Aerticle: https://www.propublica.org/article/older-workers-united-states-pushed-out-of-work-forced-retirement
#1
I was job-hunting earlier this year, driven but a desire to quit, but then hastened by my then employer. Prompted by a NY Times article, decided to analyze my rejection rate, the proportion of resume submissions to the relative successes of my last job search. I had started looking in early 2017, but not seriously until the end of the year and the beginning of 2018:
- 43 companies received my resume
- 28 submissions from me
- 15 for which I was recruited
- 15 phone interviews, usually the roles from recruiters
- 12 on-site interviews, or multiples of
- 1 offer
- 3 that I declined to continue
- 8 roles for which I was grossly overqualified, but roles I could enjoy
- 2 were a stretch
- 5 roles in another domain, for which I was technically overqualified
I could have done without the direct submissions as historically all of my roles have come from recruiters, and I turned down many opportunities from recruiters for companies that had middling Glassdoor ratings. In retrospect, it's a pretty high rejection rate, but I've been lucky. Granted, I have desirable tech skills, fairly current, in a generally hot market. My new employer is considered one of the best companies for which to work, with great benefits, close enough I can walk to work in 15 minutes, appreciated for the quality of my work, and beginning next year, working from home 2 days a week. Pay and benefits are comparable, but I won't be getting a 30% bonus as I would in finance, but then again, I can appreciate the mission of what my organization does, curing cancer - in finance, I could only feel a mixture of emotions, considering what finance services.
#2
My background is a bit of a hodgepodge, although I was a CS major in the early 80's, financial issues forced me to drop out. When I went back I focused on getting out of an undergrad so I could get a Masters in Public Health (MPH) or Physician's Assistant (PA) degree. I finished with a BA, Psych in Lab Science, and sed my CS background to do statistics with SAS for my major, but then never went for the medical world. I got into technology doing desktop/server support, moved toward project management and team leadership roles, working on an MBA but then transitioned to software development. Been working in the latter for the past 15 years, with forays into projects and leadership, and currently just doing software development. Lucky to have been hired in the past year by a high-ranking company known for keeping employees long-term, although I have heard of some people being pushed out in other areas, but more likely senior managers.
#3
As for the math background, it certainly is in demand, but it seems that you'll have to deal with credentialization. I've detailed some of my own frustrations transitioning to data analytic roles, but my problem is less with programming than with having an academic background in math and statistics. I've considered going to a high-profile certificate or graduate programs for data and AI to get 'my card stamped'. I think I have the skills in programming and analysis, and have done much of the work required of some graduate programs, so need to formalize it.
#4
As some have mentioned, this is somewhat lopsided and doesn't deal a larger picture changes to US employment. Some thoughts:
- Young workers suffering under heavy debt, often for low-end of no jobs
- Older workers being pushed out for cheaper, younger and/or foreign workers
- Destruction of the social safety net
- Grossly unequal profit distributions, i.e., inequality and the 1%
- Bias against minorities in hiring
- Bias against women in hiring and wages, or unequal treatment
- Sexist and racist backlashes against diversity
- Loss of unions for manufacturing, with no corresponding increase for service workers
- Lack of enforcement for existing laws, let along new ones for equal treatment
#5
As individuals, most of us in the US are affected in different ways, but until we push back against the general destruction of our welfare, it will only get worse, and better only for a shrinking minority of educated, affluent, grad school-educated workers and the owners of our corporations.
#6
I know of high-level people that have moved for opportunities since there are only so many high-ranking roles in any one are, but as mentioned, it is simply not realistic for most people, and that is what we are discussing. As for not investing in education and career, for some that might be true, but there are many, many instances where it simply does not matter. Learning is often useless unless someone is willing to hire you for something you have learned but not done, or wants it on your current job. Even then, not everyone wants to compete for their jobs all of their lives. For some of us, always learning and pushing is normal, but why should the exception be the norm?
#7
No, learning is often useless, not because one learns useless things, it's just that no one will pay people for what they learn. As for mobility, the problems created our increasing plutocratic society make mobility a losing game for those below the upper of the income scale. You really are advocating a losing game, where some individuals win, but most people lose out in a competitive downward spiral.
#8
As I advocated before, we need to see the bigger picture, and deal with that globally, not simply play 'whack-a-mole'. The problems that I outlined, to which I think we need a comprehensive employment solution, one that supports education, social welfare, and some semblance of security for most people:
- Young workers suffering under heavy debt, often for low-end or no jobs
- Loss of governmental support for education, vocational and academic
- Older workers being pushed out for cheaper, younger and/or foreign workers
- Destruction of the social safety net
- Grossly unequal profit distributions, i.e., inequality and the 1%
- Bias against minorities in hiring, or unequal treatment
- Bias against women in hiring and wages, or unequal treatment
- Sexist and racist backlashes against diversity
- Loss of unions for manufacturing, with no corresponding increase for service workers
- Lack of enforcement for existing laws, let alone new ones to deal with unfair treatment
Solve these problems, not argue for narrow solutions that only work for a minority of people, i.e., you.
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