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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. Contracting... by cayenne8 · · Score: 5, Interesting
    Get into contracting. If you've not done it before...look around and get with a contracting company....preferrably one that does Federal Govt Contracting.

    Can you survive a clearance check?

    If so, you should have no problem getting on with a company doing DoD contracting....they OFTEN look for years of experience. If you're good, have a decent resume, they will submit you in....they want you to get the jobs so they can get $$ off you.

    The market is often dying to hire people with lots of resume experience.

    You definitely have a leg up on younger programmers.

    --
    Light travels faster than sound. This is why some people appear bright until you hear them speak.........
  2. Expectations by Zarjazz · · Score: 4, Interesting

    I have to ask what your expectations are and be realistic.

    As an employer actively recruiting IT staff at the moment, rare in the current job market I know, and I have a choice between a recent uni-graduate and someone with 15 yrs experience who I can hire for almost the same wages because so many skilled IT staff have been laid off and need to pay their mortgage. For me the choice is obvious, I don't care about the age factor.

    However I also interview many many people who think they deserve to get the same remuneration they got from their high-flying finance job and wonder why they are still jobless after two years.

  3. Re:A+ = F by AK+Marc · · Score: 4, Interesting

    Quoth the un-certified.

    Then hear it from a certified person. I have A+, Network+, Server+, MCSE, CCNP, CCSP, CCDP, CCSE, and about 20 others. I'm a contractor, and for the State of Alaska, to touch a desktop (even to plug in a mouse) as a contractor, you must have A+. To touch a switch (even if just to move it in a rack while it's powered off) you must have Network+. To change tapes in a backup server, you must have Server+. I got those as a condition of employment for a consulting firm. I took 3 tests in 3 days, no studying, passed all three first try.

    They are worthless, and I literally got A+ so I'd be "qualified" to plug in a mouse.

    --
    Learn to love Alaska