In IT, "old" is yesterday. So, let's just say, then, that I'm really "old". What I mean by that is that I've been around long enough to experience a few migrations, either in a hands-on role or in a management capacity....all things that I thought would make me more "experienced" and therefore more "valued".
However, as I sit here trying to decide whether (at 45....so old, I know) I should take the plunge and enter into this insane job market, I have been faced with the realization that not all employers might see my experience as cutting-edge enough, never mind that I have all the certs (updated and in good order) and degrees and other sorts of credentials that I would need for my background.
It makes me wonder how I ended up choosing a field where at 45, I would be an old-timer and where having too much experience might be considered a bad thing!
At my current employer, I spend most of my time justifying my department's very existence (I'm the IT manager) and trying to fend off the notion that my people are merely "techie janitors" here to fix everyone's BYODs. It's not exactly what I had in mind 20 years ago when I started out in my first role, thinking I would never have to explain why an IT department exists and what we do.
After I worked up into an enterprise architect role with my last employer, I thought I was really set. After all, I had co-led the design and implementation of the backbone of our company! But, not so. So I ended up leaving that to move on to my current position with a smaller shop where I thought I could bridge the gap and migrate them into newer solutions.
Somehow along the way, however, either I really did get old, or there was a significant culture shift that I missed. Either way, it puts me right back to wondering just how 20 years of experience in IT equates in this market.
*As part of a new series of posts here at ITtechExec, we have asked some clients to share issues that they are facing as part of their technical job search or comments they have on emerging technology trends.*
Perry, thanks for sharing this! One suggestion I would have if you decide to pursue a job search is to leverage your "experience" with older technologies against your experience with newer ones. The reason is to show how you can bridge the gap between the old and the new. As you mentioned, most shops are not cutting edge (far from it), and they are looking for a guiding hand from someone who's been through it.
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