A 45-year-old programmer posted: I am proficient in various technical systems, but it is difficult to get an interview opportunity

赵玉田

A 45-year-old programmer posted: I am proficient in various technical systems, but it is difficult to get an interview opportunity [Copy link]

 

Source: New Wisdom

Is the "age ceiling" for programmers 35?

Recently, a 45-year-old netizen left a message saying that he was proficient in various technical systems, but when he came back to look for a job opportunity half a year later after resigning and going home, he didn't even have an interview opportunity.

This message once again hit the pain points of some people. More and more programmers cannot escape the "35-year-old law".

45 years old, proficient in Java, but can't find a job

The netizen named herself Mary, and her message is as follows:

I am a software developer with a computer major. I am 45 years old and proficient in various Java technical systems, including microservices, big data and other technologies. I can apply them to actual work and help my company improve and transform the technical framework used. In my spare time, I also obtained the PMP project management certificate and system architect certificate, and became the system architect and core technical backbone of my company.

My understanding of computer theory has become increasingly profound as I have gained more practice, and I feel that my career has entered the best moment of my life.

When my son was in the first semester of the second year of junior high school, I resigned and went home to accompany him. Half a year later, when I came back to look for job opportunities, I found it difficult to even get an interview opportunity, let alone to use my professional expertise.

The country now encourages delayed retirement. I think that experienced professionals over the age of 40 are in the golden period of their career development and should not be restricted by age when looking for jobs.

Since the rise of the Internet industry, the issue of "age discrimination" among programmers has been a hot topic discussed on social platforms.

On Zhihu, Weibo, and Maimai, questions like "Do programmers really have an age crisis at 35?", "Where have the older programmers gone?", and "Where are the 40-year-old programmers in China going?" are everywhere.

In fact, although it is exaggerated, the "35-year-old crisis" of programmers is not groundless.

Nearly 90% of programmers are born in the 1990s. Why do big companies prefer young people?

In China, the largest age distribution of programmers is under 34 years old, accounting for more than 90%.

Only 9.4% of programmers are over 35 years old, which is negligible.

Image source: 51cto

So, what is it like abroad?

In 2020, Stack Overflow surveyed nearly 65,000 developers worldwide (excluding China).

The survey shows that programmers under the age of 34 account for the largest proportion abroad, 72.1%.

Programmers over 35 years old only account for 27.9% of the total. In 2018, it accounted for 25.7%. In contrast, the proportion of programmers aged 35 has decreased.

Age distribution of respondents in 2020 Source: Stack Overflow

How do other countries fare based on the common factors of age and experience?

The results show that developers in North America and Western Europe tend to be older and have more coding experience.

However, it can be seen that the average age of foreign programmers with rich experience is 33 years old or even younger.

Whether in China or abroad, programmers under the age of 35 account for the largest proportion.

Judging from the recruitment requirements of some Internet companies, 35 years old has also become a threshold. Many employers even directly indicate when recruiting programmers: No recruitment for those over 35 years old.

Statistics from some domestic recruitment websites show that as programmers age, their average monthly salary increases. The average monthly salary for programmers under 30 years old does not exceed 15,000 yuan, while the average monthly salary for programmers between 35 and 45 years old is 25,000 to 30,000 yuan.

In comparison, young programmers have more flexible thinking, better physical conditions, and are more able to accept more intensive work such as overtime and rushing projects, while the salary costs paid by companies do not need to be too high.

So from the perspective of the enterprise, liking young programmers is also a pursuit of higher cost-effectiveness in operations.

Netizens make their voices heard

Is it really so bad for a programmer at 35?

Some netizens said, "To a certain extent, it is right, but fundamentally it is wrong."

With the advancement of technology, the threshold for becoming a programmer is getting higher and higher. Those who have weak learning ability and cannot keep up with the development of technology will be eliminated by society.

Many Internet giants such as Huawei, Alibaba, and Tencent implement a strict "last-in-first-out system" to eliminate inefficient employees and optimize the staff structure.

Tencent: Structural optimization.

Huawei: Give up mediocre employees.

Baidu: Encourage wolfishness and eliminate petty bourgeoisie.

iFLYTEK: Employees who eat early need to be optimized.

