Hair dye for work in IT industry?

ToneControl

My mate (early 50s) works in IT in the US, and dyes his hair because the average age  at work is 28, and he doesn't want to make it so obvious how old he is with whatever grey he has.

Is this common in the software industry? It hasn't been where I've worked, but I'd like to know

digitalscream

ToneControl said:

My mate (early 50s) works in IT in the US, and dyes his hair because the average age  at work is 28, and he doesn't want to make it so obvious how old he is with whatever grey he has.

Is this common in the software industry? It hasn't been where I've worked, but I'd like to know

Literally never heard of that. Then again, I've got plenty of grey, so maybe people are just being polite...?

prowla

Old blokes who dye their hair look odd.

Veganic

Blue-rinse?

I think it says more about him than his industry. 

quarky

Nope, I don't think so. I understand the "young mans game" feeling in IT, but I don't think it is any worse for that than anything else to be honest. 

Phil_aka_Pip

I'm well aware of a lot of age-ism in the software business, wouldn't be at all surprised to find it in the IT business as well.

There are however a few outfits that respect age and experience, and they actually want old farts like me that can bring a cpu out of reset, write interrupt routines in assembler, code efficiently in C without relying on an optimiser, trace faults using a bus analyser, AND design software for maintainability ans extendability.  I work for one one. Whereas there seem to be lots of graduates looking for jobs and if the job isn't Java not only do they not want to know they can't damn well do it!

thumpingrug

He sounds like a vain dickhead.  Nothing to do with the industry he works in and more to do with his own self worth.

richardhomer

prowla said:

Old blokes who dye their hair look odd.

Rubbish! Jeff Beck, Paul McCartney and Ritchie Blackmore look marvellous....

Bellycaster

I'd be fucking grateful just to have Grey Hair

Phil_aka_Pip

Bellycaster said:

I'd be fucking grateful just to have Grey Hair

I know what you mean. Hair of any colour would be OK

randella

It’s the same as any other industry really, certain roles tend to favour younger folk. It’s a broad church, there are a *lot* of different skill sets and age and experience do count in a lot of them. 

A lot of it does depend on the company culture too, software startups in particular tend to favour the young hotshots. I’ve worked as a coder for a mix of places and have never felt compelled to dye (what’s left of) my hair. 

Octafish

richardhomer said:

prowla said:

Old blokes who dye their hair look odd.

Rubbish! Jeff Beck, Paul McCartney and Ritchie Blackmore look marvellous....

He said men who dye their hair, not men who wear wigs....

underdog

richardhomer said:

prowla said:

Old blokes who dye their hair look odd.

Rubbish! Jeff Beck, Paul McCartney and Ritchie Blackmore look marvellous....

He said their hair, I'm not sure the hair on at least 2 of their heads originally belonged to them 

Octafish

underdog said:

richardhomer said:

prowla said:

Old blokes who dye their hair look odd.

Rubbish! Jeff Beck, Paul McCartney and Ritchie Blackmore look marvellous....

He said their hair, I'm not sure the hair on at least 2 of their heads originally belonged to them 

Ha, beat you to it.... let's just admire that syrup...

https://i0.wp.com/metaljacketmagazine.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/10/Ritchie-Blackmore.jpg?resize=610%2C340

ESBlonde

More a problem within the US I'd think. They are obsessed with youth and appearance even when they are pensioners.

Sassafras

Tell him to shave his head and grow a beard like all his colleagues do.

Snap

lol, yeah there is something odd and very obvious about dyed hair. It always looks dyed, no matter what. Could be cos its too evenly coloured. At least Macca is realising that, and steadily letting the grey come through.

Cliff Richard - now he looks great doesn't he?

axisus

I can say one thing for sure, I will never be dying my hair. As mentioned already, 'young' hair on an old man's head looks ridiculous. We have had a few of them at work, it really isn't a good look. 

ToneControl

prowla said:

Old blokes who dye their hair look odd.

AFAIK almost all the women I know of that age dye their hair, do they all look odd?

ToneControl

Veganic said:

Blue-rinse?

I think it says more about him than his industry. 

I doubt it, he's not a vain guy. It's a very high-profile role, doing lots of main speaker performances at conference etc. so I can understand his point

ToneControl

thumpingrug said:

He sounds like a vain dickhead.  Nothing to do with the industry he works in and more to do with his own self worth.

nah, known him 30+ years, he is not vain about his appearance