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Older developers have wives and lives, and aren't as willing to work 60+ hour weeks.
Older developers are a lot more skilled, and demand higher salaries.
Older developers typically have lower tolerance for corporate absurdity.
Older developers are less receptive to "change for the sake of change", and would rather wring every last drop of usefulness out of "legacy" APIs than inject new untested code into the main project branch.
Older developers are often viewed as rude and opinionated, when in fact, they're just being pragmatic. Most managers can't even spell "pragmatic".
So yeah, it's harder for older developers to find work.
".45 ACP - because shooting twice is just silly" - JSOP, 2010
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You can never have too much ammo - unless you're swimming, or on fire. - JSOP, 2010
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When you pry the gun from my cold dead hands, be careful - the barrel will be very hot. - JSOP, 2013
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 to all your points
"I didn't mention the bats - he'd see them soon enough" - Hunter S Thompson - RIP
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Older developers are closer to retirement and can't be bothered to play the game anymore. 
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#realJSOP wrote: Older developers are a lot more skilled, and demand higher salaries.
As a generalisation that may be true. However there comes a point where a good developer is in it more for the kicks than the money. If they're coding because they can, because it's part of their lifestyle, because they enjoy it; and the mortgage is paid, the kids have left home, they can afford to pick the work they want to do and may not be so fussed about the hourly rate. And underlying all the above comments about productivity, is value-for-money. If someone is working smarter not harder, they're giving more bang for the buck.
Speaking personally, and addressing the OP's actual question: no, I'm finding it easier to acquire work the older I get. Note I say "acquire" not "find", because I haven't looked for work in years; work looks for me, and if I like it, I take it. (Though no actual new clients for a few years now, by choice!)
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DerekT-P wrote: Speaking personally, and addressing the OP's actual question: no, I'm finding it easier to acquire work the older I get. Note I say "acquire" not "find", because I haven't looked for work in years; work looks for me, and if I like it, I take it. (Though no actual new clients for a few years now, by choice!)
It reads that you are freelancing / working on your own. In this case and with a strong portfolio... yes.
But the OP is speaking about being employee and looking for another job in a company. That's totally different, and age might be a disadvantage
M.D.V. 
If something has a solution... Why do we have to worry about?. If it has no solution... For what reason do we have to worry about?
Help me to understand what I'm saying, and I'll explain it better to you
Rating helpful answers is nice, but saying thanks can be even nicer.
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You have to find an "old" company owner. And I stress "owner". You'll never get past HR or the "we're a young company" manager types.
It was only in wine that he laid down no limit for himself, but he did not allow himself to be confused by it.
― Confucian Analects: Rules of Confucius about his food
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Experienced developers are not fresh noobs out of school with a great resume. They have or should have developed a network.
If an older developer is doing battle with HR, they've picked the wrong battle.
+5 to everything John said. An older developer cannot play the same game as some 20 something.
The op needs to think more outside of the box and not play the corporate game. Right now, I'm looking for a FORTRAN person who can help migrate / rewrite an application into the 21st century. But that means I get nothing but expensive old farts  like me.
As for cognitive ability, I declare BS for that argument. The issue is so much larger as others have commented. Our industry is very, very broad. Being fast with an elegant solution to the wrong problem (and I've seen a lot of those for you whiz kids) means I just make more $$ being happy to help.
Charlie Gilley
<italic>Stuck in a dysfunctional matrix from which I must escape...
"Where liberty dwells, there is my country." B. Franklin, 1783
“They who can give up essential liberty to obtain a little temporary safety deserve neither liberty nor safety.” BF, 1759
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I was never part of any "old boys' network" ... and I would never join a group that would have me as a member.
And since it's against the law to ask for your age, the "battle" as you call it, only starts in the interview when you show up in a suit and they're wearing a t-shirt ... and yeah, I check the "company profile".
Anyway, for the last 20 years all my work has been remote where I didn't have to submit a "picture".
As for your "FORTRAN" requirement, that's a useless specification if one also has to know about mass equilibrium calculations or petrochemical fracturing. You need a better "job description".
As for the $, my rate varies with the skill the job requires.
It's your "general attitude", that slots all of us "old guys", that is part of the problem.
"Old fart" is right.
(And who is "John"?)
It was only in wine that he laid down no limit for himself, but he did not allow himself to be confused by it.
― Confucian Analects: Rules of Confucius about his food
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If the application were that special, I would agree. I've been looking for someone who can read and understand what a statement does. For me, trying to swap from FORTRAN source to C++ can make my head hurt from time to time.
Charlie Gilley
<italic>Stuck in a dysfunctional matrix from which I must escape...
"Where liberty dwells, there is my country." B. Franklin, 1783
“They who can give up essential liberty to obtain a little temporary safety deserve neither liberty nor safety.” BF, 1759
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So you're saying that because the application "is not that special", it's OK to post a vague job description, and thereby compounding the problem ... and wasting the time of applicants in the process; I can think of no bigger sin.
I don't believe in a canned resume. I study what the job requires, and write an "application" that targets the job (and company).
It was only in wine that he laid down no limit for himself, but he did not allow himself to be confused by it.
― Confucian Analects: Rules of Confucius about his food
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No I'm not doing that all ffs. You people need to lay off the caffeine and stop jumping ravines to reach conclusions.
If you were actually able to maintain context - or just read the previous few posts, you would see that the system I am speaking of is NOT what other poster inferred. Since you don't know the first elephanting thing about the system I've worked with for 20 years, bugger off.
I've tried youngsters who want $$ but aren't willing to learn what the project requires. They don't see ooo shiny, off they go. But we're talking about older developers getting work. There's that context thing coming back...
