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Moxie's avatar

Try getting a job as a 55 year old in the IT industry where you've spent 30 years of your career building. They don't want you. Your comment about adjusting the retirement age assumes a level playing field.

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Kurt's avatar

Got that right. Adjusting the retirement age is just another ploy for them to configure their algorithms to calculate when the geezers are dying off in sufficient quantity as to not represent a threat at the polls. Any of the construction trades are easily toasted at 65, as are ALL of the essential services I keep hearing about that everyone is so glad to express their gratitude to but shaft in the ribs backstage...that are in that boat. Fuck adjusting the retirement age; we need a new program, if there's any program at all.

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Diogenes's avatar

I don't know if you read the Harper story I linked, but that is what I took from it. There was no talk of how existing programs have failed them. It instead paints a portrait of their challenges that I think forces us to imagine a different system for retirement.

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Kurt's avatar

I did read it. Digression happens. I read the comments in here and sometimes wonder how the fuck people extrapolate from MT to God knows what else. Maybe I did it here.

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Diogenes's avatar

Well, in this case you extrapolated correctly, so I was going to congratulate you for getting it right and saving yourself some time to boot.

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Michael D (Piketty)'s avatar

As a +55 in the IT industry (not an engineer) i certainly understand your concern on this.

Personally i have constantly upgraded my skill set and volunteered to take on new challenges and learn about the latest and greatest far in advance of it becoming widly adapted. That give me the advantage of early adopter over skilled worker, where the young do have advantages..

This approach ha landed me in consulting but i am already planning my next move for 5yrs from now when i hit 60 i will get myself into role that values my charm, good looks and gray hair

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BillPD's avatar

The scourge of the best woman actresses. I feel for you, Moxie.

I have found that a few good programmers with lacking social skills have soured the market for what was once viewed as wizardry.

And the reality matches neither: a lot of tech pros in their fifties are great folks to be around yet are just normal roll-up-the-sleeves problem solvers like everyone else.

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Trollificus's avatar

Sorry about that, but I was looking back to what I learned 30 years ago, about IT, and realized it was more useless than the random bits of minor league stats I remember for players from the 50s and 60s.

There is nothing with less value than outdated tech knowledge.

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Moxie's avatar

What an outrageous comment betraying your abject ignorance and arrogance. As if I have learned nothing after year 1 of a 30 year career. GFY.

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Trollificus's avatar

Sorry, didn't realize you were so prickly and thin-skinned. Bad combination. I've no doubt you've kept up and been treated unfairly. My comment was on the complete worthlessness of dated tech learning. It doesn't even form much of a useful foundation for understanding anything that's being done today. I changed fields, eventually.

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Lightwing's avatar

Dude, take a chill pill. He was referencing himself, not knocking you.

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