# Do seniors excel in any areas? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [April 7, 2014, 2:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-seniors-excel-in-any-areas/685554 "2014-04-07T14:28:03Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 8\ **Page:** 3
**Author:** ![Voyager](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/voyager/32/133_2.png) [@Voyager](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Voyager)\ **Post date:** [April 8, 2014, 6:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-seniors-excel-in-any-areas/685554/41 "2014-04-08T18:37:58Z")
> [@bump](#): > > In my limited experience, older doctors are WAY better at diagnosis than the younger ones, due to having much more experience, and in some cases because their training back in the day didn’t rely as much on CAT scans, etc… > > But they’re not always as up to date on the drugs and treatment procedures as the younger guys are, unless they go out of their way to keep current. I figure that new research is not going to be useful all that often, while 95% of the patients they see have problems that they’ve seen before, and know what works. As for me, by my age I’ve written every possible code segment, so I can out-program my junior colleagues by sticking the segments together in new ways. I’ve also made just just about every mistake one could make, so debugging is just remembering where I saw that kind of error before. ---
**Author:** ![Gagundathar](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/a183cd/32.png) [@Gagundathar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gagundathar)\ **Post date:** [April 9, 2014, 1:24am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-seniors-excel-in-any-areas/685554/42 "2014-04-09T01:24:38Z")
My first thought was counseling. Personal life experiences that can only be known by events and responses over years may lead to better results when counseling a person who comes to you for advice. Even when the physical effects of aging affect your abilities, if you retain a sharp mind, your advice is of great worth. ---
**Author:** ![randompattern](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/7993a0/32.png) [@randompattern](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/randompattern)\ **Post date:** [April 9, 2014, 1:34am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-seniors-excel-in-any-areas/685554/43 "2014-04-09T01:34:57Z")
My Dad, in his late 70’s-early 80’s excelled at bitching and moaning about everything to my Mom. Mom on the other hand, excelled at ignoring him. :rolleyes: ---
**Author:** ![HoneyBadgerDC](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/honeybadgerdc/32/1033_2.png) [@HoneyBadgerDC](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/HoneyBadgerDC)\ **Post date:** [April 9, 2014, 1:54am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-seniors-excel-in-any-areas/685554/44 "2014-04-09T01:54:25Z")
At 65 I am surprised at how motivated I feel every day. I have been retired for two years, finished all the projects I had set aside and for the past year I am feeling like I want to start a new career. Something entirely different than I have done so far. I am at least somewhat driven by the knowledge that my time is limited and I feel like whatever I start I need to have it very stable in a short amount of time. ---
**Author:** ![AaronX](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/7bcc69/32.png) [@AaronX](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AaronX)\ **Post date:** [April 10, 2014, 1:57am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-seniors-excel-in-any-areas/685554/45 "2014-04-10T01:57:04Z")
Surviving the Spanish Flu? But I think I have an answer you’re looking for. I saw a study on how old people were better than young at something, I think picking out some kind of sound. Sounds good to be old at first, doesn’t it? It turns out, the old people were better because they were actually worse at tuning out background noise, which the young people were mistaking the sound for. So there’s something that improves with age, although the improvement comes from a declining skill. ---
**Author:** ![j666](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/9de0a6/32.png) [@j666](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/j666)\ **Post date:** [April 10, 2014, 2:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-seniors-excel-in-any-areas/685554/46 "2014-04-10T02:20:34Z")
With age comes diminished speed and the ability to learn new tasks with a physical components (like typing or learning new music). However, with age comes improved ability to find a “work around” and, as noted above, judgement. Younger people need more speed, agility, and ability to learn new skills, because they don’t have adequate experience to a) grasp what is important and b) find the easiest way to get it done. Everything improves with age except the ability to put up with bullshit and cheap liquor. ---
**Author:** ![the\_diego](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/7bcc69/32.png) [@the\_diego](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/the_diego)\ **Post date:** [April 10, 2014, 2:40am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-seniors-excel-in-any-areas/685554/47 "2014-04-10T02:40:00Z")
Management and politics. Aside from experience and having a tract record, the job often requires heavy-weight networks and young-uns are usually disadvantaged in that respect. ---
**Author:** ![handsomeharry](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/e9c0ed/32.png) [@handsomeharry](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/handsomeharry)\ **Post date:** [April 10, 2014, 2:56am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-seniors-excel-in-any-areas/685554/48 "2014-04-10T02:56:56Z")
> [@Little\_Pig](#): > > Yes, the excel as hanging out at boards such as this, seeking truth and wisdom. Well, er, some do. Some, yes. Others, such as myself, don’t mind \*sharing \*vast amounts of truth and wisdom, and straightening out those who disagree with me. I don’t require thanks. I’m glad to be of service. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-seniors-excel-in-any-areas/685554.md?page=2)