Are You Too Old To Start In IT?

Oct. 22, 2023, Post by Curtis



Probably not. According to Zippia the average age of an IT professional is 41 years old and 56% of people working in IT are over 40.

 

If you have a passion for technology, love to learn, and how much money you make isn't the most important thing, then you're never too old. But if you're over 40 and just starting, it will be an uphill battle. If you're under 40 your age won't even be an issue.

 

The great thing about IT is that it isn't very difficult to get into. You do not need a college degree and there are plenty of entry-level jobs that are easy to get, notably Help Desk. If you do I good job at your entry-level job you will move up regardless of how old you are. If you want to know how to get a Help Desk job with no experience then read my article here: Get A Help Desk Job With No Experience.

 

Ageism In IT

 

Ageism is a real thing and happens in all career paths, but it is worse in IT.

 

Ageism is something that I have personally experienced. That's not to say that it stopped me from getting a job or moving up, just that people would generally prefer to hire someone that is younger.

 

Younger people can generally learn quicker, and when hiring a new person they are investing time into teaching that person and would like to think that the person is going to stick around longer (a younger person has potentially more years left in them to stick around).

 

So ageism is real and is working against you. That being said, I really wouldn't worry about it. Not very many people are the perfect candidate for a given job and everyone (even young people) has things working against them. Being older is just one factor out of many.

 

The IT field in general doesn't have enough qualified people to fill all the positions so they have to fill them with the best person they can find. Hiring Managers don't have the luxury of waiting for the perfect candidate which makes IT a great career to get into.

 

My Story

 

I got my first IT job (Help Desk) at 45 and now at 48 am just starting down the Network path as a Network Support Tech, an entry-level Network job. I have average intelligence, and no college, but I work hard and have got a Security+, Network+, and CCNA in the last 3 years.

 

I'm not exactly lighting the IT world on fire, but I am an example of someone who was able to get into IT later than most.

 

Why I Chose IT?

 

I got into IT because I want to gain skills in something relevant to today's world. I live cheaply and don't need much money at all, so I could do anything I want for a living as it doesn't need to pay well.

 

I chose IT because I want to stay plugged into the modern world and I know that always learning new things will help my mind stay in shape. I see that when people stop pushing themselves and choose a comfortable path, they don't age well.

 

Age-ism Can Work To Your Advantage

 

Ageism will generally work against you but there are some advantages to being older that you need to know you have so that you can make them work for you.

 

Skills that most older people have already learned, and most younger people still need to learn:

 

  • The Basics - Show up on time, work hard, and do what you say you're going to do. If you have a long history of doing these things, your halfway there already!
  • Soft Skills - Get along with people and be personable. IT is a team sport and you need to be able to work well with all types of people.
  • Life Experience - IT is not just about tech, there are a lot of other skills that are valuable in IT.
    • Time Management.
    • Organization.
    • Being able to make good decisions.
    • Being able to see the big picture.
    • Knowing how to stay calm in tense situations.

 

One more way that ageism can work to your advantage is that everyone in IT is getting older and they all worry about it.

 

Being that I am older than most people at the beginning of their IT careers, I get the feeling that a lot of people are rooting for me to succeed because I am older. I think they all are worried about being old in the IT field and see that if I can make it with such a late start that they will be alright too. So I think most of the people I work with have a somewhat vested interest in seeing me succeed.

 

When I interviewed for my first IT job I mentioned the fact that I didn't go down my preferred path of becoming a developer and chose IT instead because I thought the ageism in the developer field would be too much to overcome. The guy I was interviewing with was in his sixties and was about to retire. I think in that case he empathized with me and maybe reverse ageism helped me get that job.

 

Things To Consider

 

  • Why do you want to work in IT?
    • If you want to get into IT to make a bunch of money it may not be the best move for you. If you already have experience in another field you might make more money or there may be other careers that are easier to get and may pay better. Not to say that IT jobs don't pay well but there are a lot of IT jobs that don't pay well. High paying IT jobs are the exception and not the rule.
    • If you are getting into IT because it's a passion or at least something you find interesting, and you don't need to make a lot of money (at least in the next few years) then definitely go for it.
  • Are you intelligent?
    • Intelligence has a lot of value in the IT field. I consistently see the people that are the most intelligent get promoted.
    • If you're not above average intelligence you will be fine but you will have to work harder than your peers.
  • Are you a techie?
    • Having a passion for technology will help you succeed in IT. Most of the people working in IT are techies so if you are one you'll fit right in.

 

How Old Is Too Old

 

I have no idea. But I am going to find out.

 

My personal plan is to never stay in one IT field for too long and to never retire. I might take large chunks of time off or just work part-time as I find the 40-hour work week to be a bit much, especially because I like to spend a lot of time studying, but I will never stop working alltogether.

 

Right now I am working in networking as I feel it is the next logical step after Help Desk and networking is a great foundation for any other IT field.

 

I am currently studying Python as I see that learning to automate processes is one of if not the biggest trend - plus I really enjoy it. I'm not sure how I'm going to weasel my way into the development side in my 50s after just a few years in IT networking but if it wasn't difficult it wouldn't be very interesting. My plan is to start taking jobs for very low wages on Upwork or Fiver and see if that will help me learn faster and maybe even make some job connections.