Charlie Gilley
<italic>Stuck in a dysfunctional matrix from which I must escape...
"Where liberty dwells, there is my country." B. Franklin, 1783
“They who can give up essential liberty to obtain a little temporary safety deserve neither liberty nor safety.” BF, 1759
modified 19-Feb-21 16:18pm.
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And what is also despicable (as an "employer"):
"I have a number in mind, guess what it is; and if you guess wrong ...".
I have yours.
It was only in wine that he laid down no limit for himself, but he did not allow himself to be confused by it.
― Confucian Analects: Rules of Confucius about his food
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It's all sales.
Charlie Gilley
<italic>Stuck in a dysfunctional matrix from which I must escape...
"Where liberty dwells, there is my country." B. Franklin, 1783
“They who can give up essential liberty to obtain a little temporary safety deserve neither liberty nor safety.” BF, 1759
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A job is worth what it is. Hoping they'll underbid is taking advantage. Nice way to start an employer-employee relationship.
It was only in wine that he laid down no limit for himself, but he did not allow himself to be confused by it.
― Confucian Analects: Rules of Confucius about his food
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The guy who I've worked with for 35 years said something that has always stuck with me:
"When negotiating, it is very important that both parties leave satisfied."
Otherwise bad business. The problem with engineers, coders, and techies is that most have no experience here. And companies take advantage. Brutally. I'd almost think universities would require a couple of classes...
Charlie Gilley
<italic>Stuck in a dysfunctional matrix from which I must escape...
"Where liberty dwells, there is my country." B. Franklin, 1783
“They who can give up essential liberty to obtain a little temporary safety deserve neither liberty nor safety.” BF, 1759
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When you have a range in mind, and don't say what it is, you're wasting everyone's time.
"Negotiating" involves knowing the parameters. If you meet the minimum, expect the minimum, not less because you underbid yourself; that will only create resentment.
And if one knows the maximum, and doesn't like it, don't apply ... so "bitching" that they want "too much" doesn't even come into play.
But some people like playing games and jerking others around.
It was only in wine that he laid down no limit for himself, but he did not allow himself to be confused by it.
― Confucian Analects: Rules of Confucius about his food
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What is wrong with you? Did you miss the smiley?
Charlie Gilley
<italic>Stuck in a dysfunctional matrix from which I must escape...
"Where liberty dwells, there is my country." B. Franklin, 1783
“They who can give up essential liberty to obtain a little temporary safety deserve neither liberty nor safety.” BF, 1759
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I was wondering why you singled me out for your "lecture", so I decided to take you up on it.
Your responses put you in the "vague jobs to avoid category".
It was only in wine that he laid down no limit for himself, but he did not allow himself to be confused by it.
― Confucian Analects: Rules of Confucius about his food
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Gerry - we're in the lounge. Think of it as a conversation... you can't read my body language and I cannot read yours. It was not my intention to single you out in any way. If you took it that way, my apologies.
Charlie Gilley
<italic>Stuck in a dysfunctional matrix from which I must escape...
"Where liberty dwells, there is my country." B. Franklin, 1783
“They who can give up essential liberty to obtain a little temporary safety deserve neither liberty nor safety.” BF, 1759
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And I was simply taking up the points you brought up ... based on experience.
It was only in wine that he laid down no limit for himself, but he did not allow himself to be confused by it.
― Confucian Analects: Rules of Confucius about his food
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With respect to declining cognitive ability, I think it happens to everyone with age. But if we keep exercising our brain, learning and applying new techniques and technologies, it can grately slow down this decline.
I know that there are times when my memory about general things have faded a bit. But with respect to software technology it is all there. I have spent the last 5 years learning and working with Azure technologies with no issue. And at the same time if I had to, I could go back and write assembler code for DOS (no laughing, I actually had a significant DOS app to work on a few years ago).
Use it or lose it...
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It's mainly more difficult to want to work. Ah, the exuberance of youth, the "really, more of this BS?" of experience.
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Older developers have the experience to demand more money. Cheapskate employers want the work done as cheaply as possible. Younger people are much more willing to do the work for a lot less money. It's really not much more complicated than that.
Myself, I'm 48, and work with a 63- and a 57-year old. Over the last few years we've also hired people in their mid-20s and 30s. I wouldn't trade working with these older people for anything in the world...whereas the younger ones don't last long because they can't deliver.
As far as I'm concerned, there's also a work ethics problem with the younger ones--and as much as I hate to generalize, they're all proving me wrong. We all work remotely, and all make ourselves available to everybody else throughout the core hours (chat through IM, voice calls, etc). At least us older guys do. The younger guys can go without a response for hours at a time.
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you speak wisely. I have lived this. Youngster (not being disrespectful) came to me with a critical issue, deadlines, etc. It was Friday 4pm. I said, "hey, meet me in the lab tomorrow at 7am..."
He gave me *that* look  or  "but tomorrow is Saturday, I don't work weekends...." immediately me, the old fossil realized it wasn't that much of an emergency.
Charlie Gilley
<italic>Stuck in a dysfunctional matrix from which I must escape...
"Where liberty dwells, there is my country." B. Franklin, 1783
“They who can give up essential liberty to obtain a little temporary safety deserve neither liberty nor safety.” BF, 1759
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As a South African and someone who has been coding for 40 years, I don't believe it is a local market problem nor is it only with regards to developers.
Price may be an issue, but you get what you pay for. It is not about skill level.
There is a perception that old people only know old stuff. A good techie can and will adapt to new technologies, or they wouldn't still be in the industry.
I believe one of the main reasons is that youngsters are naive and are easier to mold into a culture and adapt to a management style. Us old dogs don't like being taught new tricks.
Nothing succeeds like a budgie without teeth.
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