Engineers Past their Prime at Age 37? Slippery Slope Downhill to Senility?

Engineers Past their Prime at Age 37? Slippery Slope Downhill to Senility?
"Several robust studies have concluded engineers are past their prime at age 37 – especially in "high tech" industries:

"The effective professional life of engineers is about 15 years," according to Robert M. Fano, Emeritus Professor at MIT. "Statistically, typical electrical engineers can now expect to face 30 years of declining productivity until retirement," according to the Massachusetts High Technology Council. "Age is indicative of skill and knowledge obsolescence." Is doddering decrepitude inevitable for engineers after the age of 40?"

 

It is showing his high experience.

 

"The effective professional life of engineers is about 15 years," according to Robert M. Fano, Emeritus Professor at MIT.

How old is Professor Emeritus Robert Fano?

 

He's 97!

Robert Fano - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Johann

 

This was posted on LinkedIn by a moderator of a group called P.Eng.
I think the purpose was to ridicule this data and not to support it.

Clearly Robert Fano and the Massachusetts High Technology Council haven't a clue. Or maybe they are just spouting nonsense to keep some of the big tech companies in Cambridge and Boston happy by giving them an excuse to lay off their mature engineers and only have to pay youngsters, who tend to be cheaper.


I know quite a few engineers who were functioning well and highly productive up to 60 years old or more.

 

It just seems a bit humorous that a 97 year old is telling a 37 year old that the effectiveness of his professional life is coming to closure. :lol:

 

I've had a few university faculty tell me the same thing regarding economists. Sure, economists can be productive throughout their entire life as professors, writers, consultants, etc. But the period where you are doing "ground-breaking" work is up until about 35 or so. Not saying I agree with it, just saying what I have been told.

 

I agree with this statement. As an electrical engineer, I must say that is really hard to stay up to date after your pass 40, the motivation is not there as you know your time is past as newer engineers have fresh knowledge and preferred because they are cheaper and more motivated.
I have seen many electrical engineers in their 50s that are laid off and become practically impossible to be employed again. Many go back and get MBAs, finance degrees, etc as just feel that cannot keep up with technological changes.

My engineering career was about 15 years, then I moved into technology management with an MBA and teaching.

Electrical, Computer Engineering and Computer Science are very difficult fields because they change very rapidly and companies constantly lay off people and this forces you to keep heavy continuing education (10+ hours a week) to remain employable.

Needless to say that new generations are trying to stay away from these fields, the industry complaints all the time that they don't have enough people but the reality is that there are plenty engineers that have no work available but it is just cheaper to bring people from India than training existing engineers in new technologies.

 

I guess at 97, Dr. Fano can say whatever he wants. I celebrate the fact that he's still here to do that. Dr. Fano has certainly led a productive life - well past his 37th birthday. Although his own career certainly does not corroborate his argument -- I can still see where he's coming from, at least.

Johann