The idea of a divine creator is no sillier than the idea of creation from nothing.
I'm tempted to agree with that statement. The problem I have with religious belief systems is when questioning the system is forbidden. A (good) scientist is willing to change his theory to suit his observations. Non-religious types "mock" those who are so attached to what they've been told to believe they can't accept new information.
the IT world changes *way* faster than either of those fields.
Things change fast sure, but by that token, not all of the changes are permanent or important. I'm not averse to learning new stuff if it's proven, but I don't go running after new stuff simply because it's there. Old programming languages still work fine for new tech if they have appropriate libraries, etc.
Also true - but if a client is demanding a shiny new unproven technology and is willing to pay for it then it's generally in management's best interest to oblige. That is what results in the younger developers being more valuable -- in school they've been able to dedicate considerable time to the shiny new tech before it was commercially viable. Now they're the only people with years of experience using it. If that's the only talent they have don't worry -- they'll stagnate once the next shiny tech comes along and their one value-add is moot.
"When people are least sure, they are often most dogmatic." -- John Kenneth Galbraith
