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Ask Slashdot: Finding Work Over 60?

Posted by timothy on from the speak-up-sonny dept.

First time accepted submitter Hatfield56 writes "I've been in IT since the mid-1980s, mainly working for financial institutions. After 16 years at a company, as a programmer (Java, C#, PL/SQL, some Unix scripting) and technical lead, my job was outsourced. That was in 2009 when the job market was basically dead. After many false starts, here I am 3 years later wondering what to do. I'm sure if I were 40 I'd be working already but over 60 you might as well be dead. SO, I'm wondering about A+. Does anyone think that this will make me more employable? Or should I being a greeter at Walmart?"

3 of 306 comments (clear)

  1. IT jobs at 60. by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 4, Informative

    I feel for you. I was laid off 6 years ago at 50 and I finally got a state IT tech job for way, waaaaayyyyyy less money.

    I have almost built back up to where I was 7 years sgo but it was tough.

    A+ or any of the other minor certs will not make much difference in your job marketability.

    1. Re:IT jobs at 60. by eln · · Score: 5, Informative

      Just so you know, asking an older person for their retirement plans in an interview or at any point during the hiring process can open you up to a very costly age discrimination lawsuit. Not hiring people over 40 because you think they'll ask for too much money will do the same. If you're simply reporting that people that age tend to ask for too much money that's one thing, but if you're proactively screening out older applicants because you think they might ask for too much money, that's against the law.

  2. Call me new-fashioned by Xacid · · Score: 4, Informative

    But when I interview I look for a few things: technical merit, reliable, personality, enthusiasm.

    It doesn't even cross my mind that an older candidate wouldn't be qualified. Often, I expect them to have a mountain of experience that could get absorbed into the company. What I've run into though is the older folks often don't have that "nerd enthusiasm", haven't kept their skills current, or are just stuffy with no sense of humor. Maybe it's a generational thing? But a young person with the same ailments wouldn't have a shot here either.