I'm 45 with a little short of 30 years of programming experience. Our team at HP (I'm not a manager) has a few programmers that are significantly older and a few that are very young. From my observation, what's different about young vs. old programmers is not related to the speed at which we pick up new technologies (we all love to tinker with the latest stuff) but at the general approach to problem solving.
Older engineers tend to compare new problems to experiences from the past. The tools at our disposal have become much better but the fundamental mechanisms haven't changed that much so it's easier to identify whether there's a real benefit to using a new tool or if it's better to stick with what you have.
As an experienced developer it's a little easier to avoid sinking effort into novel but misguided technologies.
As a young developer it's a little easier to be open-minded about promising technologies.
But don't pay any attention to me - my SO rep is less than 30% of the average for my age bracket...
Older engineers tend to compare new problems to experiences from the past. The tools at our disposal have become much better but the fundamental mechanisms haven't changed that much so it's easier to identify whether there's a real benefit to using a new tool or if it's better to stick with what you have.
As an experienced developer it's a little easier to avoid sinking effort into novel but misguided technologies.
As a young developer it's a little easier to be open-minded about promising technologies.
But don't pay any attention to me - my SO rep is less than 30% of the average for my age bracket...