Don’t think for a minute if you are over 40 years of age that you won’t at one time in your life experience age discrimination in hiring practices. Oh excuse me did I say once? That is the joke of the century because if you happen to be over 40 years of age and looking for a job you will find most companies have a skewed perspective when it comes to hiring someone that has years of experience.
The common denominator for age discrimination in hiring practices seems to be a combination of being overqualified and over educated. Is there a way to get around the serious catch 22 scenario of being prepared and following the social paradigm of graduating high school, going to college and getting a good job with benefits, and I use this term loosely?
As parents we prepare our children to do the right thing and follow the rules accepted by society which include going to school, being good students and going to college and graduating with the hopes of starting a career or acquiring a good job with benefits. Depending on where you are in life belief in that paradigm has fallen by the way side particularly for unemployed adults over 40 who have found themselves unemployed and trying to fit in the current job market. One has to ask if age discrimination in hiring practices an issue with today’s unemployment rate. It is without a doubt most definitely a factor in weighing who gets the job.
As an employer do you want the fresh new student out of college that is hungry for a job or do you go with the experienced well educated, sometimes over educated and over experienced worker, the opportunity at a position? Depending on your skill set you might find yourself being overlooked and rejected for the position you know you quality for.
So as a worker over 40 or 50 what do you do? Decide what it is you really want to do and if it is worth it to rejoin the rat race. Look at your skills set and ask yourself about retooling your skills. With that look at the trend of technology and careers that have to do with saving the environment. This is not to say go back to school again and add another degree to your dossier but look at the statistics for up and coming job trends before retooling and considering another degree to frame and hang on the wall which will make you possibly even more over qualified. If all else fails, follow the dream that is in your heart and make it work by whatever means necessary.