Man Page Writing: Life/Times of Man Page Writer

In most human communities--neighborhood, club, faculty, town--more heterogeneity is better (as I always say). Heterogeneity across gender, age, vocation/avocation, left brain/right brain--you name it. "Better," as in stronger, more viable, more civil, healthier. But is this true for a business? I'd say for gender, yes, and maybe for brain-sidedness, but what about young vs. old?

More and more, I think younger is better for a business, at least for the type of business I have experience with (software development). And I bet the "glamour" companies would reflect a youthful slant.

Incidentally, to disclose potential biases: I am 57; I have three sons in their twenties.

In observing the work of engineers, from their early twenties into their forties and fifties, I'd offer the following generalizations:

• Engineering is extremely demanding. This is great for those for whom engineering is a "natural" fit. Some people are very smart and can do the work proficiently but are not really born to it. When you're young it's easier to do a job you're not in love with than when you're older.
• Young (20-something) engineers can be very productive but are inefficient. They pursue interesting tributaries as the slog up the main river.
• Young engineers are more willing to glory in 60+ work weeks to get out that big, destiny-altering project. They are also more able to survive such schedules.
• A significant plurality, if not a majority, reach their peak production years, at least in terms of volume and quality, in their thirties to early forties.
• At some point, usually in the late thirties to early forties, the demands of engineering begin to take their toll. Besides the inevitable decline in energy that comes with age, there are often family responsibilities, or responsibilities outside of the realm of work. At this point, those who are not born engineers begin to get restless. Many people decide to go into management.
• Engineers who remain in an individual contributor role into their forties and fifties tend to be very disciplined in their approach to work. They manage their time carefully and tend to be precise in everything they do. No wasted motion.

The preceding are, I emphasize, generalizations. I write of engineers, because they are at the apex of the R&D hierarchy and because theirs is the "most" indispensable (if "indispensable" can admit of qualification) of the R&D organization. The same generalizations do not apply as well to other jobs (such as mine, tech writer).

But here's a generalization that I'll apply across all job descriptions: older people tend to have more chronic illnesses, miss more work, have more responsibilities outside of work (e.g., aging parents).

There is another negative point associated with all old timers. Over time, with annual raises, their pay reaches a point where it becomes more likely they could be replaced by a younger person (or a person offshore) who would do close to the same quality job, for markedly less.

A major caveat to my younger-is-better thesis is the value of the "old timer who knows the linker". In every organization that supports a massively complex ball of software such as an operating system, there are dark tunnels of gnarly code down which no one really wants to go. It is nice to have one or two experts who can just take care of things for you.

Another chink in the armor of youth: Most of the prima donna engineers I've know have been under 30. I just think it's hard to sustain prima donna-hood through life's inevitable slings and arrows.

One can't discuss youth vs. age in the workplace without mentioning women's childbearing years. Most woman I know today 1) postpone having a baby till their late thirties and 2) return to work within weeks of giving birth. On the first score, such new mothers are almost out of my "young engineer" phase. On the second, they have, not surprisingly, a new view of work and of life upon their return to work. (One would hope it would not be otherwise.)

I should add here that I'm writing strictly about business. I don't mean to denigrate my or anyone's life experience. Experience can be a great teacher--some might say the only teacher. There is such a thing as "wisdom" and, generally, it is more often found in the old than the young.

So, with regard to business, with all the points in favor of youth and against age, why do we have age-discrimination laws? From an humanitarian point of view, I can come up with reasons. But in a society that prizes efficiency above all, why do we prevent companies from saying "Out with the old, in with the new"? Perhaps there is a legacy of government-as-protector, leftover from the Great Society or the civil rights era. But I wonder whether, given current trends, we'll see the erosion of such laws.