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  1. Join Date
    Aug 2003
    Posts
    9,720
    #1
    how old is the oldest software developer/sys admin/IT professional you know -- as in purely technical lang ang ginagawa?

    just wondering out loud...i've been in the business for over a decade now...i have to admit i am at the crossroads, actually for the past few years na. i still think i have enough in the gas tank for the next 3-5 years...pero after that, what?

    i have this notion(pasintabi po sa mga forumers in their 40s; if it's any consolation i'll be joining your ranks in a few years B), that once you hit 40, generally your tech skills go downhill. pansin ko rin sa mga wanted ads, companies generally specify 35 as an upper age limit.

    Of course there are exceptions; personally i know someone in his mid/late 30s na matindi pa ring developer. For other professions like business, finance, and maybe even medicine, that may not be true, but i'm not so sure about IT.

    i guess some guys are lucky enough to get into a company that really takes care of you professionally, so maybe they can slowly wean you out of the more technical stuff(in some cases, whether you like it or not B) and more towards management...but what if you're not that lucky?

    medyo OT pero tanong ko na rin: how can you train a techie to become a manager?

    tia

  2. Join Date
    Dec 2005
    Posts
    617
    #2
    Kapatid, palagay ko ay walang magiging epekto ang edad sa kahit na anong trabaho o propesyon, except when age is a necessary consideration... Para sa akin kasi, you have to:
    • be like a Sword - in maintaining your cutting edge thru continuing training, education & other means of improvement
    • be like Wine - as you get better with age and by maximizing your experience to your advantage
    • be like an Ink - in making sure you stand-out and leave your mark/impresssion and that your contributions/accomplishments are recognized
    • be like a Tiger - in ferociously and decidedly jumping into an opportunity when it presents itself
    • be like a Chameleon - in always adapting to the ever changing work/business environment. If you don't adapt/change - you'll perish!
    • be part of a Herd - by acting in unison, be a teamplayer in achieving synergistic results towards a common goal & maintaining harmonious relationship
    In short, be like a SWITCH - you should be in control and have the discipline to maintain it.

    These are my very own words :twocents: in guiding myself, my family and in dealing with those who, i had & currently have the opportunity to work with...

    As for luck... not to be rude but pls see my sig...

    :Off-Topic2: I love numbers and have decades of experience. Pero sa totoo lang, i'm actually now in the midst of exploring/learning IT stuff to supplement/complement what i love and have no qualms doing it because for me, that's part & combination of "S" and "C" above.

    So, to address the thread title: "maximum age for IT (or whatever) professionals", as long as you're fit enough to observe the above, i believe there is none...

    HTH

  3. Join Date
    Jan 2003
    Posts
    2,979
    #3
    medyo short lived yun techie ko... swerte lang siguro since yun superior eh umalis na

  4. Join Date
    Oct 2002
    Posts
    9,894
    #4
    one of my peers is a 55 y/o development and MIS guy for one of the Fortune top 50 companies. he helped develop all the risk modeling systems and is still the best programmer in his department (he's the department head). he's forgotten more about DB management than his people know, and he has sterling credibility with his people, and senior managers.

    it's not how old you are, it's how much you invest in continuous learning and the discipline to be the best.

    how do you train a techie to be a manager? i think you need the right raw materials. pick someone who is ambitious, and has good relationship/people skills (yes, i know it's a stereotype that programmers have no social skills but it's not always true :D ). in a team setting, try to find the person who is seen as a leader by his peers, and is comfortable taking charge. then start giving that person small management responsibilities, like organizing a team activity or leading a special project. then give him small people responsibilities like having the summer interns report to him, or the temporary contractors...

    after a little while you'll see if he's manager material. at least this is what i do and it works for me :2thumbsup:

  5. Join Date
    Oct 2002
    Posts
    9,894
    #5
    double fost
    Last edited by empy; July 28th, 2008 at 03:52 AM.

  6. Join Date
    Dec 2005
    Posts
    617
    #6
    Quote Originally Posted by empy View Post
    one of my peers is a 55 y/o development and MIS guy for one of the Fortune top 50 companies. :2thumbsup:
    boss empy, makapagtanong lang po... ang ibig nyo po bang sabihin ng "peer" ay kasing edad?

  7. Join Date
    Feb 2005
    Posts
    3,299
    #7
    I know a guy whio's in his 50's that still is a developer and likes being a developer. I don't think there should be an age limit (IMO). The thing with 90% of Philippine companies is that if you're an applicant and you're over 35, you're not qualified already. Medyo may discrimination din ng kaunti dito sa atin. I've experienced this sort of discrimination in more than one occassion: just because I was over 35, I didn't make the cut. Sinabi mismo sa akin nung mga nagi-interview" Sorry Mr. *****. Technically you're more qualified but you're over our hiring age limit."

    IMO some people are born to be managers, some people are not (note to threadstarter: no offense to you, kind sir.) Why did I say this? Well, I've had my fair share of being under good and bad managers. Some of them were technically brilliant but had zero charisma, leadership and people skills. In times of crisis, a number of them passed the buck and burned the arses of my colleagues just to save his/her butt. Some of my managers naman eh hindi ganun kagaling technically, pero ang galing mag-strategize, had excelllent people skills and knows how to back-up his/her people sa management. So, my take on this is: even if a person has tons of managemen training under his/her belt, these are no guarantees that he/she will become a good manager. Nasa pagkatao rin yan. Take it from me: been there, done that. Got the shirt to prove it.

    My analogy for the staff/manager thingy is this: there are great basketball players but not all great basketball players become great coaches.

    Take a Briggs-Myers test. The result you'll get will give you an insight of what personality type you are and you can deduce from the results if you've got the right stuff to become a manager.

    Good luck to you buddy.

  8. Join Date
    Oct 2002
    Posts
    14,825
    #8
    Wala naman... kita mo si nicolodeon... still going strong after all these years. :hysterical:

    Unless of course you encounter some narrow-minded organizations or individuals who impose a certain age limit.

    :boo:



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  9. Join Date
    Feb 2005
    Posts
    3,299
    #9
    Quote Originally Posted by mazdamazda View Post
    Wala naman... kita mo si nicolodeon... still going strong after all these years. :hysterical:
    Hmm...mukhang may maba :banned: akong dating imperyalistang teh mod ah.

    :lol:

  10. Join Date
    Oct 2002
    Posts
    2,075
    #10
    One thing I learned in this business is that you have to evolve, if not, your career will stagnate.

    I've been here for more that 2 decades na and started off as a programmer, eventually after there was a shift in programming style and languages, I had to veer away and started to act as a project manager, designing and implementing systems rather than writing them. I had some techie background and had the opportunity to become as well as a system administrator then head of operations. Now, support consultant for a software na ako. If I stayed as a programmer until now, I would be competing with newbies who are asking for much lower pay.

    So, I'd suggest that you evolve to the next available career path for you.
    Last edited by Mguy; July 28th, 2008 at 11:25 AM.

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maximum age for IT professionals