[quote=SK in CV][quote=UCGal]The guy who’s back in school is changing careers, his age was a huge factor in why he couldn’t find a job. No one wants to hire a 55ish high tech employee who’s spent 20 years at the same company. Another friend has strung together a series of contract/consulting gigs. But there are gaps between them. She’s cut her living expenses to the bone because her savings are gone after 2 years of this. The third friend is working half time at a much lower hourly rate… and glad to be working.
They have in common that they are all over 45. Younger friends were able to find new gigs easier. Ageism is a killer in this recession. Since I’m not young it terrifies me.[/quote]
This sure hits home. I’m almost that guy. 55ish. 12 years at the same company. Spent 10 months out of work. A few consulting gigs along the way. People kept telling me that I was being too picky. I was fortunate, that I could have afforded to be picky, but I wasn’t. Probably 750 resumes sent out. Less than 6 interviews. One job offer, where the prospective employer loved me but suggested I not take the job. (It paid $30K. I didn’t know that going in.) I didn’t take it. Besides that, 2 live positions that I wanted. Both hired people 20 years younger.
I was lucky, really lucky. Sent my resume at exactly the right minute. I ended up with a job that’s better than any job that I ever dreamed of getting. In tech too (though that’s only a coincidence, it wasn’t a requirement I had.) But I had to leave town to get it. Job market for those over 50 in san diego sucks beyond belief.[/quote]
Wow, the pay for that job is insane! That must have been a very low point when you heard that number.
So glad you’ve managed to find a great job with a good salary. Hope it lasts for as long as you want to stay there.
FWIW, this is why unions have seniority policies — it’s to protect against age discrimination, which is rampant, unfortunately.
