Ageism in Tech is REAL and People Are Reacting: The Story Behind the VIRAL LinkedIn Post ft. Vern Six

It Gets Late Early: Career Tips for Tech Employees in Midlife and Beyond

When applying for a job, the hiring process can feel like a waiting game. But what's even worse than waiting for who knows how long or being ghosted altogether is blatantly experiencing age bias while in an interview with a recruitment officer. That's what today’s guest, Vern Six, experienced, which he shared in a LinkedIn post that resonated with many people. In fact, the post went beyond viral, getting millions of views and garnering national media attention.

What happened? Vern had a recruiter inform him that he's supposedly too old for a software developer role. He couldn’t believe that "a young whippersnapper" in his twenties had the nerve to condense his 37 years of experience into such a dismissive statement.

Vern is an experienced Full-Stack Software Engineer and Project Manager with a demonstrated track record of leading technology projects to successful completion in diverse sectors. But he's over 50, and it turns out, that's a big issue for many recruiters.

Vern is here today to share the story behind his viral post, and the whirlwind that has happened since then. I'm sure many of you can relate to his encounter with a much younger interviewer and how their conversation ended.

Join us as we discuss the issue of ageism in tech and what we can do to spread awareness about the value that older workers bring to the workplace.

"People just think that once you're kind of pigeonholed in a particular stack, that's the way you are, and you're not going to move away from it. It's just not true."

- Vern Six

In This Episode:

-The background behind the viral post and what's happened since then

-Vern's experience being an "old guy" in tech

-A deluge of love and hate for Vern's post

-Why is ageism prevalent in the tech industry?

-The value of older workers and their vast experience

-A difference in perception of age bias between technical roles and sales roles

-Vern shares his career path and current business venture

-When did Vern start feeling the fear of ageism?

-The extent to which Vern discusses ageism beyond his viral post

And much more.

Resources:

-Vern's Viral Post: https://www.linkedin.com/feed/update/urn:li:activity:7167946832742928385/

-LinkedIn Group – Inclusive Futures: Combating Ageism & Discrimination https://www.linkedin.com/groups/14418151/

Connect with Vern Six:

-LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/vernsix/

-Website: https://purposebrewcoffee.com/

Connect with Maureen Clough:

-Instagram: @itgetslateearly - https://www.instagram.com/itgetslateearly/

-YouTube: @itgetslateearly - https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCGrHwk-y7ERaq7bCSjZYf1A?sub_confirmation=1

-Website: itgetslateearly.com - https://www.itgetslateearly.com/

-LinkedIn: @maureenwclough - https://www.linkedin.com/in/maureenwclough/

-Facebook: It Gets Late Early - https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100088694515585

This podcast uses the following third-party services for analysis:
Chartable - https://chartable.com/privacy