40 and outdated

For doctors or lawyers, years of experience is a badge. In tech, it is a deadweight, and those in their forties suddenly find themselves irrelevant. An outdated label on at least 10% of the 4 million IT professionals points to a problem

Tech professionals in their forties struggle to find and keep their jobs

Companies are pitting the Gen Xers squarely with millennials, who are well-versed with new tech and come at a cheaper cost

In the US, companies like IBM have been accused of carrying out an age bias while laying off employees

At this rate, the forties could turn out to be the new sixties, where people will have to hang up their boots

“So, how did it go?”

“It is hard to tell. You know how these things are,” said Sidharth. “But I’m an optimist,” he quickly adds, pushing his floppy hair back.

An experienced software developer, Sidharth, who didn’t want his last name identified, has gone nearly two years without a job. He didn’t want to talk before a crucial interview with a cab-hailing company. “I don’t want any distractions,” he said. Understandable, given he’s close to running his savings dry.

Now, Sidharth isn’t some job-hunting fresh graduate. As a self-taught developer, he has worked on an array of technologies.

AUTHOR

Arundhati Ramanathan

Arundhati is Bengaluru-based. She is interested in how people use money in the digital age and how new economies will take shape based on that interaction. She has spent over 10 years reporting and writing on various subjects. Previous stints were at Mint, Outlook Business and Reuters.

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