Will programmers be unemployed at the age of 40?

Recently, a well-known communications company has been laying off employees, with the exception of 45-year-old leaders and experts, who are forced to retire. In particular, the old employees who squat in the manhole and suffer from hemorrhoids are the first to bear the brunt. The company needs to rejuvenate the company, reduce bloat, and then increase wages for the remaining employees. One of the employees with an annual salary of one million yuan was also among those being laid off. He wrote an article in a low tone, expressing his dire situation of being laid off from the company and facing unemployment and being unable to pay off his mortgage. This caused a heated discussion on the Internet. . The original text is as follows:

Of course, the poster inevitably exaggerated the facts of the tragic situation, but he also gave programmers a reminder: What should a 40-year-old programmer do after he loses his job?

Data from Intel shows that nearly 80% of employees laid off in the United States in 2016 were over 40 years old. The odds of being laid off for those over 40 years old were 2.5 times that of employees under 40 years old. If a 40-year-old is not in a senior position, his experience can usually be replaced by a 30-year-old. However, in comparison, his salary is higher, his execution ability is worse, and his life has more obstacles.

The forty-year-old who cannot afford to be hurt

Enterprises are not doing charity. The boss will always consider costs and benefits before affection.

For most people, the age of 40 is undoubtedly a hurdle, especially for technology companies and emerging Internet companies. The "midlife crisis" comes earlier.

There is a joke in the IT industry: "When it comes to programming, a doctorate is not as good as a master's degree, a master's degree is not as good as an undergraduate, an undergraduate is not as good as a junior college student, and a junior college student is not as good as a high school student..." However, among the Chinese programmers group , many developers who have reached the age of 40, or have not yet reached the age of 40, feel blind about future development:

Facing career bottlenecks, unable to write programs, and difficult to rise;

The salary is higher, the overtime work is reduced, and the back wave catches up with the front wave, facing the pressure of unemployment;

The pressure of life has increased sharply, and I dare not change jobs;

Recruiting programmers, the age limit is under 30 years old It has become an unspoken rule in the industry and it is difficult to change jobs, let alone at the age of 40.

Of course, some people think that there must be a road before the car reaches the mountain, and there is no such thing as the 40-year-old phenomenon. This is unfounded worry. Yes, programmers can indeed work until they are in their 40s or even 50s, but the pressure they face may be "unspeakable."

How can programmers avoid unemployment when they reach the age of 40?

1. Become a technology master

Enhanced version of programmer. You are still a programmer, but you are a very good programmer. With years of accumulation, you are no longer an ordinary person in terms of breadth and depth of knowledge.

Programmer upgraded version. Although you are still a programmer at heart, your role has been upgraded and you have become a systems analyst or systems architect.

2. Become an industry expert

If you are a consultant, then become a professional ERP implementation consultant in the industry. In today's Internet environment, which is called the information age, enterprises are faced with transformation, otherwise they will be eliminated. No matter which transformation method or approach an enterprise chooses, it cannot do without informatization. Informatization has become an accelerator to help Chinese enterprises transform and upgrade. The transformation period of enterprises will require a large number of informatization implementation-management software application consultant talents. It is estimated that there are less than 30,000 talents in the current market, leaving a huge talent gap.

3. Develop in the direction of management

An excellent project manager not only needs high IQ, but also high emotional intelligence. It is no exaggeration to say that if you are competent in project management, you will be competent in all management positions at the tactical level, and even the quality of your family life will be improved to a new level. However, becoming an excellent project manager is not an easy task and even requires a certain amount of talent. Some people are self-taught, while others cannot learn it. Programmers belong to a group of people with high IQ, but their emotional intelligence is often deficient. This means that only a few programmers can grow into project managers; those who become excellent project managers are even rarer.

If you feel that none of these aspects are suitable, then you still have a few ways out.

The first is to live in a down-to-earth manner. Tell the truth, be an honest person, do honest things, and get an honest salary. This kind of employee is also very needed by the company, and generally they will not suffer the fate of being fired.

The second is to change careers or start a business. Because this industry is no longer suitable for you and there is no greater development prospect, you can only change careers. If you can change careers, it may not be a bad thing, maybe you can counterattack in a new environment.

The third is to be a freelancer. As far as the current trend is concerned, a large number of programmers will choose to become a freelancer after a few years of employment: freedom of time, freedom of identity, freedom of thought, and most importantly, greater financial freedom.