I doubt my degree in CS from 1996 where I learned COBOL and FORTRAN at a no name college in south GA makes a difference. Heck I doubt it made a difference after my first job, let alone after my second looking for my third in 2008z
I didn’t get a job at a company that anyone has heard of until I was 46 (AWS). My career before then was a journeymen enterprise developer until 2016 when I started leading projects. Now I still do hands on coding. But it’s now strategy cloud consulting specializing in “modernization” (ie app dev) with 50/50 client facing post sales architecture and coding and leading larger implementations.
Now admittedly, one of my secrets is that I keep completely clean shaven of all facial hair so there is no signs of balding or grey and I’m in decent shape. No one can tell my age.
According to Bill Burr it’s probably the lotion (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_sSSrtbujO4)
> “modernization”
Glad to hear this isn't just something I'm encountering in isolation. My role at a BigTechCo (and I'm barrelling right through my mid-40s) could be summed with exactly that same word.
> No one can tell my age.
My beard finally started to grey and after about 2 years of that steady progression I shaved it off and now people treat me so differently. Even people who already knew me treat me differently. It's been quite the experience.
I always say that our school gets us our first job, then that gets us our next job, and so on.
But having a college degree on your CV does make a difference. Often, it's the HR screeners that are impressed with it; not the techs. I found that I usually got past the screeners, but the techs didn't like me. The educational creds didn't have anything to do with that. It was the lack of "cultural fit."
The company I worked for, was a top-tier Japanese photographic equipment manufacturer. The Japanese are tough taskmasters. You don't last almost 27 years at a joint like that, on brown-nosing and jargon.
But since I accepted my lot, I have been happier n' a pig in shit. I get to do code, seven days a week, ship regularly, and not have managers screwing up the party. Never knew it could be this good.