In the new meritocracy of Silicon Valley, race, gender and ethnicity are no longer regarded as the impediments to getting ahead. The most difficult barrier to advancement is ageism -- as employment counselors routinely tell clients, "If you want that job, cut your resume in half." PNS correspondent Koren Capozza writes for New California Media, a website spanning the ethnic news media of California's neighborhoods and homelands at www.NCMonline.com.

SAN FRANCISCO -- To be twenty-something and Internet savvy in San Francisco is to be among the most coveted cohort of the labor force. At a recent cocktail party, I met a smug 23-year-old editor for CNET, an S.F. online technology media business who declared in plain terms that youth had triumphed over age and experience in the realm of dot-coms. "I don't have to listen to annoying old people. My managers are all young, cool and fun to hang out with."

Indeed, green and malleable seems to be the mix that the Bay Area's dot-com recruiters troll for. San Francisco's South of Market (SOMA) district, fertile soil for Internet start-up companies, is conspicuously and densely populated by fresh-out-of-college kids.

Why is youth such a commodity? Some recruiters say they have no choice: Older candidates haven't grown up with the Internet and don't understand the lingo and culture of e-business.

"It's more difficult for older professionals to adapt to the fast pace of change," says Kristen Firpo, 27, who runs her own high-technology personnel recruiting business for Bay Area startups. "You need to be able to learn new languages and culture quickly," she adds. And it's not just knowing the programming languages, it's "understanding the Information Technology state of mind."

In the workplace, the MTV-generation lifestyle defines office protocol. Jeans and khakis are standard dress code, and informal conversation dominates business transactions. "A typical set up at a start-up company is a pool table or a ping-pong table right behind the reception area," says Firpo. On-site recreation is key to dot-com office culture which seamlessly melds diversion with work.

"These guys work unbelievable hours. They start at eight and go to 11 at night. On weekends they meet with clients," says Jon Burlinson, 29, who runs his own e-commerce consulting firm, worldsafetynet.com, from San Jose, CA. "You lose an outside social life and gain a business social life," he says. Take for example, Jeffrey Fitterman, 25, who works for a dot-com that offers its New York-based workers a video game playstation, foosball, a stocked bar and "happy hours" on Fridays.

"It's about image," says Terry Lee, 30, concept designer for Ibiztoday.com, a Silicon Valley start-up. "Companies want their front person to fit the profile of young, hip and cutting edge," he says. But behind the scenes, older workers can comfortably settle into managerial-type positions, says Lee. Burlinson agrees: "If you've stepped up the ladder in an appropriate way and you know how to manage people, you can move up into management."

But whether it's deliberate or inadvertent, older professionals are finding themselves ostracized from e-business. "We're seeing older people leaving start-up companies because they are finding it overwhelming to work 60 to 80 hours a week," says Larry Agle, program manager for Lifeplan Center, an S.F. non-profit that helps over-40's cope with job loss.

"They want to get off that track and spend more time with their families," says Agle. Lifeplan Center sees between 30 and 40 clients a month and is receiving more and more inquiries from 40- to 55-year-olds.

In the new dot-com lifestyle, older professionals may have trouble fitting in. "One 45 year-old employee was clearly 15 years older than anyone else in the office," says Burlinson. "Things were changing underneath him and he had a hard time adjusting."

"You see enclaves within the larger offices," says Barb Gomolski, research director for Gartner Institute, a research organization that studies Information Technology work force issues. "Younger people tend to personalize the workplace whereas older folks are still coming to work in a tie."

And it's easy for over-40 professionals to feel disgruntled when they're taking orders from 26-year-old CEO's. "The average age of start-up CEOs is 25 to 36. They don't want to hire employees older than themselves," explains Firpo.

Gomolski says the weeding out of older workers is more deliberate than Human Resource recruiters are willing to admit. She advises over-40 professionals to eliminate graduation dates and other age indicators from their resumes to avoid being victims of ageism. "Companies say, 'we need experience' but when the rubber hits the road, they'll always go for the hot skill over experience," says Gomolski. "Ageism is real in the IT world."

Amidst all the gloating, there are subtle hints of insecurity in the brimming confidence of young professionals. And though they may bask in the sun of success, 25-year-olds are hearing, on occasion, a nagging voice reminding them that they too must grow old, and perhaps fall from IT grace. "It's a little depressing that the average age of my client is 25," says Burlinson who will cross over into the realm of 30-something this year. "It's a constant competition to stay on top."