I just turned 40 and just got hired. I think the big difference between now and my last hiring in the oughts is that I was able to take a much more active role in my own career-path decisions (this one is interesting, that one used the word "rock star" so I won't bother, etc.). Part of that is because I'm now married and somewhat more financially secure, but, hey: that in itself is part of being older.
Now, I'm not a coder, except to the extent that every sysadmin is, and my field's definition of "output" is different (and for that matter ops in general is grayer than dev). But just personally I feel a confidence in my skills and experience that I didn't have even a decade ago at 30. And also I seem to have a longer attention span than I used to (9am HN commenting notwithstanding). I have a much better sense of how long an implementation will take, what its blockers might be, etc.
Now, I'm not a coder, except to the extent that every sysadmin is, and my field's definition of "output" is different (and for that matter ops in general is grayer than dev). But just personally I feel a confidence in my skills and experience that I didn't have even a decade ago at 30. And also I seem to have a longer attention span than I used to (9am HN commenting notwithstanding). I have a much better sense of how long an implementation will take, what its blockers might be, etc.
IOW I'm liking work at 40, at least personally.