48, working at HP. I code every day and also get to tinker with embedded systems, optics, lasers, sensors, etc. Every day I can't believe I'm getting paid so well to have so much fun. I do keep up with the latest technology in my field.
> Do you have to go into management to continue progressing upwards in pay and influence?
No, like many corporations we have a dual path system although one level up from my senior engineering position I would have to do some visionary stuff, which I'm not good at so I'll probably stay at this level. Pay is not directly linked to position here.
> Is there a plateau in pay? Is there a drop in pay switching jobs after a certain number of years experience because places are looking for 5+ instead of 20+?
Doesn't seem to be the case here. I could imagine switching jobs gets trickier in your 50s because hiring someone new at high pay appears riskier.
> Are older devs not looking for new jobs because they have families and want more stability/are focussed elsewhere?
Yes, major issue with two kids in middle school and good benefits at current job. Planning on being more flexible in a few years...
> Is becoming a specialist rather than a generalist the answer?
I don't think so. As an engineer I think it's always good to have a balance between a specialty and a broad base. I've benefitted more from learning new skills but having a specialty is often good to get a start somewhere.
> And lastly: if you're in your late 30s, 40s, 50s, what are you doing at your job? What are the older people in your workplace doing?
Fun stuff: writing code, building SW/FW/EE test systems, building production lines, running product tests, doing failure analysis.
Boring stuff: working with outsource vendors and CMs, working through regulatory issues.
Surprisingly, there's almost no corporate training and bureaucracy left. I think first all that stuff was outsourced and then we decided that our vendors were too expensive and just got rid of everything. Win!
> Do you have to go into management to continue progressing upwards in pay and influence?
No, like many corporations we have a dual path system although one level up from my senior engineering position I would have to do some visionary stuff, which I'm not good at so I'll probably stay at this level. Pay is not directly linked to position here.
> Is there a plateau in pay? Is there a drop in pay switching jobs after a certain number of years experience because places are looking for 5+ instead of 20+?
Doesn't seem to be the case here. I could imagine switching jobs gets trickier in your 50s because hiring someone new at high pay appears riskier.
> Are older devs not looking for new jobs because they have families and want more stability/are focussed elsewhere?
Yes, major issue with two kids in middle school and good benefits at current job. Planning on being more flexible in a few years...
> Is becoming a specialist rather than a generalist the answer?
I don't think so. As an engineer I think it's always good to have a balance between a specialty and a broad base. I've benefitted more from learning new skills but having a specialty is often good to get a start somewhere.
> And lastly: if you're in your late 30s, 40s, 50s, what are you doing at your job? What are the older people in your workplace doing?
Fun stuff: writing code, building SW/FW/EE test systems, building production lines, running product tests, doing failure analysis.
Boring stuff: working with outsource vendors and CMs, working through regulatory issues.
Surprisingly, there's almost no corporate training and bureaucracy left. I think first all that stuff was outsourced and then we decided that our vendors were too expensive and just got rid of everything. Win!