In today’s episode of Design Life we talk about ageing and ageism in the tech industry. This is something we’ve started to think about more recently as we noticed there are a lot of people in the design industry in their 20’s and 30’s and a lot less in their 40’s. What happens to people as they age in this industry? As designers, we are ageing along with tech. Ten years from now will it be common place to have your entire design team made up of people in their 40’s, or is this a naive idea? We discuss finding role models, fuelling your ambition and what can we do about ageism in tech.
Designers today are ageing alongside the tech industry, however technology progresses and ages faster than people. The programmes, languages and apps that you started out with in your career might now be obsolete. The tools might change but the skills necessary to create great design don’t. Learning any new skills takes practice and practice takes time, the experience you bring to the role matters.
Is your ambition fuelled by a fear of not being able to see how you will fit in the tech industry in the future? Do you feel you must accomplish everything you can as quickly as possible? Seek out examples of people in the industry who are older than you are and that inspire you to achieve your goals at the right pace for you.
Prioritise learning and stay up to date with new technologies. Be curious about where the market is moving and what tools are becoming popular. As a visual communication designer, think about how these new tools apply to design.
Are you a designer working in tech aged 40+? We would love to invite you to speak with us on the Design Life podcast about your experience of working in the tech industry. Get in touch by emailing hello at design life dot fm, we would love to hear from you.
01.47 – Catch up
06.40 – Ageism in the design industry
10.55 – Growing older with tech
14.40 – The price of labour
16.28 – What can we do about ageism in the tech industry
