@venikunche This is a tricky question. Here's why:
I think what you're asking is "at what age did you experience your age used against you personally."
But ageism has affected my career in tech separately from my personal age. It does this by shaping the ecosystem itself. Examples:
1/
I think what you're asking is "at what age did you experience your age used against you personally."
But ageism has affected my career in tech separately from my personal age. It does this by shaping the ecosystem itself. Examples:
1/
@venikunche 1. I have never, at a tech company, had a manager over the age of 29, with one exception, who was 32.
It has therefore been impossible for any of them to possess significant management experience. This has affected my experience of, and expectations for, being managed.
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It has therefore been impossible for any of them to possess significant management experience. This has affected my experience of, and expectations for, being managed.
2/
@venikunche 2. I have never had a mentor within my same employer with more than ten years' field experience.
To get these, I have had to specifically go find people outside my employer. Most of them have their own businesses because employers fail to recognize their value as FTEs.
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To get these, I have had to specifically go find people outside my employer. Most of them have their own businesses because employers fail to recognize their value as FTEs.
3/
@venikunche 3. Apropos of #2, most employers can offer very little in the way of helping their younger employees develop professionally. Employees have to go OUTSIDE whatever systems the employer has to build their skills with satisfying velocity.
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@venikunche 4. The vast majority of apps and technical products fail at accessibility because few of the people writing the code absolutely need a non-mainstream accessibility tool.
Older technologists experience the need for accessible software in higher proportions than younger ones.
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Older technologists experience the need for accessible software in higher proportions than younger ones.
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@venikunche 5. Similarly, a disproportionately small amount of technical contribution power is allocated to parents—especially parents of not-infant children. So tech also loses access to an in-house understanding of the needs of children of an independently-using-software age.
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@venikunche These are just a few examples of ageism's systemic consequences, but all of them affect not only me, but everyone in tech, and also everyone outside tech who uses what we built.
Ageism's effect on me goes far beyond whether I personally got promoted.
In fact...
7/
Ageism's effect on me goes far beyond whether I personally got promoted.
In fact...
7/
@venikunche ...ageism in tech limits the quality and utility of the tools we build by stymying the ecosystem in which we build it.
All this to say, I think everyone is affected by ageism in tech regardless of whether they've personally noticed or traced their frustrations back to it.
8/8
All this to say, I think everyone is affected by ageism in tech regardless of whether they've personally noticed or traced their frustrations back to it.
8/8
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