As a man in my 50s that took a slow climb in my career: I’m glad I’m in the East Coast and NYC but I still feel out of place surrounded by the twenty and thirty somethings (company events).
I can’t begin to imagine the pressure in the West Coast.
As I am approaching that age, why wouldn't a company want to hire a >30yo?
Using Thiel's quoted advice and realising not everybody thinks that way. Less likely to sacrifice themselves for the company? I certainly don't buy the idea that younger people are smarter. I know I wasn't.
1) Younger people are cheaper to hire in the first place
2) They often have fewer commitments, so more time to dedicate to work
3) They have less experience in the workforce, so easier to bamboozle
4) A lot of them have that fresh excitement and desire to join a “mission” and/or replace through work the peer group they miss from college (which combines well with point 3)
Most companies need very few actually smart people, not sure where the misconception comes from. They mostly need grunts to put in the hours and who won’t complain about their lot.
#) Young people are very susceptible to outsourcing decisions (and morality) to their leadership.
Competent people lose their innate tolerance for self-serving (or immoral) decision makers over time; once you have the breadth of knowledge and experience “to see through that nonsense”, your leadership will be forced to either improve or get rid of their antagonists. Fortunately for leadership, age-related terms are rarely prosecuted successfully in tech due in large part to the absence of unions, and the penalties if convicted are typically pocket change compared to the alternatives.
Reminds me of an executive at a former employer. He looked like he spent more time on cosmetic treatments than on work. The words that came out of his mouth didn’t suggest otherwise.
Works the other way too: Doesn't matter what color your beard is if you can give "big brother", even "uncle" energy, younger folks are glad to learn from you. Especially if you show you are happy to keep learning from them too.
As a man in my 50s that took a slow climb in my career: I’m glad I’m in the East Coast and NYC but I still feel out of place surrounded by the twenty and thirty somethings (company events).
I can’t begin to imagine the pressure in the West Coast.
As I am approaching that age, why wouldn't a company want to hire a >30yo?
Using Thiel's quoted advice and realising not everybody thinks that way. Less likely to sacrifice themselves for the company? I certainly don't buy the idea that younger people are smarter. I know I wasn't.
1) Younger people are cheaper to hire in the first place
2) They often have fewer commitments, so more time to dedicate to work
3) They have less experience in the workforce, so easier to bamboozle
4) A lot of them have that fresh excitement and desire to join a “mission” and/or replace through work the peer group they miss from college (which combines well with point 3)
Most companies need very few actually smart people, not sure where the misconception comes from. They mostly need grunts to put in the hours and who won’t complain about their lot.
#) Young people are very susceptible to outsourcing decisions (and morality) to their leadership.
Competent people lose their innate tolerance for self-serving (or immoral) decision makers over time; once you have the breadth of knowledge and experience “to see through that nonsense”, your leadership will be forced to either improve or get rid of their antagonists. Fortunately for leadership, age-related terms are rarely prosecuted successfully in tech due in large part to the absence of unions, and the penalties if convicted are typically pocket change compared to the alternatives.
Reminds me of an executive at a former employer. He looked like he spent more time on cosmetic treatments than on work. The words that came out of his mouth didn’t suggest otherwise.
Basically a male version of Barbie.
Works the other way too: Doesn't matter what color your beard is if you can give "big brother", even "uncle" energy, younger folks are glad to learn from you. Especially if you show you are happy to keep learning from them too.
unpaywalled link: https://www.wsj.com/style/fashion/why-tech-bros-are-getting-...
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Excited to find out whatever is implied here