should hire an old programmer

You really should hire an old programmer. I have no doubts about this. These older programmers don't work as many hours as those fresh out of college. They have kids, spouses, mortgage payments, and a chance to go to a game. They don't spend all night playing Xbox and ping pong in the office, and they don't work 80 hours a week, they actually use their vacation. Of course, their salaries are higher than younger programmers. No matter how many reasons there might be a downside to hiring an older programmer, you still need one. The reason is simple: they are as worthy of your possession as L'Oreal Paris. I know this because I am one of them.

Experienced

programmers may not be able to keep as much code in their heads as they did at 25, but these people are very experienced. We know that every system is getting bigger and bigger until it eventually exceeds the capacity of your brain - no matter how big your brain is - so being able to remember code isn't quite what you think important. Instead, we know how to modularize each system. We are the legendary "10x programmers", not because of how well we code, but because we've seen it all. We can learn any new language quickly because we have been using it for years. We know the common characteristics of these development languages. The concept of language has caught on again and again. Given enough time, we can spot the similarities and highlight the differences.

Judgment

"The misery of low quality lasts long after the joy of low price is forgotten."

—Benjamin Franklin

, the old programmer has better judgment. They know where to focus on testing the system and where not to. They can see possible problems from the architecture diagram. They can tell you what technologies are available for a specific project, and how to optimize reliability, performance, or development speed (choose any two). They also know how to make good tradeoffs. Even if they have never written a single line of code for your project, they are worth their income. They know how to improve quality. Quality means lower costs in the long run.

Knowledgeable

"True knowledge comes from a deep understanding of a subject and its inner workings"

— Albert Einstein

The old programmer has deep knowledge in a particular field. This knowledge helps them know where to look for bugs and how to avoid them. For example, I know GUI toolkits very well, having used them for decades. I have worked on three (Swing, JavaFX and SubArctic) core teams. I built my own kit from scratch, just for fun! I know UI Kit. I could write a detailed history of the toolbox over the past 40 years (well...maybe I should write it down at some point).

When I'm working on a new GUI system, I can jump right in. If I see three buttons moved the same 68 pixels to the right, then I can immediately tell that the bug is in one of three locations (probably the global-to-local coordination transition code). If you want to create a new component, I can tell you exactly which extension points you need. A deep understanding of how UI kits work means I can build apps faster than others. I have 25 years of muscle memory, which helps me build my guts. I have deep knowledge about UI toolkits. For others, it might be a kernel driver, a database index, or a compiler. The point is, deep knowledge is more important than hours of application or raw coding ability.

A small team of good people with a wide range of knowledge

can easily beat a large team of good or average people.

—Steve Jobs

Old programmers don't know much. Although I specialize in application and front-end development, I have a solid understanding of the entire stack. I wrote the code for a memory-free system. I've built the parser, database and firmware; there's even a really bad kernel driver. I've drawn demo graphs and generated gigabytes of test data. You're not hiring me to build databases or write firmware or design your next website, but I know enough about how these systems work. That means I can talk to those experts on databases and firmware. I know enough to communicate effectively with people in other fields. It's this communication skill that makes me a productive team player, not raw coding ability.

Communication Skills

Good communication skills are a must for any programmer in their 40s. These abilities are as valuable as their programming abilities. For developers who need to use new APIs, they are almost worthless without looking at them. Many large software projects fail not because of bad code, but because of communication problems.

Yes, on the surface it looks like more money is spent making it less work, but it's actually more. Older programmers can estimate correctly and run code on time. The software we developed has few bugs and performs well. Although we write less code, we generate more business value. That's why we deserve it.