> That's pretty much the buzz I've heard in online forums. Does the SWA
> report break this wage premium down in age catagories? The general
> chitchat suggests that firms hire 20-something programmers, who are
> productive but still rather cheap, and try and get rid of 30-something or
> 40-something programmers - those whose added skills would generally result
> in higher salaries.
>
> So I'd be interested to hear what the wage vs. age curve looks like -
> although that would be skewed by the small number of older, well-paid
> consultants. Figures on unemployment rates in the field vs. age would also
> be interesting.
Also, if companies are trying to get rid of most programmers over 30, then the wage curve for the ones who haven't been eliminated would be misleading, since those who are forced out and doing whatever for a living wouldn't be counted.
Sort of like a pay scale for a mercenary army, which showed that people who've been through X battles get paid $Y. It only counts those who *live* through the X battles, and are still on duty.
It's still amzing, though. From everything that I've heard, IT is the growth sector of the (US, at least) economy. Whole sectors are popping up which weren't there five years ago.
If anybody's wages should be rising under market pressure, it'd be programmers.
Barry