How hard is it to find a new position outside of Cisco as a software engineer in late 50s? I've heard that while there are plenty of available positions, people in our age bracket usually get passed over all the time. That's discouraging, to say the least. I'm now thinking early retirement might be a better option than the disappointment I might feel from constant rejections.
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Cloud is cool to learn and good to know.
But, Python. Python. Python.
Know it inside and out.
Know what objects are mutable and immutable.
Hint: (mutable)
- lists
- dictionaries
- sets
- byte arrays, etc..
Strings, ints, floats, are all immutable, believe it or not.
Anyway... Read all the websites ( interview questions ).
Here's the thing:
For EVEN JUST a tester position, they will ask you software developer questions, but if you know / learn Python, then you are golden.
Answer the question in Python instead of Java, C#, PHP, Go, Ruby, etc.
Learn it inside out, front to back and you will be able to get the interview. If not, just try again until you get the interview successfully.
4vni+1aQhuiXV - Get cloud training. There are lots of low cost, high quality, self paced training and certification options. Your TAC and solution experience will match well. View it as a 6 month nights and weekends project. A year from now you will be in a better situation. Not hard just takes some planning and time. Demand is high for the right skill sets. Make your own future.
Laid off in September, 2016. Age 60+. Worked in various capacities over the years: TAC, Advanced services, Test Engneering. Found it difficult to get decent interviews. Finally got a job after 6 months. Not a very good job with a not very good company. Got offered $40k less than at Cisco. Had to take it as nothing else was coming my way. I was already below average salary for my grade at Cisco. Since joining the new company, I had 1 good set of interviews with another company I really liked. HR recruiter pursued me the week after the interviews, asking me not to accept any offers from anybody else without notifying him so he would try and accelerate the offer process. Ultimately, one of the interviewers said no, do didn't get the job. Very disappointed. So, from my perspective, it is quite difficult to get a job over age 50. I think software developers have an easier time.
54-year-old white male here and no problem finding a job this winter. Taking the pay out paid off.
Mid 50s, gray haired, Caucasian male and of course: LR'd. No issues finding a tech job. Ask yourself - do you really know the technology? If one can truly can demonstrate not only articulate knowledge, but can demonstrate true hands-on troubleshooting knowledge you won't have a problem. Lots of armchair technologists out there regretfully who either just want to talk or don't really know the technology they are "experts" at. Talk is cheap. If you know your stuff you will be in demand. Enjoy the ride. What a long strange trip it's been Mother Cisco. Thanks for getting me this far in the journey. Now on to more interesting and less political technical projects.
I'm in my early 60s in RTP. It takes a little longer, but no too difficult to find good positions. Focus on your OO design and cloud solution skills. Get certified for a major cloud provider. This isn't difficult just takes a little time.
Low demand for embedded development. Communications product experience is a commodity now. Retrain and focus on other markets. Job market is strong for the right skill sets.