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As to the poster who said that they should be managers at that age, SERIOUSLY? That is a very narrow view... and shows a lack of understanding of many areas of business. Consider a company, divided up into 5 divisions. Each division employs 20-30 employees. If all those current employees are in their 20s/30s, in 20/30 years - will they ALL be managers? Of course not. And not everyone could/should be a boss. That is another naive point of view. Those points of view seem to permeate our still 'youth obsessed' culture.
Should they all be managers in 20 years? Probably. Or else they should find another profession.
Does a company want them to be in that position for 20 years? Probably not. You want them moving in to upper level positions. You want new people moving through your organization and the best way to do that is to bring them in at lower level positions.
And at some point it does come down to money. Lower level positions just don't need that much experience. So after 20 years of annual raises that person is going to be way overpaid.
1. They take brown nosing the managers to a whole new level, to keep their jobs. These are people who have worked at the same place for 20 years, and moved up, but hit a cieling, usually because they did not go to college, and learned the business from working.
2. If they do lose their jobs, they usually end up in some marginal position like doing security work, usher jobs, jobs in stores. The reason these emplyees are a good deal for employers is that they never miss work, never want days off, want to work holidays for extra pay.
3. Or they stay home, bitter, frustrated, have a spouse who is working, so they just rail against an unfair world.
Sadly, the days of being able to work at the same job to retirement are over. I also think people need to be more mobile, and even home ownership is a ball and chain in this new environment of move where the work is...constantly upgrade your skills, stay ahead in your field, network like crazy, and, this is true, stay in shape...no one wants fat, old workers. A reality of our times.
Location: East of Seattle since 1992, 615' Elevation, Zone 8b - originally from SF Bay Area
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I hear this a lot but do not see it. I got a job with my current employer at age 57, was promoted to manager a year later. We have since hired probably
10 people from ages 25 to 54. We simply hire the best qualified person for the job regardless of age. Some are clearly overqualified but it's the manager's job to keep the work interesting and challenging, and older people are more likely to stay at least 10 years to get a retirement. The younger ones are more likely to jump ship when the economy improves and they have gotten
some experience working for us.
Location: Stuck on the East Coast, hoping to head West
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I'm in my 40's and I'm not management any more--I absolutely don't want to be. When I was in my 20's and 30's, I wanted to put in the hours and move ahead. And I did that---successfully. Now that I'm getting older, I could care less about my career. I want to work as little as possible with as little stress as possible and spend my time having fun with family and friends. I have older friends who feel exactly the same way. I've accumulated assets & $ to do what I want when I want. Quite frankly management positions and much of the corporate world interfere with that mindset.
I think it may be a bit of a myth that older workers are pushed out---a lot of us saw the light and simply chose to walk away.
I'm in my 40's and I'm not management any more--I absolutely don't want to be. When I was in my 20's and 30's, I wanted to put in the hours and move ahead. And I did that---successfully. Now that I'm getting older, I could care less about my career. I want to work as little as possible with as little stress as possible and spend my time having fun with family and friends. I have older friends who feel exactly the same way. I've accumulated assets & $ to do what I want when I want. Quite frankly management positions and much of the corporate world interfere with that mindset.
I think it may be a bit of a myth that older workers are pushed out---a lot of us saw the light and simply chose to walk away.
I did the exact same thing. Unfortunately, I only walked away from management ~ I'm still in corporate america in an 'individual contributor' role. I have a lot more freedom to come and go in this role which is helpful with a kid still in HS.
It is scary because the older workers are the first to go - usually because they are the highest paid and/or eligible for retirement.
The ones that have survived (hopefully I'm one of them) have carved out a niche for themselves in a specialized field. I take on things that give me a specialized knowledge in a particular area, one that no one else particularly wants or already has. It's not fun and it's a PIA but I pinch myself when I'm about to complain about it and hope for the best!
Because of the OP's original post ~ I have thought about getting back into management . . . but I don't know if it's because I would enjoy it again OR just to save my a@@.
How do you REALLY know someone's age unless you ask them? There are lots of folks that look young for their age - they color their hair, stay fit, and could easily look 10 or 15 years younger than they really are.
Maybe you think they are 38...but maybe they are really 50. You just think there are no older workers. Possibly, there are not many workers that appear to be older.
Gray hair is the big giveaway. It's pretty easy to hide the gray.
FYI...Management is not the career path for many folks. In some professions, the pay can be just as good, or sometimes higher, for non-mgt positions. Why be responsible for a team of folks versus only be responsible for yourself...if the pay is the same or better for being non-mgt? IT is one example. Also in IT, you're employability is much greater when you keep your hands-on technical skills. Managers might lose those skills when they moved into mgt so they will have a much harder time landing a new job.
My observations have been that older workers are let go when they get complacent with their skills, whether they are managerial or not.
Right now most jobs seek individuals with 10 years or less of experience because these workers are cheaper--not necessarily because employers wouldn't choose more experience if they could afford it. In my field, I see plenty of managerial jobs described as '15+ years' of experience, and while technically that means anyone over 40 could apply, the jobs tend to be filled by people in their 50s.
When a job ad is asking for 5 years experience....They mean "at least" 5 years. Folks with 10 or 15 years experience can easily qualify and often are hired.
These companies don't ask for 15 or 20 years because they decide that at least 5 years is good enough experience to be competent in that specialty.
Often jobs ads say "minimum qualifications" 5 years experience (aka 5 years or more) . Just as when they are asking for a 4 year degree. It does not mean they will exclude someone with a masters degree.
kodaka, In addition, the older workers often get complacent, something most newbies will be afraid to do. BTW, I'm older myself, and guard against such tendencies. They are natural, but no job should ever be viewed as an annuity. It should be viewed as needing to be earned evry single day, week, month, and year.
Twice in this thread it was posted that older workers can get "complacent". WHAT?
After reading this thread, I realize there is a mindset in some folks to discriminate against older workers simply due to their age. I don't think there is an intent to discriminate, but there is a mindset that older workers are too slow or not up to speed or complacent or whatever other word or term someone will use.
I read articles where older workers try their best to appear young so they could compete in the corporate world- even to the point of getting cosmetic enhancements to look younger. If you look young, nobody will know you are old so they won't discriminate or make assumptions about your lack of upward mobility, slowness, potential for health issues, etc. When I read that article, I didn't get it. After reading these posts, I get it.
Last edited by sware2cod; 01-07-2012 at 03:23 PM..
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