ABSTRACT
The emergence of new knowledge-based economies has corresponded with population and workforce ageing in many developed countries. Ageing processes and the accumulation of life events and responsibilities are integral parts of the passage of time and these things also influence the work experiences and career paths of individuals. Cultural exemplars and popular representations of information technology (IT) workers invoke varying degrees of prodigy. This narrative taps many of the key challenges raised here in regard to working and ageing in IT over the longer term: the volatility of the sector, the precarity of work in general, demands for worker flexibility, personal shouldering of risks, the exaltation of youth, age relativity among career fields and the significance of social networks and connections. Thus, among IT workers, age engenders judgments about ability and attitude. In many IT firms, there is evidence of 'masculinist' regimes, management practices and workplace cultures.
