Ask HN: Career change for elderly UK ex-convict?
I've been coding for 20 years (UK) and done mainly contracting primarily in the private sector and never once had to go through any checks. Also in 99% of gigs i've taken, the number 1 factor in getting hired is "can you do the job", thats it. While obviously the industry skews very young, i've worked with plenty techies over 50 that have been hired because they have experience, and quite simply, they can do the job.If you stick to the private sector, the convictions wont even come up unless you bring them up and i think it would be rare to come up against ageism, and if you do, then simply, you dont want to work for those companies anyway.Talk to some recruiters, tell them your skillset and see what they've got, I wouldnt bother mentioning the convictions because i personally dont see them as relevant (because whats relevant is, can you do the job), and they'll come back with options. If they talk about government or bank work, just say you'll pass on those and would rather work for a private company. I have the same preference purely due to my distaste for paperwork and beaurocracy, private companies are easier to deal with.I suggest trying to reframe your mindset to evidence based, rather than assumption based. Right now you're making a lot of assumptions that you wont be successful without having any evidence of such. You have a lot of valuable skills, go and assess the marketplace, in my opinion, you can be successful.