Re: Grey beards pricing themselves out of the market
As a proudly grey and proudly beard, though not yet in the 50+ zone I can say - you have to put some perspective.
It all depends where you are looking for a job:
1. UK company - you can forget about it. A UK manager is more likely commit a sepuku with a blunt rusty knife and hang himself on his own entrails than hire someone who is obviously better than him technically or pay for technical skills more than for managerial.
2. California - grey beards are frowned upon because they can no longer be duped to work for a bag of peanuts in a "start-up environment" on a hare brained idea. The fact that they can bring some sanity to the table and make the revised idea happen for real is usually overlooked. When hired, they will be paid properly though.
3. Elsewhere - rest of USA, Continental Europe, etc - this is not a problem. I started my career in Eastern Europe with my boss being 10 years younger then me (and I already had a beard then as I switched careers). Nowdays I am working in a department whose core is mostly from the New England area and it is like 50% with beards and mostly grey ones too boot. I have worked with other people from other (non California) IT centres before - Denver, Austin, Sweden, Finland etc. Grey bears are aplenty and they are employed (and sought after too).
Biting the hand that feeds IT
