Many people have different opinions on this topic. Some people think that once you surpass a certain age you should not bother trying to get certified and into the IT industry because companies will not hire someone who is older with no IT experience. Instead they would prefer to hire someone who was younger with no experience. Well what happened to the saying ‘age doesn’t matter?’

I recently asked a close friend of mine who has been working in the IT industry for over 15 years. His response was slightly different. First of all, the turnover rate in the IT industry in usually fairly high. When you hire someone new with no IT experience, you can normally expect that person to stay on with the company for about 5 years before they decide to move onto another job. Therefore, what difference would it make if you hired someone who was 25 or 45?

If you are older, there is no reason why you can’t get into the IT industry. In fact, you might even have the upper hand. You have probably gained other experience over the years. If you can capitalize on those experiences and see how they can fit in the IT industry, you may be a hot commodity after all. A good recruiter or career counselor will be able to give you some ideas as to how you can put your existing skills and your certifications to good use.