Older workers complain that ageism is rampant in tech, and survey data suggests they’re onto something: A recent study by ProPublica and the Urban
Source: Older Workers in Tech Can Fight Against Ageism’s Impact
This is a good article that Dice.com put out this week. And it validates what many of us, even in the technical communications field have said for a while–there IS ageism in the tech field, and we feel it too! There are some good recommendations on how to avoid hiring problems if you are let go and you are looking, and of a more–ahem–advanced maturity. (Hey, I fall into this group now, too!) Most of these are common sense if you are used to actively looking like I usually am, but if you’ve been in the same job for a long time, it’s worth taking a look at the measures they recommend.
Technical communicators have a lot to offer at any age, but in the end, it’s the skills that you can bring to the job that will get you in the door.
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Danielle M. Villegas is a technical communicator who currently employed at Cox Automotive, Inc., and freelances as her own technical communications consultancy, Dair Communications. She has worked at the International Refugee Committee, MetLife, Novo Nordisk, BASF North America, Merck, and Deloitte, with a background in content strategy, web content management, social media, project management, e-learning, and client services. Danielle is best known in the technical communications world for her blog, TechCommGeekMom.com, which has continued to flourish since it was launched during her graduate studies at NJIT in 2012. She has presented webinars and seminars for Adobe, the Society for Technical Communication (STC), the IEEE ProComm, TCUK (ISTC) and at Drexel University’s eLearning Conference. She has written articles for the STC Intercom, STC Notebook, the Content Rules blog, and The Content Wrangler as well. She is very active in the STC, as a former chapter president for the STC-Philadelphia Metro Chapter, and is currently serving on three STC Board committees. You can learn more about Danielle on LinkedIn at www.linkedin.com/in/daniellemvillegas, on Twitter @techcommgeekmom, or through her blog.
All content is the owner's opinions, and does not reflect those of her employers past or present.
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TechCommGeekMom 
As someone much closer to 70 than 65, and who got a new full-time 100% remote job with a software development company when I was over 60, I’d like to add my 2¢. Other than being good at what you do, I think the most important thing you can have is a positive outgoing attitude. Be upbeat. Be positive. Be outgoing. Join your much younger teammates for a beer after work on Friday. Tell jokes. Tell war stories. Make light of yourself and your experience. Don’t be a prima donna or a know it all. Be a good teammate. Volunteer. Teach. Mentor. Coach.
All I can say is that it’s worked – and continues to work – for me.
Great advice, John! It also helps that you are not a “stuffy know-it-all” yourself. Like I had said, while the younger ones can learn from those of us who have been around the block, there’s also a lot we can learn from them as well. We’re really on the same team. Age plays a part in diversity as much as other factors!