What fields have the least age discrimination? (IT job, openings, retirement plan)
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I'm 45 and looking at a career change (moving back to the US after over a decade in Europe). Can anyone comment on the prevalence of age discrimination in the following areas for someone my age:
Management accounting (I already know public accounting isn't an option at my age), e.g., cost accountant
Tax accounting
(Corporate) financial analyst/budget analyst
Data analysis (e.g., pricing analyst, business analyst, business-centric data analyst)
Federal jobs (accountant, budget analyst, economist- I already have a bachelor's degree in economics)
I did read the above posts on corporate accounting, but am looking for feedback on the specific positions I mentioned. I understand careers in health care are great, but I think they would be harder for me to re-train for, although there's no reason to re-train for a career which would only offer a low salary.
I just posted my first question at city-data.com a little while ago. (I've read at city-data before but never became a registered user until now.) Do people who post a question receive an email when someone replies to their question, or do they have to come back to city-data to see if there's a reply? Thanks.
Must be a high school graduate but there is a minimum of 10 years training plus 4 days of written testing and if you think the tests are easy you are making the mistake of a lifetime. NICET reports the passage rate for Level III is "less than 20%" but I don't know what the passage rate is for Level IV which is considered the senior level.
The reason you've never heard about us is last time I counted, two years ago, there are 1,241 Level IV certificate holders in the United States.
I'm 45 and looking at a career change (moving back to the US after over a decade in Europe). Can anyone comment on the prevalence of age discrimination in the following areas for someone my age:
Management accounting (I already know public accounting isn't an option at my age), e.g., cost accountant
Tax accounting
(Corporate) financial analyst/budget analyst
Data analysis (e.g., pricing analyst, business analyst, business-centric data analyst)
Age discrimination won't be your issue, the issue will be that there are no jobs that require no experience in any of those roles. So unless you plan on getting tons of internships in your education, your degree will become a decoration.
Quote:
Federal jobs (accountant, budget analyst, economist- I already have a bachelor's degree in economics)
Federal jobs do hire people without experience, however, there are six tons of applicants per slot. You're competing against 100-200 or more applicants per slot. Lottery winner odds.
One problem is that most Federal jobs are in Washington DC. The cost of living there is freakishly ridiculous, and you won't be able to pay your bills on an entry level salary
But there is good news:
There are lots of auditor positions across the country - the military (Department of Army, Navy, Air Force, etc.) has lots of civilian auditor positions, including the DCAA, and they do hire people without experience. They usually hire in huge groups, with dozens of slots in multiple locations, so your odds are better of getting a job.
BUT remember, avoid the expensive places to live because you can't afford to live in an entry level salary in places like San Francisco, NYC, Seattle, DC, etc.) But if you get a job in flyover country, you can life on the entry level salary and move up to the higher levels to make more money.
The thing that continues to boggle my mind, is that Joe Biden is the first presidential candidate to receive over 80 million popular votes. So at 77 years of age, many seemed to have no problems voting him into arguably the most powerful political position in the world.
Yet, people half his age and even much younger (in certain industries like tech) cannot find or keep a job because of age discrimination, and the perception they are too old, weak, feeble minded to adapt and be a high performer.
How would one be able to get into the industry without a certification?
You referenced fire alarm certification but I am most familiar with fire sprinkler layout or design.
Knowing what I know what I would tell someone who really wanted to get into the field is to take a one year course in AutoCad at any local technical college. In the field you may or may not use AutoCad there are other stand alone CAD systems very specific to designing fire sprinkler systems.
For example AutoSprink is very specific to fire sprinkler layout and it isn't cheap like AutoCad.
But companies pay attention to a new trainee who can say they have some AutoCad experience.
Here is the deal.... with a Cad program I can train you for pretty much everything you need to know inside of six months but the actual design is a different story. To achieve Level IV certification it takes a minimum of ten years verifiable experience while passing written tests that take a week.
These tests are not easy... they are designed by NICET which is a Division of the Society of Professional Engineers and the testing shows it. On hydraulics they give you a section on the Hardy Cross Method of solving flows in pipes. As a high school graduate I had to work at that one hiring my daughters high school math teacher for many hours of one on one tutoring.
But even more important is to find a copy of NFPA #13, NFPA #20, NFPA #24 and NFPA#25. If you get the handbooks there's probably 3,000 pages of technical material but it isn't that you know it all that is important but simply that you know where and what it is that will truly impress.
I've done hiring of new trainees for over 30 years now and if someone comes in having never worked in the industry but wanting to learn water based layout they would immediately have my full, locked and undivided attention. I would probably hire the person on the spot. Very basic and having a very basic knowledge of what NICET was... wow, I would be floored.
I love what I do which is why at 72 years old I am still working full time with no plans to quit anytime soon. I don't have to work, financially we would be just fine if i didn't work tomorrow, but for me what I do is a puzzle.... it's a game and it's fun.
Age discrimination doesn't exist and if I went looking for a job I know I would be hired within a week because there isn't anyone else available.
(225 ILCS 317/20)
Sec. 20. Designated certified person requirements.
(a) A designated certified person must either be a current Illinois licensed professional engineer or hold a valid NICET level 3 or higher certification in "fire protection technology, automatic sprinkler system layout".
(b) At least one member of every firm, association, or partnership and at least one corporate officer of every corporation engaged in the installation and repair of fire sprinkler systems must be a designated certified person.
(c) A designated certified person must be employed by the licensee at a business location with a valid license.
Where I work I am the designated certified person and it is my name on the company license in the five states we do business in. By law I must be employed full time and if I leave the company license goes with me unless they find a NICET or Professional Engineer replacement. I am thinking at least 40 of the 50 states have laws similar to what is in Illinois.
Federal projects, Department of Defense for example, require NICET certification as well.
If you really want to get into it you can but it takes effort.
Pay is good and in some areas of the country salary can exceed six figures.
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