Dorsey, that’s rather stereotypical and derogatory… I used to work in software engineering and now work full time as a freelance web designer, the difference between the industries are more in the way that web designers are more open to collaboration and knowledge sharing (that and the industry moves at a MUCH faster pace). Most web designers aren’t as ageist as you’re putting across and claiming we’re reliant on buzzwords is just plain wrong. If you want buzzwords with zero meaning, work in SEO, most professional web designers have a hatred for stuff like “Web 2.0” and you certainly wouldn’t see us preaching it like some kind of holy indoctrinate. If you think all we do is filter garbage out our mouth in an attempt to look like we know something, you seriously need a reality check. 
I’ve seen 3 video speils this week wherein company owners or developers joked about “stupid testing” their products by seeing if mom can use it. Sounds like the fellow here who posted his mom can’t send a text message, so it’s hard to believe in real 50 year old web designers.
Look. If your mom isn’t an adopter of technology, it could be because she was wiping your nose and helping you with homework, not because our generation isn’t interested or capable. We are the generation that built the framework for the technology you so rudely assume is your realm alone. (well, right after Al Gore.)
It’s understandable to laugh at what we did, but if someone 20 years ago didn’t create “You’ve Got Mail!” about 80% of you would not have had a computer in your homes. We made computing accessable to the masses.
When we developed, it was with a wider view because we had nothing to compare to, no boundries, no expectations, nothing but the visions of what could be done. I think we left you some pretty good stuff to work with, and most of us can still ride this train.
So as you climb on our shoulders to achieve, (exactly as we hope you will!) please refrain from pulling our hair.
I just turned 50 and have been doing web design and development since the Mosaic days. The age and experience is a huge asset. I just switched jobs and the new company had several web apps run off of perl scripts, scripts that were popular years back. It all quickly came back to me. Perhaps the biggest asset is the wisdom you bring, lessons from past mistakes.
The question you must ask yourself isn’t about your age, but are you really into it. Working the web isn’t a 9 to 5 job, it’s always changing and much if not all of your continuing education will be on your own. You will never ever learn it all and there will always be times you are googling and browsing forums looking for answers. Whoever told you 50 was to old was simply ignorant. An attitude like that will lead you to an early grave and a very boring life. It’s only a number for crying out loud, don’t let it drive any of your decisions.
Just be yourself. Focus on turning out the best work possible. The rest will take care of itself. Culture shock? That’s half the fun of it! Buzzwords? Really? Know your job, turn out great work, treat others as human beings, that’s all you need to do.
Never too young or old to start web design I say. Most things in life are just a state of mind.
Your Never Too Old to be anything other than younger 
When I first read this question the answer in my mind was immediately “of course not.” I know of lots of “older” folks working in this and many other fields.
But then I realized the real answer is “yes.”
Not because of the age but because “if you have to ask you’re not ready to do it.”
As the Start Wars movies taught us - there is “DO” or “NOT DO” there just is no “TRY.”
Well I’m 50 and been working in web design since Netscape 2 - when they finally introduced white backgrounds, tables and coloured text!
I’ve just gone through the baptism of fire called CSS 2 as I needed to move beyond my HTML/tables roots. Ouch - that must hurt at any age. Damn IE 6!
While there are lots of clever young guns, nothing beats that whole of web/life experience so go for it!
I hope 50 is not to late to start learning web design. I have recently start to create website at 75 years of age. After starting for free on the internet to learn HTML & Css mark up language, I read a couple of books including Ian Lloyd’s on how to build a website. Then I found out about Joomla! and am now completing my first website. I also had a simple one pretty well finished when half way through Ian’s book. It was easier than I had thought but it can get more involved if you want to add other languages or more complex websites.
I’m doing this because our non-profit historicial society could not afford to pay for someone to design a website and because I feel it is important to keep my mind alive by studying something new.
To me 50 sounds like a good time to start a new career. However if you are doing it for employment you need to also learn business methods and approaches. Even with somewhat limited skills you can sell them if you are a smart business man/woman but with good design skills and no business skills you can still suffer.
In this world we need to be prepared to change or adjust our careers up to the time we stop working and even then we need to keep learning or be ready to grow old faster.
Actually it’s the stereotype(s) embeded in yourself you have to be wize to. The culture of the younger person is different from the older. People who want services of the Web or Graphics designer are (mainly) of the earlier generation. You just have to have the presence of mind to bridge that gap.
