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Based on this feedback, it would appear that IT professionals seem to have a "use by" date that can significantly compromise their ability to find worthwhile employment as they get older.

Now we all know that cutting code is pretty much a young-man's game. When I was in my 20's, I could pull extended programming sessions that would see me perched in front of a keyboard for two or three days without a break.

This kind of stamina was great for hitting deadlines and solving complex problems that required a significant amount of context to be retained in your mind for a while.

Once I hit 30 however, I found myself organising my programming activities so as to avoid such marathon sittings as much as I could and, my mid-30s, I was already finding it hard to work for more than 18 hours at a time.

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By the time I hit 40, I had pretty much given up cutting code for a living, preferring instead to leverage my experience and knowledge in a less strenuous (some would say "smarter") fashion.

As my interest in, and stamina for programming began to wane, I was lucky enough to have a range of other skills that I could fall back on to earn a crust so I voluntarily withdrew from the programming marketplace.

Things appear to be not quite so easy for many other aging IT professionals however. A growing number of good code-cutters and analysts seem to be finding it rather hard to secure well-paid positions in the industry for a wide range of reasons.

What's more, at the other end of the spectrum, new graduates also seem to be finding the job market hard to crack due to their lack of experience in "the real world". This is quite a catch-22: how do you get the experience you need to find a good job if nobody will employ you?

So just who is getting all those jobs we see advertised in the papers and on those IT employment websites?

If you've changed jobs in the past year or two, how about sharing your experiences with others in the discussion forums.

And, if you're a new graduate trying to gain some experience, or an old hack who's been dumped onto the dole queue -- how about some perspective from you as well.

What a botch-up
Regular readers will know that back in 1997 I started a small news website that went on to become the world's most widely syndicated web-based news service.

By 1999 it was pulling more visitors than Playboy.com, FoxNews, CNNfn and even the now illustrious BBC news website (and that's based on Nielsen figures, not my own).

Shortly after I sold a controlling interest (in 1999), the operation was independently valued at being worth somewhere between US$17m and US$40m and the future looked very bright.

Unfortunately, things went downhill at a rapid pace after that.

Instead of moving with the market through innovation and adaptation, all progress stalled and a focus was placed on treading water. I became so frustrated at the new management's unwillingness to listen or keep up the momentum that I resigned as a director and totally withdrew from any involvement in the company and its operation.

Several very attractive offers to buy the company were either ignored or refused by the new majority shareholders and within a few short years, the writing was on the wall.

Just the other day I dropped into the 7am.com website to see what was happening and I found this.

Aardvark Forums
The forums are back up at: www.aardvarkforums.co.nz/forums, have your say on today's column

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