This thesis makes a heavy case for plastic surgery to appear younger to keep a tech job - Has anyone reading this ever even considered plastic surgery to get a competitive advantage against ageism?
For cultural context, in some societies plastic surgery is seen very differently than it is in the United States, as I understand it. So, there's precedent for this internationally.
In South Korea, for example [0], there is a long and interesting tradition of cosmetic plastic surgery, such that "standard" procedures (such as the one you suggest) are kind of expected at a certain level, in the same way that relatively standard, elective dental procedures (straightening, whitening, veneering) are expected in the US.
To make a crude and probably-flawed analogy, it's seen as an investment in your image; kind of like painting your house, cutting your hair, or purchasing designer clothes.
This all being said, I personally don't think this will penetrate the software engineering market too much. IME, if a company is practicing the type of superficially-applied, ageism-based hiring discrimination (the kind that could be gamed with cosmetic surgery), it's a red flag that they're not a serious software shop.
I don't know if you want to invest resources in improving your odds at a game that you don't want to be playing. There are much better games at the casino.
Seriously, the youth cult is concerning; I can say my best customer projects were without doubt those with a mixed team, both in terms of age and gender; mixed teams help to ground the project, staying focussed, and not becoming a nerd pissing contest.
Not as permanent, but my dad says he notices that clients listen to his suggestions to update 10-year-old network equipment a lot more readily when he dyes the gray out of his hair. He first did it for a high school class reunion, and has kept doing it since.
Wow, that is a sad state of affairs. I like seeing grey hair and find a bit awkward when men dye their hair, I see it as a desperation to stay young or fear of aging or lack of development in other areas and holding on to young looks as the only achievable thing. But it makes sense that your dead does it for the job, namely to be taken seriously. But I agree with other posters, keeping fit goes a long way and is something most people could and should do.
My wife in her late 30s stopped dying her hair since the pandemic started and she's got a lot of gray hair, especially compared to me who i have none. She remembers having it since she was 18 but kept on dying it afterwards. I find her looking great with gray hair. I have to add that she is in a great shape and that compensates for the gray hair.
If women are okay with gray hair so should men be. I don't think hiding the gray hair does any good, the reasons for not hiring older people from what I understand the preference for younger culture because they don't have experience and are gullible and also the pay is lower. Dying one's hair ain't gonna solve those requirements by the hiring companies. And in addition, some people start graying as early as their 20s and never bother to dye it.
We're talking about physical perception, that's why people go out of their way to get plastic surgery, braces, wear makeup, etc, to impress other people. You can say how things should be, and what the ideal world should be. But the fact remains, physical appearance helps immensely, whether that person is qualified or not. Why do people put on a suit for a silly interview? Why can't I just come in with flip flops and shorts? Yeh the world sucks, you play the game in a way that gives yourself the best chance to win.
