Yeah - not thinking tech skills. More along the lines of sometimes it's nice to hash things out with people who are approximately same age/experience level. I love working with younger devs and manage/mentor and appreciate the energy and perspective. But at the same time it's fun to shoot the breeze with someone who lived through the EJB hype in Java land to give a specific example.
I know exactly what you mean. Younger people almost all actually believe the hype of each fad and don’t realize when they’re reinventing the wheel. If you’re surrounded exclusively with people like this, you’ll go insane. I have no solution, just empathy.
Most of my closest friends are also older developers, and we talk shop a lot.
Have you accumulated a professional network of colleagues? If so, you might consider adopting a habit of inviting them out to lunch or something every so often, just to shoot the breeze. They may be feeling the same need for casual connection just as you are, and it comes with the benefit of keeping your professional network fresh.
