In most places I've worked the greybeards are irreplaceable.
But they are replaced. The replacing seems to be done by MBAs who
would have difficulty debugging a revolving door.
Over the years I have done mostly the same things with different languages and different tools but almost always using software design methods which the MBAs would recognise as the whole of the management structure they aspire too but have only a few years experience of.
If I was a conspiracy theorist I would wonder if in the MBA courses its says fire any experienced software developers because they could replace you with code it you stand still long enough for your job to actually be defined in logical terms.
I never wanted to be a manager but other than managing humans* my software jobs seem to have covered every last bit of 'managing'.
*oh and serious arse licking.
Biting the hand that feeds IT
