Age-related discrimination assumes older programmers are less capable or unwilling to learn. Kate Gregory stresses that inclusive, age-friendly workplaces benefit all employees. She advises staying open to new experiences, learning, and building connections to maintain a fulfilling career and well-being as we age.
Kate Gregory gave a talk about continuing to program as people age at NDC Tech Town.
Trouble seeing, pain, and stiffness are some of the things that can make it harder to program as you age. But they aren’t inevitable, and some solutions can help, as Gregory explained in the InfoQ article What Developers Can Do to Continue to Program as They Age. She gave examples of solutions, like changing fonts, using glasses, and rearranging the office layout.
Gregory did a survey to explore ageing for programmers as part of preparing her talk, and hundreds of developers, of all ages, responded.
Gregory mentioned that older people sometimes face age discrimination. She gave an example where people assume an older person “wouldn’t want to learn that”, or “doesn’t know how to use these new cool things”, or say that someone won’t be a culture fit. Without checking, they exclude the person based on assumptions, she said.
When people meet an older programmer they sometimes think (or even say!) things like, “I guess you weren’t good enough to get promoted to management yet”, Gregory said. The good news is it doesn’t happen everywhere, so if this happens to you, you should find an environment where you’re valued, she argued:
Some places have learned that offering a welcoming workplace gets them some amazing talent.
Most people who replied to her survey said they did occasionally assume older people couldn’t do something or wouldn’t want to, despite trying to remember we all age differently, as Gregory explained:
It’s actually in your own interests to educate yourself about the positive realities of aging, because studies show that people with negative attitudes towards old age and old people are more likely to be hospitalized or have a heart attack or stroke.
Improving the working conditions for programmers is not just about age, Gregory said. When employers stop assuming that everyone is the same, and build a more inclusive environment, that helps everyone, she mentioned. It could be having adjustable lighting, or flexible work hours, or not having a rigid dress code — all of these can make a big difference to some people as they age, or to younger people who have physical needs that are not the same as everyone else’s, she added.
Most of us don’t actually struggle with being able to keep up with new stuff as we are getting older. After several decades you know how to learn, you’ve seen ten different source control systems, or job tracking systems, or whatever, and you can pick up another one easily enough, Gregory said.
Gregory advised to make friends, and don’t stop making new friends all of your life. Try new things too – as life goes on there will be losses, and the only cure for loss is gain, so you have to give new hobbies, new foods, and new entertainment a chance. Some of them will work out wonderfully, she said.
No matter how young you are, it’s never too soon to start working towards the kind of old age you want. And the good news is, it’s also never too late, Gregory concluded.
InfoQ interviewed Kate Gregory about continuing to program as people age.
InfoQ: What’s your suggestion for keeping up with new stuff when we’re getting older?
Kate Gregory: It’s mostly a matter of wanting to keep up. Sometimes we’re just fed up, or unimpressed by the benefits that everyone says the new system will bring, and don’t feel like learning it for that reason. Or we’ve tied our identity to a particular programming language or operating system, and feel like switching to a new one would mean saying we were wrong.
If we can set that aside and focus on the purpose of our work more than the tools we use, picking up a new tool is not beyond any of us.
InfoQ: What’s your advice for a long and happy old age?
Gregory: Embrace exercising, both in the form of active hobbies and active commutes and such, but also in deliberate “twenty minutes of stretching” kind of exercise.
Save money starting young, so that you will be relaxed and comfortable when you reach retirement age. Build up other resources too — surround yourself with nice people, for example, and learn skills like how to talk to people when the stakes are very high, such as during a family medical emergency, so that you get the information and help you need.
Eat well, sleep well, and care for your body. It’s not your enemy, it’s you. Plan for your retirement and work towards that plan now — if you want to paint or sail or golf a lot, learn how to do it now so you can evaluate it and get at least some of that enjoyment without waiting decades.
