Ageism in Spanish IT: 'At 35, you're obsolete'

Ageism in the tech sector: invisible at 45

Why can't a developer with twenty years of experience find work while consultancies fight over recent graduates? The short answer: because, according to several participants in the debate, the Spanish market has decided that experience is a burden, not an asset. The tech sector, often sold as pure meritocracy, is described by some as one of the most age-discriminatory industries. And it’s not just our opinion; it comes from those who suffer it daily, based on their own testimonies.

The conversation about ageism in IT isn’t new, but it reaches a tone of desperation that catches attention. Some have simply given up: "If the criterion for hiring new developers is technical tests, they can go themselves, the entire IT sector.". The frustration is not unfounded. Behind it are years of sending CVs without photos or birth dates, passing phone interviews, and seeing recruiters' attitudes change when the webcam turns on, as reported by a participant.

From what age are you too old to program?

The market's answer, according to those who have lived through it, is around 35. From that point on, if you haven't moved into management, you are considered obsolete material. A participant in the discussion sums it up bluntly: "Every company has this rule: in Spain, after 35, you’re dead to employers.".

The pattern repeats with suspicious regularity. Candidates over 45 send their CVs, pass the phone screening, and when it’s time to show their faces, the conversation cools down. One affected person tells it without drama: "An HR rep admitted it was due to my age.". Discrimination isn't a suspicion; it's a confession, according to that participant's testimony.

And what happens to those who do get in? The sector devours them. The dynamic is well-known: hire juniors, squeeze them dry, and discard them when their useful life expires. A meat-grinder model that doesn't distinguish between talent and youth because, quite simply, it doesn't care to, according to criticisms voiced in the debate.

The senior paradox: more experience, fewer opportunities

There is something deeply irrational here. In medicine, law, or civil engineering, experience is a rising value. In software development, it becomes an obstacle. Why? The most cynical explanation is also the most likely: because a senior costs more and asks more questions.

A recurring analysis in the discussion points out that "at a certain age, you’ve seen it all. You’ve been screwed, deceived, exploited... You go to work and leave. No proactivity, enthusiasm, or nonsense.". Translated: the veteran worker knows their rights, isn't dazzled by the latest trendy framework, and isn't willing to work fourteen hours for an intern's salary. For some companies, that’s a problem.

The other side of the coin is the junior. They are hired for their supposed malleability, but also blamed for catastrophic decisions: "Then you hire a 25-year-old who fills the code with crap, wants to switch to Framework X without considering platform stability.". The pendulum swings between two equally unsatisfactory extremes.

Bootcamps, consultancies, and the mince-meat factory

If ageism is one face of the problem, the other is the oversupply of candidates. Bootcamps have flooded the market with graduates having accelerated training and inflated expectations. "Ads keep popping up on YouTube and LinkedIn for bootcamps promising to make you a programmer in 18 months," laments someone who has witnessed the phenomenon closely. They used to promise salaries of €3,000; now, trinc complaints from influencers, they limit themselves to guaranteeing "interviews with HR managers."

The result is a saturated market where consultancies—known as "meat factories" in industry jargon—impose conditions that newcomers accept without protest, according to some participants. And if they don't accept them here, there's always importing talent from Latin America, willing to work for less and without the rigidities of the Spanish labor market, a claim some support in the debate.

And the veterans? Trapped in the perfect trap: too expensive to be juniors, too old to be seniors. The only exit many envision is management, but not everyone wants—or can—stop programming.

Is there a way out for the veteran developer?

The options discussed aren't many. First: target international companies, where apparently age matters less than problem-solving ability. "95% of international companies don't care how old you are: they want you to handle messy situations and code like a champion.".

Second: remote work for Madrid-based companies allowing telework from other provinces. A path some are exploring, though it doesn't always work out. Third: public service exams (oposiciones). Preparing for a state IT position sounds like surrender, but guarantees something the private sector doesn't offer: no one looks at you askance for having gray hair.

Meanwhile, the official narrative continues selling the tech sector as a meritocracy where only talent matters. Reality, as almost always, is messier. And those who have been coding for twenty years know it better than anyone.