I certainly don't want to debate that there is age discrimination in this industry. There is. It's entirely illegal. I worry about it myself, a lot! However, a few key people in the industry are amazing and give me hope. In no particular order:<p>Israel Gat, Diana Larsen, David Spann, Woody Zuill, Ward Cunningham, Robert Martin<p>Actually, as I make the list, it just keeps getting longer. Those are all people I have worked with or associated myself with in the last 12 months professionally. They are all extremely fantastic engineers as well as speakers, managers, and educators. Each one of them. The difference between them and the standard engineer is they have built a personal brand around themselves. They write, speak, and help with open source projects. Instead of being thought of as "older" they are thought of as the sages of the industry, filled with wisdom that can only be purchased with decades of industry experience. And companies bang down their doors to hire them. I happen to personally know that one person in that list makes a day rate of $10,000 and honestly, that person wishes they would get FEWER calls for work.<p>Keep going! Build your personal brand and you'll get the job you want.