How Age Discrimination Impacts Your Career

I've seen a lot of chatter lately asking whether ageism in games is real or worth discussing. It is. This is not a debate. Ageism is real, it is profound, and we need to confront it now. This has been one of the issues most important to me to discuss for our community. Beyond all the studies, I see deep data within our community that shows me how stuck gamers over 50 are, disproportionately more than others. That is why I have devoted full talks, LinkedIn content, and investigative research to this issue, both within our games community and beyond. Here is the reality: According to IGDA survey data, only 3% of game developers are over 50, while roughly two-thirds are aged 20 to 34. According to AARP, 64% of workers over 50 report experiencing or witnessing age discrimination at work. According to iHire, 1 in 3 job seekers over 50 say they have faced ageism in their job search, with half noting younger candidates were chosen even when they were equally or more qualified. According to a survey cited by the New York Post, 42% of hiring managers admit they consider age when reviewing resumes, with biases against candidates over 60 based on assumptions about retirement risk, cost, or technical ability. The result in games is stark. Based on primary research from our own Amir Satvat's Games Community, confirmed repeatedly over three years, the odds of landing a job are around 5 to 7% in early career, and by the time someone is 50 or older, those odds fall back to that same level. The decline is visible across data sets and undeniable in lived experience. Ageism is pervasive in games and in tech. It pushes rich experience out of view. And it tells older professionals they do not belong. That is not rhetoric, it is fact, and it is harmful. For those wondering if we should even talk about this: Yes. We must. Until data like this no longer exists. This is one of the great shames of our workforce that we all own and are responsible for.

Marsha was in her 50s and hoping to make a career pivot. "Have I got chance?" she asked me. I'll tell you what I told her: Ageism in the job market is real. But, if you are prepared, you can overcome the obstacles. It had been years since she'd applied or interviewed for a job. We worked together on her resume, LinkedIn, networking, and interviewing to package her for the job she wanted. When she called to say she'd gotten an offer for a great new job in pharma, with a 30% pay increase, I was jumping up & down!! I want to be clear that this was not easy. It took a lot of focus. Here is the multi-pronged approach we worked on together: 🎯 Resume Strategy: ↳ Focus on impact ("Delivered $2M in savings" vs "25 years of experience") ↳ Go back no more than 15 years  ↳ Highlight current technical skills, leave off old ones ↳ Take the graduation year off all degrees ↳ Contact info should include only city, state (no street address) ↳ Ditch the AOL, and hotmail email addresses; they date you 🌐Networking Strategy: ↳ Reconnect with former colleagues & give them an update ↳ Practice talking about your skills and abilities ↳ Speak to others who've successfully overcome the age barrier ↳ Make sure your LinkedIn profile follows best practices ↳ Work toward 500+ connections ↳ Post and comment on LinkedIn weekly 🏢 Employer Strategy: ↳ Target 40-50 companies with age-diverse cultures ↳ Talk to people in similar roles & ask about key skills ↳ Ask HR/recruiters about their hiring process ↳ Follow each employer on social media to learn priorities 💡 Interview Strategy: ↳ Lead with energy and genuine interest ↳ Show you've done your research with deep preparation ↳ Be ready with stories that include cross-generational work ↳ Share examples of your adaptability and growth mindset ↳ Talk about new skills you've built and show you're on top of trends ↳ Communicate your experience working with diverse people 🤵🏼Personal Strategy: ↳ Take additional courses & certifications to keep your skills fresh ↳ Stay current in your field with podcasts and social media ↳ Make reasonable adjustments to your appearance ↳ Clothes should fit well and be current, but not "trendy" ↳ Avoid language that "dates" you (ask a trusted younger friend) Remember: You're not "overqualified" You have battle-tested wisdom. That, along with these strategies, will set you up as a strong candidate! ♻ Repost to help people who are facing ageism in their job search 🔔 Follow Sarah Baker Andrus for more strategic career insights

My Monday Number is 29. When I was 29, I was in the second year of my career pivot to being a recruiter. I was doing well and was highly regarded. Yet for tech workers, that is the age at which they begin experiencing age discrimination. Yes, I did a double-take, too, when I saw that. In the UK, the average worker starts to face ageism at around 41. But in tech? It starts a full decade earlier, at only 29. By the time they hit 38, many tech professionals are considered "over the hill." —35% say they're deemed too old for their role. —32% fear job loss due to age. —41% have witnessed age discrimination firsthand. This is all according to a study by CWJobs. There have been lawsuits that back this up. IBM faced a U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) investigation, which concluded that the company engaged in systematic age discrimination between 2013 and 2018. The EEOC found that older workers were over 85% of those targeted for layoffs. HP has been accused of implementing a "Workforce Restructuring Plan" aimed at making the company younger, allegedly targeting older employees for dismissal and replacing them with younger hires. Why is it worse in tech? —This industry idolizes youth. —Career breaks, family obligations, and “nonlinear paths” are viewed as liabilities. —Because managers equate new tools with innovation and experience with obsolescence. Add to that the recent comment from a Fortune 15 executive, who dismissed older workers by saying: “Older people eat slow.” Thank you, Diana Alt, for bringing this statement to my attention. It prompted this Monday Number discussion. And here's what perplexes me. —Our populations are aging. —People are working longer. —Birth rates are falling. Who is going to do the work? AI isn't going to do it all.

Todd spent 18 years in the health & wellness industry. Then…𝐡𝐞 𝐡𝐢𝐭 𝐚 𝐰𝐚𝐥𝐥. Bored. Burnout. Exhaustion. A voice in his head saying, “It’s time for something new.” He set his sights on Medical Device Sales. But there was a problem… ❌ He wasn’t getting interviews. ❌ He was getting passed over—again & again. After every rejection, the same thought crept in: “𝑴𝒂𝒚𝒃𝒆 𝑰’𝒎 𝒋𝒖𝒔𝒕 𝒕𝒐𝒐 𝒐𝒍𝒅 𝒕𝒐 𝒔𝒕𝒂𝒓𝒕 𝒐𝒗𝒆𝒓.” Let’s talk about it ⤵ 𝐀𝐠𝐞𝐢𝐬𝐦 Especially in sales. Especially in Med Device. Todd’s resume looked like it came from someone over 50. He didn’t mean for it to. But it was filled with outdated language that screamed “senior.” And in interviews, he tried to explain his age instead of owning his value. So we went to work ⤵ 5 things we did to help Todd enter Med Device Sales: → Removed age-revealing language. No more “20+ years of experience” or “seasoned sales professional.” We replaced it with specific wins, numbers, and impact. → Modernized his formatting and email. Goodbye, Yahoo. Delete, “References available upon request” Hello, clean, modern resume with his RESULTS. → Focused on his last 15 years. No need to list every job since the 90s. We kept it relevant. → Practiced age-neutral interview language. No “young at heart” or “back in my day.” Instead: CRM adoption, recent seminars, modern selling skills. → Enhanced his confidence. Because it’s not just about the words on the paper— It’s how you walk into the interview room. 𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐫𝐞𝐬𝐮𝐥𝐭? Todd is now in Medical Device Sales. Earning more. Working less. And uses his age as an advantage. To every experienced professional reading this: 🛑 You are not too old. 🛑 You are not out of date. ✅ You are capable. ✅ You are valuable. Curious—what’s one outdated resume phrase you’ve seen (or used)? Drop it below ⤵ <><><><><><><><><><> ♻️ Repost this if you believe talent doesn’t have an expiration date.