JD.com: Eliminate employees who are unable to work hard due to family or health reasons.

Jack Ma: In the future, we will export 1,000 talents who have worked at Alibaba for more than 10 years to the society every year.

For real experts, programming is a life pursuit. James Gosling, the father of Java, is still obsessed with researching technology.

Regarding the 35-year-old law for programmers, many netizens have expressed their opinions.

"Don't even mention 45, anyone over 35 won't make it past the initial resume review. Unless you meet some very special requirements, you can be exempted from the age limit of 40."

"A generation will eventually grow old, but there will always be someone young. We certainly know how terrible the current situation is. But no matter how strong a person is, he will grow old one day. Regardless of whether this programmer is real or fake, how many of you dare to say that you are not afraid of encountering such a situation at the age of 45?"

The development of China's Internet has a history of only more than 20 years.

If a 45-year-old programmer had not changed his career, he would have been one of the earliest programmers in my country. The development status of programmers of this age is at two extremes.

Many of the predecessors who were able to seize the dividends of industry development have already established their own companies and have accumulated a certain amount of wealth by this stage.

Another part, relying on their industry experience and skills, moves into management positions of varying sizes and becomes a middle or senior leader in a company.

But most programmers at this age face a rather embarrassing situation.

What do you think?

zhangdaoyu

35? The good times won't last for many years.

freebsder

Men are afraid of choosing the wrong career. Lower your posture and practice stall sales.

tagetage

It's true, men are afraid of choosing the wrong career. 35 is the ceiling, and it can be relaxed to 40 at most. Any older will be managed. This is the current situation in China.

baopodao

The key issue is still the salary. The average monthly salary for a programmer is 10~15K. Older programmers with good skills will not accept this salary, and companies with poor skills will not want them.

annysky2012

35 years old, it's so difficult

深圳阿涛

When I went to an interview, an HR told me that those who are over 35 years old need to be reviewed by their supervisors before being notified for an interview. If they are not particularly outstanding and have outstanding professional talents in certain areas, they will not be notified for an interview. The main reason is that they work a lot of overtime and it is very hard, and they are afraid that their bodies cannot bear it. In addition, those who are over 35 have families to support and have many chores to do, unlike young people who can devote themselves to work and the company and treat the company as their home. As for myself, there are people around me who are in their 50s, but most of them are freelancers. We are in the inspection industry, which requires some experience, but if you want to work in someone else's company, others still care about your age. Those who are over 35 are basically not accepted, and the position you apply for must be at least a supervisor or above. Those who apply for grassroots positions will not be considered at all. If you don't advance, you will retreat. There is no way. In fact, many people start their own businesses out of helplessness. There is really no place to go to work. What should they do if they don't do it themselves? I know many technical people who ended up starting their own businesses passively. They only have a passion for technology and don't know how to do business at all, but in the end the company didn't hire them. There is no way, so they can only passively do it themselves. This is especially prominent in big cities, maybe there are too many young people.

江长活

Do technicians have to switch to management when they reach a certain age?

wangerxian

Unless you have outstanding abilities, your competitiveness will be reduced as you age. It is better for those who are capable to switch to management positions.

se7ens

35 years old is indeed a threshold.

In the past, leaders always mentioned this

Seems like it's a wake-up call.

PowerAnts

After reading tens of thousands of resumes and interviewing hundreds of people, I am not impressed by the word "proficient". Five years ago, I changed the title of my resume on the talent website to "familiar with"

PowerAnts

Shenzhen A Tao published on 2021-11-16 09:53 I went to an interview and an HR told me personally that those who are over 35 years old need to be reviewed by the supervisor. If they are not particularly outstanding, they have outstanding professional skills in some aspects...

If you want a high salary, add one item to your resume: refuse interviews with people who are not the top executives!

In the past five years, I have only asked one question in response to the notification phone calls: Who organizes the interview?

A certain general manager can talk to a certain worker or manager and tell them to get out of the way. Would Y dare to hire someone with a higher salary than him?

xiaoxin66

The 35-year-old threshold is difficult to change in the short term. If you really want to jump, it is better to plan early.

Fred_1977

What the 12th floor said makes a lot of sense, it’s based on experience!