I concentrate on producing websites that are clean and accessible as a first priority.
I’m 63 and the only thing slowing me down is the cramp in my right foot. But then, all it has to do it tap away to the music from my iPod while I am looking for design inspiration!
What you need to do is to turn you percieved “disadvantages” into positives. What you have is experience and people will believe you where maybe they wouldn’t someone younger. However, you should be thinking about starting a business. You will be more effective as the boss and just say you have some young geeks/nerds like us working for you. Oursource to them if you want. Or just do it yourself!
One thing I find invaluable is being able to explain to people who aren;t tech minded things in simple terms. As demographically the baby boomers are the majority (at least in western europe) you should have a natural empathy with them and hence kill the competiton! But I would say that you are the project mananger/boss as that will take the pressure of them questioning if you are any good and you can focus on the important part- how much they gonna pay you
ADDED: When I say take the pressure of you I echo barleytwist’s comments. IF you think you are too old and won;t be taken seriously guess want? You won’t. Law of attraction. Everyday when you wake up say to youself AND MEAN IT “thank you very much for all my design clients and all the money I am making from them.” Also say “thank you very much that people respect my experience so much and are so pleased to be my clients”. Change it up as you want but focus on the positive man and good luck!!
Most people of that age that I know seem to be slow to grasp new information and learn new ways of working on the computer, but in the end, it is not the age that matters but the skills, so if you can learn and work well, regardless of your age, then I dont see what would stop you.
Perhaps his language was a bit strong, but yours was quite strong, too. There are huge differences between software development and web development.
I think that to say that most web designers are more open to collaboration, and that the industry moves faster than software industry is not a defensible claim. After all, websites run on web servers, scripts use interpreters, Flash uses a player, and huge appliances like intelligent routers and elaborate switches make the network go.
In keeping with the idea that a piece of software that handles a process must inherently be more complex than that process, the software industry is certainly technically more complex than the web world. It’s also much, much older and has quite a few elements that the web world doesn’t have like multiple formal methodologies and a significant hardware element (i.e. chip design, drivers, etc.).
There are plenty of complexities in the web world, and it has it’s own set of problems and challenges. But it’s true that people are younger on average in web as compared to software. It’s true that there is a lower barrier to entry and it’s easy to jump in. It’s true that an older person has a much better chance of landing a regular job in software than in web.
Then again, the web offers real opportunity to go on your own and freelance at any age.
None of things are absolute, and exceptions abound. But software and web are hugely different in many ways.
Can an older person get into the web industry? Absolutely, and some people on this very thread are doing that. Is it as easy as it would be for a 21 year old, perhaps not but an older person brings maturity and experience to the table and that’s worth a lot.
Anyone who says ‘age is just a number’ is probably not very old, in my observation! You can do just about anything at any age, but people change as they get older and so does life - it’s much more than just a number!
NAH it is just that older people are more honest and until they thoroughly understand all the implications of the new information they are reluctant to commit themselves. No doubt they are more concerned with retaining their personal integrity.
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Can an older person get into the web industry? Absolutely, and some people on this very thread are doing that. Is it as easy as it would be for a 21 year old, perhaps not but an older person brings maturity and experience to the table and that’s worth a lot.
Anyone who says ‘age is just a number’ is probably not very old, in my observation! You can do just about anything at any age, but people change as they get older and so does life - it’s much more than just a number!
True. If only they recognized age with experience there wouldn’t be the Catch22 situation.
People don’t - and rightfully don’t - because age is not a synonym for experience.
:tup:
mos def as I always have said Age ain’t nothing but a number!
people are kinda like whiskey or wine :teleport:
we don’t always get better with age depends on the type and method used to produce it!
(p.s. you ain’t living if you ain’t learning)
I don’t tend to compare the professional and hobbyist (paid or unpaid) sections of the industry. Sure there’s people who are willing to pay $50 for a website from some kid in their parents basement or some eastern outsource supplier who floats around the bottom dweller sites, but no professional here would want the clients who are going to spend so little on quality work. Yes the industry has a seedy underbelly but there’s plenty of decent quality work out there with people who aren’t going to push up their expectations for below-minimum wage rates
I do agree with mividazul, actually designing has nothing to do with age, the creativity comes from heart and your eyes are the parameter. So in this case if you feel that you are young from the core of your heart then the world is yours.
Think this way how could M.F.Hussain can paint with so bold use of colours in an age of 90. Just you need to do is to cope up with this generation.