 8.

Hmmm... This is a highly debated question, and you will receive different answers depending on who you speak with. Cross36 says there is no significance, yet my experience tells a different story.

I started in IT when I was about 17. I ran helpdesk for AOL in Ogden, UT. From there, I moved into hardware support (fixing printers and PCs), then Administration of Windows NT servers, and now I do high-level support under Cisco switching and routing architectures.

There were several times when I was not taken seriously because of my age, even when I was obviously correct. I can remember one heated debate about the MSDOS.SYS file under Windows 95 that I had with one of their Senior Engineers at the time...

I have also seen individuals discriminated against because of being too old, or experienced. However, I saw most of this during the late 90s and during 2000 and 2001, when Internet .COMs were booming. It certainly seems to have dropped off now, and it seems that older people are now getting more positions. It probably had something to do with younger people designing the newest and greatest interface software gadgets that not only looked cool, but also performed somewhat well. Now, the focus has shifted to a need for business experience to help the business survive in a recession.

Just my view of the world...

cross36

2002-02-23, 12:00 pm

Strikeattack,

I agree with you. On certain key points. But for those people who discriminating for the age, they need a reality check, also with age comes wisdom and many traits and learning skills acquired.

Plain and simple it all depends on the individual and their desire to get what they want. If you want something, you keep attacking until it is yours. Never give up, or even let anyone get in your way.

Distractions leads to a downfall of failure and loss of goals

PotatoHead

2002-02-23, 10:11 pm

Though I don't believe an 8 year old will get much respect around the office, I think you have to prove to people you know your stuff to get any respect at any age.

mikeghet

2002-02-23, 11:03 pm

I think the point here is that sometimes you don't even get the chance to prove yourself becasue you dropped after na interview or when they call you. I also think going to college has impaired my oppertunities. I think sometimes the big bad boss wants somebody that maybe has kids or is independent financially. This way they have someone who is not going to call in every saturday or weekday with a hang over or something like that. They also get the benifit of hiring someone without any educational goals. This way the person will have nowhere better to go. Just my experince from my last job. This is not the case everywhere I am sure so keep your head up.

cross36

2002-02-23, 11:43 pm

Spud you are right. It was just an image of how we have young kids knowing everything. That was a reference to my saying age is only a number.

algerp131

2002-02-24, 1:48 pm

If you don't show your age on a resume, like the year you graduated high school, and show up for an interview with all your ducks-in-a-row, only the real predicious people will care. And really, who wants to work for that kind of person anyway!

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