S/O Ageism-proof professions/industries?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I'm in healthcare. We hired a 70 something in April at top pay and she just left because she was poached for even higher pay by another hospital.

Nurse?

No, I'm in laboratory science/blood bank. As long as you can keep up with the ever-changing software and your eyes are good enough to look through a microscope we don't care how old you are.

What did you do to get there?

[Anonymous]

Porn.

So shocking there’s mature and granny porn, but there is!

[Anonymous]

I would say accounting. Not necessarily for permanent jobs, but if you want to be an interim or do project consulting, there is usually something available. As a colleague put it, there may not be a lot of regular jobs, but there's a lot of work that needs to get done.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Porn.

So shocking there’s mature and granny porn, but there is!

There may be a lot of it but I would bet it accounts for less than 10%, maybe even less than 5%, of all porn out there. That means many people doing the other 90% of porn will age out.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Healthcare, especially nursing, can be physically taxing. Lots of strain and repetitive stress injuries.

Dentistry seems to be age proof. My childhood dentist, who was also my mom's dentist in her teens, just retired this year in his 80s.

I don't think dentistry really counts because you are effectively a business owner and any business owner that can successfully market their practice to clients will not be subject to ageism. Admittedly dentists have the advantage that their customers are generally repeat customers and there is probably an inertia to switching unless people move, insurance changes or they screw something up.

[Anonymous]

I would say attorney, but I see some people on here disagree. I’ve seen several attorneys working in their 70s. If you’re an equity partner, you own part of the business and would have to be forced out / bought out / voted out. If you’re a solo, you can still practice if you have clients.

[Anonymous]

Govt is where old people go to die

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I would say accounting. Not necessarily for permanent jobs, but if you want to be an interim or do project consulting, there is usually something available. As a colleague put it, there may not be a lot of regular jobs, but there's a lot of work that needs to get done.

100% accounting. About 75% of my department is aged 40+.

[Anonymous]

Tech isn't inherently ageist, IMO. It's a field that:

1) is fast paced
2) rewards current skills
3) rewards demonstrable output

As we age (myself included), fewer of us have the energy or inclination to meet those criteria. Hell, I didn't want to keep pace with emerging tech 5 years into my career, let alone 20. Layer on top of that the demands of middle-age - families, aging parents, life in general - and there's a disconnect between the demands of the industry and what some aging people are able to deliver.

There are PLENTY of 50, 60, 70 year olds in tech. But, as a percentage, they drop off over time because of the above.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Tech isn't inherently ageist, IMO. It's a field that:

1) is fast paced
2) rewards current skills
3) rewards demonstrable output

As we age (myself included), fewer of us have the energy or inclination to meet those criteria. Hell, I didn't want to keep pace with emerging tech 5 years into my career, let alone 20. Layer on top of that the demands of middle-age - families, aging parents, life in general - and there's a disconnect between the demands of the industry and what some aging people are able to deliver.

There are PLENTY of 50, 60, 70 year olds in tech. But, as a percentage, they drop off over time because of the above.

One would think the people with young kids are in their 30s and one’s with aging parents are in their 60s. That leaves 45-55 open for those types of work.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Tech isn't inherently ageist, IMO. It's a field that:

1) is fast paced
2) rewards current skills
3) rewards demonstrable output

As we age (myself included), fewer of us have the energy or inclination to meet those criteria. Hell, I didn't want to keep pace with emerging tech 5 years into my career, let alone 20. Layer on top of that the demands of middle-age - families, aging parents, life in general - and there's a disconnect between the demands of the industry and what some aging people are able to deliver.

There are PLENTY of 50, 60, 70 year olds in tech. But, as a percentage, they drop off over time because of the above.

One would think the people with young kids are in their 30s and one’s with aging parents are in their 60s. That leaves 45-55 open for those types of work.

PP here. I think your math is a bit off:

https://www.ssa.gov/oact/STATS/table4c6.html
and
https://www.deseret.com/2023/1/31/23579520/first-time-mothers-are-older/

For example, I'm 46. I have kids in elementary, middle and high school. My parents are in their 70s and showing signs of age-related decline. Once I had my first kid at 30, there's no "hey, everybody's independent so I can really focus exclusively on myself" period of time until my children all go to college and (sadly) my parent die. Not that I'm eager for either event, but that's the reality.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Tech isn't inherently ageist, IMO. It's a field that:

1) is fast paced
2) rewards current skills
3) rewards demonstrable output

As we age (myself included), fewer of us have the energy or inclination to meet those criteria. Hell, I didn't want to keep pace with emerging tech 5 years into my career, let alone 20. Layer on top of that the demands of middle-age - families, aging parents, life in general - and there's a disconnect between the demands of the industry and what some aging people are able to deliver.

There are PLENTY of 50, 60, 70 year olds in tech. But, as a percentage, they drop off over time because of the above.

Disagree as they are constantly trying to use offshore ppl. I've seen good ppl given the ax or forced into early retirement in their 40s.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:GenX is about to become Madame President.

Yes, but she had to kick the old fart to the curb first, as he wasn’t ready to retire at 81.
So what is the lesson learned here?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Tech isn't inherently ageist, IMO. It's a field that:

1) is fast paced
2) rewards current skills
3) rewards demonstrable output

As we age (myself included), fewer of us have the energy or inclination to meet those criteria. Hell, I didn't want to keep pace with emerging tech 5 years into my career, let alone 20. Layer on top of that the demands of middle-age - families, aging parents, life in general - and there's a disconnect between the demands of the industry and what some aging people are able to deliver.

There are PLENTY of 50, 60, 70 year olds in tech. But, as a percentage, they drop off over time because of the above.

Disagree as they are constantly trying to use offshore ppl. I've seen good ppl given the ax or forced into early retirement in their 40s.

That's true, but I don't think that's age-related. I've moved 40% of my team offshore for cost savings, but I'm still hiring people of all ages in multiple countries.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Healthcare, especially nursing, can be physically taxing. Lots of strain and repetitive stress injuries.

Dentistry seems to be age proof. My childhood dentist, who was also my mom's dentist in her teens, just retired this year in his 80s.

I don't think dentistry really counts because you are effectively a business owner and any business owner that can successfully market their practice to clients will not be subject to ageism. Admittedly dentists have the advantage that their customers are generally repeat customers and there is probably an inertia to switching unless people move, insurance changes or they screw something up.

Along those lines, my dad still has his solo law practice in his 80s. He's not working nearly as much as he did when he was younger, but he still has some clients and goes to court a few times a week.

Reading this thread carefully as I'm now in my 50s but may be job hunting soon, and feeling spooked.