Ageism in IT - Bias and Reality

Have you ever faced ageism in the IT industry? We are sure that if you work as a developer, you have faced it or at least you have heard about it.

This topic wasn’t of much interest earlier because the industry was new, and the developers were of approximately the same age. With the industry development, the interest in it has been growing. Now, IT constitutes the base for further development. The competition among specialists is growing. With it, older specialists started facing something called age bias. 

Bias and reality

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Many employers believe that young people are willing to work more for less money. And indeed, while an experienced developer would expect, say, 150,000 USD per annum, a younger specialist with less experience would ask for, probably, a half of this amount. 

Moreover, younger developers are supposed to be more updated about the latest technologies. We all know that new technologies are emerging on a daily basis. Older specialists are believed to be more rigid (even though it is not always the case), while younger developers are believed to absorb new information faster, better, and more willingly. 

Therefore, a team consisting of young specialists only is believed to perform better and cost less.

Mad Devs approach

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At Mad Devs, we have a different opinion.

We know from experience that a company benefits more from mixed teams because every person delivers a unique experience and approach. That’s why we are happy to welcome in our team specialists with different backgrounds, experience, and of different ages:

• Young specialists bring fresh views and new approaches to the industry due to the freshness of their minds not limited by experience. They perceive technology as something natural, something inherent to their lives from the very start. 
• More experienced specialists know about the background processes and can solve complex issues. They can provide valuable guidance to the younger developers.
• Finally, those specialists who are in the industry from the beginning contribute with their valuable experience and manifold knowledge. They are the base of any company, including ours.

Therefore, our main aim is to support healthy relationships between all team members. In our team, people respect each other irrespective of their experience, background, and knowledge. This is our main strength as a team. All our specialists work as a team to bring top-quality results and deliver value.

We build communication in our team based on our corporate culture. We foster team values such as open-mindedness, mutual help, respect and welcome those specialists who share these values with us.