Stop Competing with 20-Year-Olds: How to Beat Ageism in Your Climate Career

Imagine This

You scroll through company websites and can’t shake the thought: every team photo looks like a sixth-form class.

You send off applications — silence.

And a small, guilty voice whispers: “Maybe I’m just too old for this.”

That’s the sting of ageism — subtle, structural, and real.

But it’s not a dead end. Handled right, your experience is the edge no graduate can touch.

Why Ageism Exists In Climate Careers — and How to Beat It

1. Ageism Is Pervasive, Subtle, and Structural

Most bias isn’t shouted. It hides behind coded language — “overqualified,” “culture fit,” “fresh energy.”

A 2023 meta-analysis found measurable discrimination against older candidates across nearly every industry.

The effect compounds with age, as callback rates drop sharply once experience years exceed the perceived “ideal.”

(See also: The Training Trap: Why More Courses Won’t Fix Your Job Search)

2. Bias Is Both External and Internal

External bias is what hiring teams bring — stereotypes about adaptability or tech skills.

Sigh

Internal bias is what we start to believe — “I’m out of touch,” “They don’t want my experience.”

Double sigh

Dr Becca Levy at Yale found that people who internalise age stereotypes are 30% more likely to experience reduced confidence and slower career recovery.

So no, it’s not just you. It’s systemic.

3. So Stop Competing with 20-Year-Olds

Younger hires do infact have the advantage of favourable bias. (And their knees don’t hurt after they run for a bus).

But, you bring judgement under ambiguity, pattern recognition, and resilience earned through lived experience.

Stop trying to compete on ‘their’ terms — play a different game entirely.

That means reframing your narrative around problems solved and outcomes achieved.

4. Translate Experience into Value

Don’t rely on CV archaeology. Instead, curate stories that prove value today:

• Show how your experience solves current problems.

• Build proof projects — short, visible examples of your thinking.

• Frame results, not roles.

(Example: 5 Ways to Show — Not Tell — Your Value)

🧰 Tools, Prompts, and Experiments

Addressing External Bias

• Reframe your tagline:

  
  → From: “Experienced Project Manager with 20 years in energy.”

  → To: “Project Manager helping utilities decarbonise faster using proven rollout frameworks.”
  
  

• Audit your proof.

  What’s one story, dataset, or initiative that shows your judgment and outcomes today?

• Stay current - visibly.

  Post one short reflection this week showing a recent tool, insight, or learning — proof you’re current.

  Or better still, find the prac-ademics talking about the cutting edge issues in your target field and join the conversation. (Chat GPT can help you I.D. these people)

  
  

Addressing the Internal Bias

1. Write a one-sentence answer:

   What can I do today that a 25-year-old can’t?

   Then make that the centrepiece of your next post, pitch, or proof project.

2. Meet the voice inside.

   When that inner critic pipes up — “you’re too old,” “you’ve missed your chance,” “no one wants your experience” — give it a name.

   Call it The Archivist, The Obsolete Expert, or whatever fits.

   Once you can identify the persona, you can choose whether to listen or lead.

3. Reframe the monologue.

   Next time you catch yourself thinking, “They’ll never pick me,” try finishing the sentence differently:

   “…unless they want someone who’s already solved this twice.”

   You’re not silencing the voice — you’re retraining it to tell a more accurate story.

Quotes to Keep Handy

“The trick isn’t to hide your age. It’s to make your experience impossible to ignore.” — Stephanie Mansueto

Want to turn your hard earned experience into a story that will elevate your narrative and show your real value? Lets talk…