To give an example. In the world of stock market, if one were to estimate the worthiness of a stock/asset, it can be simply done by monitoring the topline growth for a given period. Another option would be find out the profitability of the company (Assets - Liabilities). However, one often finds stocks trading at a much higher price (indicated by P/E). This is very much like real-estate, where the price is driven not by the cost, but by the valuation.
IT valuations are taken more personally - to heart. It is expected that niche technologies deserve niche pays. For the most part, professional IT is about picking some data, transforming it and presenting it. Game devs and System programmers are prominent exceptions. I used to wonder why a SAP analyst makes more than a Java programmer, or a C++ programmer.
Indian IT companies often take a different route. They just force the programmers on to a technology. The results of cold, passionless work are the ones that give a bad name. No university can teach passion. A good organisation and leader can instill a drive, but lack of passion causes one to burnout. Another surprising facet of IT: I recollect seeing a job posting in 2009, asking for GWT experts with 5+yrs of experience. Did the job poster even know when GWT came into existance? On one hand, you can see new technologies as an opportunity to move ahead in life, on the otherhand you may have a "dejavu" moment. Indian IT's cream are adept at catching up with the game, and the whey just sulks.
Western IT is more passionate, they master the one prime thing they chose. I have consultants coming from far more diverse backgrounds into IT. While their IT skills are mediocre (beyond their comfort zone), the rich experience they bring is invalueable. Seniors are valueable, not because they have grown in age but because they can mentor and communicate better. New developers on the other hand can go anywhere. It is either a hit or miss scenario.
If you want your seniors for their soft-skills, make it clear to them. If you want them for their technical skills, tell them clearly the direction being taken. Who knows, some of them may just take a break - learn the new stuff and may prove even more valueable. One harsh thing about large IT projects is the fact that, no one is indispensable. All seniors were once n00bs, they remember that well enough. If they are comfortable in their current roles and don't want to move out, you can always blame the demand-supply curve. We still have cobol
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