ON: Anyone Out There Over 50 Find It Hard Getting A Job?

I really hate BS posts like the above.

No ma'am, I guess you're not stupid. I'm still puzzled by this sort of post, though. I too am 50, and just received word of achieving another major promotion yesterday, that wasn't easy (manager required internal company references from VP or above, plus exec. level from our client), plus presentation on certain topics in front of a panel that was scored. Did that on video conferencing). Friend of mine was just hired as Director of Security Architecture at (a tech major), he's 51. That decision was landed just today, actually, cross my heart: took the call from him hours ago, was thrilled for him as they strung him along about a month which is typical for director level and above these days.

I could find another job in about two to six months, I'm guessing, at my kind of money. Took my pal about that long, he looked while having another job as a security architect lead for another tech major with a distinguished record of achievement himself. He has two bachelors, I have a bachelor's in STEM and two Master's and three highly-relevant tech certs.

Point is some of us have made a very deliberate point to carefully manage the career since Square 1, with some speedbumps. I've had mine! But I also had a relevant STEM degree at 22, worked in the field, transferred laterally to a super-hot field in 1998, and took two steps forward and one back (occasionally) since then including a top-20 MBA from an Ivy *on my dime for the most part* (one employer ponied up $10K, I paid the other $82K with cash saved and loans), which has since paid for itself 3x over.

Where were you during that period? Married, having kids, doing nothing but working clerical? I was director-level eleven years ago at so-and-so staffing, a $3bln company, and traveled nationally sometimes talking to our people in various offices at our managed services. I saw plenty of non-college educated peopled with big ideas, making not much money, and zero plans. They were vulnerable and didn't know it. They'd occasionally be laid off or downsized. The ambitious sales and marketing assistant types had degrees and often defected to our primary client, which we were happy to see. "Ambition" being the key word? I grew very tired of those who in clerical or office manager roles had big ideas and no way to execute nor any concept that they'd better start planning how to *get* there. A few did. One is now a regional manager at the same firm, she shoved all of us out of the way and I admired her absolute drive.

I have sympathy for you because I don't really like to see others fail who have done nothing "wrong" per se. But you're in a pool with hundreds of applicants for low level work. Guess you missed the memo that one needs to apply for unemployment the day you're laid off (I've been laid off a couple times, too: it happens). Rightly or wrongly, absent unique tech skills the barrier to entry for many roles is a bachelor's degree in (something relevant). A woman I dated two years ago who had to take those standardized tests for office clerical work learned how to ace the tests instead of complaining about it, and soon had multiple offers. She took one, after about a month, for $42K which was "good enough" for her and her two kids, she figured (I'd have aimed higher, but she had her reasons).

Last week I interviewed three candidates: two hires, one no. Amusingly enough, as I think on it, the one "no" was probably about thirty five. Hadn't thought on it until now. Age is a huge upside in management consulting and senior level tech roles.

Will end this as I began: if you're having trouble competing against 27 year olds, better think about swimming in a different school of fish.