Sad to say, I'm on my way...

[Slammer]

Of course, I have just seen that I have not included my location in my profile,
I am British but I live in Switzerland, my CV's have been cast all over the globe like grass-seeds, adapted to the opening at hand, in short there is nothing in my CV's that would point to my age, except the ones I send out here in CH, here you are expected to provide your age, your marital status, what kind of permit you have and of course a photo of yourself.
But that nether here nor there, Europe is looking at a period of implosion in the worst recession to hit the continent since 1929, the unemployment rate for younger persons in Greece for instance is over 60 percent, for Spain 55% and in the entire EU around 30% if the stats are to be believed.
As for the over 50ties, well this is one instance where the EU beats the US hands down and that includes Detroit.
A lost generation is emerging that only knows life on benefits, and as for us, we are simply no longer needed and the world has moved on, leaving us behind.

 

[charles_2012]

Company around my corner is about to go. They do quartery reports for public companies. We all knew how it would end. I remember I used to receive half a dozen of nice booklets every Q - none now.

 

[MailGuru]

If you read (re-read) my post, I never suggested that he sue for discrimination. The point I was making was that employers need to be very careful about what they say, and how they conduct themselves in interviewing new candidates. It costs the non-hired candidate nothing to log a complaint (even anonomously) while it could end up costing you, the employer, thousands, even if you prevail.
-Best

MailGuru

This is the point I was trying to make:

Orlando Sentinel

The cost to the non-hired candidate = $0.00
The cost to defend the claim in legal fees = $200,000 +/- even if they win their case.
If they lose, you've got the legal fees as well as fines and restituition for "loss wages" for all those who did not get hired. That could literally be in the millions of dollars.
Wouldn't it just have been easier to adhere to the law in the first place?

-Best

MailGuru

 

[kansasquaker]

I'm also a computer programmer, have been since back in the days of IBM 360/370 mainframes coding in COBOL & RPG. If I hadn't concentrated on keeping up to date, I would not be hire-able today.

Great news MailGuru, the IRS apparently needs and is having a really hard time finding COBOL programmers.

IRS says it's using technology from JFK's time - Feb. 3, 2015

I remember being introduced to COBOL in a class in 7th grade (around 1993). It was ancient then lol! So, there's a backup plan for you.

 

[MailGuru]

Great news MailGuru, the IRS apparently needs and is having a really hard time finding COBOL programmers.

IRS says it's using technology from JFK's time - Feb. 3, 2015

I remember being introduced to COBOL in a class in 7th grade (around 1993). It was ancient then lol! So, there's a backup plan for you.

Good to know there's always a fall-back plan. Hated COBOL, though. I'd get "writer's cramps" with so much code to write (back then, you hand-wrote your code on pre-formatted coding sheets, then keyed them in - usually to a card-punch machine. Then loaded your card-deck and compiled your code).

Geeze

-MailGuru

 

[Alith7]

Good to know there's always a fall-back plan. Hated COBOL, though. I'd get "writer's cramps" with so much code to write (back then, you hand-wrote your code on pre-formatted coding sheets, then keyed them in - usually to a card-punch machine. Then loaded your card-deck and compiled your code).

Geeze

-MailGuru

since I didn't start coding until the late 90's... ouch... it must have been a HUGE headache if you had a typo...

 

[MailGuru]

since I didn't start coding until the late 90's... ouch... it must have been a HUGE headache if you had a typo...

Oh yeah. When the first "consoles" came out, we thought we'd all died and went to heaven. For the young-ins: back then, there weren't these things called "displays", "monitors" or "CRT's" (Cathode Ray Tube), so, you communicated with the computer by way of a "console" (a type-writer/printer of sorts). You would type in your code or command (which would print while you were typing), and, the computer would print back the results on the same paper. You could easily go through 2 or 3 cases of fan-folded continuous-feed paper a day. Trees? Who cares about trees? LOL

 

[Alith7]

hey! I'm not that young! I clung to my special calibrated CRT for a long time... those "new-fangled" "Flat Screens" were just unreliable.

 

[davarino]

Day-um!

I sure am glad I don't live in the same world as a lot of other folks here.

Of course, there's a lot of crap going on with our business. I remember the same happening in the 70's when linotype operators were losing jobs left and right and letterpressmen were anxious to train on offset as soon as they could.

And it was always the older guys. Not (necessarily) because they were older, but because that was what they knew.

Laddies and lassies... in order to stay competitive we must continue learning and adapting. There are precious few jobs for strippers and stonehands in the first world anymore. There will be precious few jobs for plate burners in five years. That is the way it is.

This is part of why I moved from the plant to the office. And yet things change here, too. Web estimating is moving forward, forward, and "scratch it out on an envelope" is being relegated to the "quick guess" area... which is the road to its slow death.

So yes, either (1) keep complaining and being bitter, or (2) get used to it and find a boss in this contràcting industry who understands that business is about fighting and compromising and learning and doing the impossible every day.

We older people are no more entitled to an easy life or simple choices than the "entitlement" generation is.