How old is too old?

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Hi all,

I feel i am wasting my time and money persuing a career in IT. I feel i am too old(35) to start looking for my ideal job. I already have N+ and i`m persuing CCENT/CCNA. Should i give up or keep going?

Thanks for any replies

Colin

 

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No I don't think you are too old to pursue your dream job.

I think maybe you should think outside the box more, the internet boom could well be nearly over.

There will be new industries created in the next 30-40 years, why not try and get into one of them instead ?

 

take it easy!Nothing is impossible for a willing heart.!I don't think you are too old to pursue your dream job!

 

I'm 33 and this sometimes concerns me too, but I started realising the other day that I still have 30 plus years of working life so with that in mind, a few years training to get the dream job doesnt seem so bad.

 

I finish 32 this year, I think I am not too old to start a career in IT, but somehow nobody wants to give me a chance

 

I started my first IT job aged 34. It wasn't easy you have to be persistent.

 

But is there an age that's a 'cut-off'? Maybe 'unofficially' by employers.

I wonder, who's the oldest person on Certforums who's just starting?

With the retirement age probably increasing and perhaps with advances in medical technology, might early to mid thirties one day be considered quite young.

 

You worry to much about un neccessary things.
I know people who started in IT in their late 40s stop worry about things and start applying.

 

Guilty.

 

I got my first IT job a month shy of my 42nd birthday, so if there is an industry-wide conspiracy to keep us more mature (in body only, in my case) n00bs out of IT, no one has bothered to tell my last two employers.
I'm sure there are companies where younger people might be preferred for entry-level jobs, but I think the majority want the best person for the job, regardless of age.

 

I wouldn't worry. What with the way the retirement age is going, by the time you get to 65+ it will probably be 80 or thereabouts.

 

Hang on, how can you log the call of you're just a head in a jar?? If you can log, you can remote. Nice try, back to work!

 

By even the most stringent tests and not accounting for pushing of retirement age you have 30 years of career left in you. If YOU have this attitude then why and how will employer's ever change?

 

You can't be too old.

I think it's a common misrepresentation that you have to be young to 'get' IT.
Employers are always going to value experience (in anything) and maturity over youth. I can't say I've ever met a 'fresh out of college/uni' student who has impressed me.

Times have also changed of late. With the current job market there are a lot of older people out there looking for work who would otherwise have been comfy in a well established career by now. Employers are now able to select people that wouldn't have been looking for work a while back, so the mix has changed considerably.

 

Well I'm in my mid-40s and looking to get started again. I was in IT but stopped being hands-on around 7 years ago and left the IT industry around 4 years ago so effectively have to start from scratch, though I obviously have a bit of experience.

 

I'm for you jo, definately. I am 42 and no formal IT certs or even experience. But you've got to look forward, stick to your guns and keep to your own plan, the very fact that you have taken this brave decision stands in your favour, and grit and determination to get the job done and reach your own targets are bound to impress any potential employer... also, many positions are now subcontracted so you may end up working for yourself.... go for it
regards
Llew

 

I am 41. I lost my job in retail Management and went back to school so I could hopefully do my ideal job. At least 25% of my fellow students were my age or older. There are a lot of us in the same boat. Don't get discouraged. Us older folk have the life experience that makes us better in the work force anyways . We are dependable and Mature, that is what people look for.

 

I'm 35 as well and while I've been doing IT since I was 18 I'm just getting my butt in gear for certifications. Before I was making enough for a comfortable life (I live a comfortable but modest life) but now I want to do and earn more. But there are a lot of people in our age group that are breaking into IT or continuing, there are places that they want young people in IT but a good portion of companies don't care or prefer older people because they are more mature and stable.

Stick with the Cisco certs because they are harder and really test your skills and knowledge and are worth quite a bit on the resume, after you get your CCNA start working on the CCNP and maybe pickup some Linux since that is a valuable skill to have, as for a age cutoff, I would say whatever age you can afford to retire and enjoy your golden years.

Right now the job market sucks around the world, you might end up taking an non-IT job or a low paying one but keep your nose to the grind stone and work on your certifications because at some point the economy is going to pick up and better IT jobs are going to start appearing and you want to have your certifications on your resume so you can grab those jobs.

Like I tell my wife whom I've been trying to get her to go through the LVN Program (Licensed Vocational Nurse); there may not be much calls for LVN's right now because hospitals are cutting back on hiring so there is not much call right now but in 13 months after she completes the program and passes her certifications the job market is going to be different than what it is right now.

You don't study for the jobs that are available right now because by the time you study and take the certifications the job market could have changed, you study for the jobs that are going to be available in 6 months or a year from now.

I knew one CCIE I worked with, in his mid-thirties he got tired working as a locksmith and started studying Cisco and going to classes and working low paying side jobs to get experience in Cisco and when I met him he was in his mid-forties a CCIE and making 120K a year (and doing phone interviews for a job making 140K).

So as long as you keep studying and working on your certifications and skills you will will find that dream job eventually.

GW

 

It's not too old. I was 27 when I changed career and got my first IT job (28 now and still in it but looking good for the next step fingers crossed). Granted it's not 35 but I still say you're not too old.