The least ageist occupations are in industrys with a low rate of change and where experience increases an employee's value, particularly those which require a high degree of craftsmanship.

Examples would include the following: tailor/dressmaker, watch maker/repairman, cabinet maker/carpenter, typesetter/printer, artist, interpreter/translator.

Government (and, to some extent, education) could be included, too, but that is more because of the difficulty of firing anyone.

Another possibility would be in professions where few or no young people have the necessary skills to maintain critical systems. For example, COBOL programmers.

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?

NP but this is a no-go in government healthcare and or health admin - increasingly a younger person’s field due to technology and even physical requirements. (Former CPR instructor and too many can’t get on the ground to perform chest compressions due to obesity/joint pain/surgeries/health conditions)

I'm an MD and a federal employee, and I'd disagree completely. We are hiring good candidates, and you are suggesting that we not do so because of disability? Multiple problems with that.

1. First, it's illegal. The federal government toes that line very tightly.
2. How much of our time do you think is spent doing chest compressions? Anyone who is trained can compress (nurses, CNAs, med techs, whomever), or you can use a compression device -- I dislike them, but always an option. But you need a provider to run the code, and they are not supposed to be doing the direct work -- they are supposed to be looking at big picture and directing the work.
3. Most of the work that providers do is cerebral. That's making clinical decisions and, if needed, running codes. The money we make for the institution and the critical services we provide are not dependent on being able to get on and off the floor quickly. That would be so little of our job, and it can be done by others.
4. Lastly, we are still hiring people in their 60s and 70s, actively. We have people -- very good docs -- who were are hoping don't reture soon, even though they are past the age they could.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I’m not sure I would put consulting in worst. The partner element of it keeps some dinosaurs around and some big firms will hire from the outside for subject matter experts in specific fields (like tax). So it may be more of a mixed bag.

For all industries, executives and partners are inoculated from ageism. That’s a different thing

Yes, but there are clear ranks and an upward path/natural progression in consulting that make reaching higher levels more common than many places, and the positions more ubiquitous. It is like banking/finance, which was discussed on other threads on this topic as being more friendly to older workers than many industries.

And, again, they will hire older workers with deep expertise in certain topics, like tax.

That’s true those both have an upper out culture, so if you are progressing, you are not there to age in place anyways. That’s why it’s not aged, they got rid of you when you were young.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Nope on higher education unless you are tenured faculty (and good luck with that!). Higher you usually get pushed out as staff when you have kids. When you don't have kids, you get to stay a bit longer.

On the other hand, lots of accomplished professionals find a second act in higher ed as adjuncts or professors of practice.

Haha making peanuts that work out less than minimum wage

Not the point at all. If you could read, my comment was talking about people who have had a successful career and now choose to spend their time teaching. There are a lot of adjuncts like that (was the original idea behind adjuncts, I believe). Question was about ageism, reality is there are a lot of older people in academia.

And professors of practice are well paid, often comparable to other professors of similar rank.

Would also add that business schools, maybe some others like journalism schools hire lecturers who are full time experienced teaching staff.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I’m not sure I would put consulting in worst. The partner element of it keeps some dinosaurs around and some big firms will hire from the outside for subject matter experts in specific fields (like tax). So it may be more of a mixed bag.

For all industries, executives and partners are inoculated from ageism. That’s a different thing

Yes, but there are clear ranks and an upward path/natural progression in consulting that make reaching higher levels more common than many places, and the positions more ubiquitous. It is like banking/finance, which was discussed on other threads on this topic as being more friendly to older workers than many industries.

And, again, they will hire older workers with deep expertise in certain topics, like tax.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Nope on higher education unless you are tenured faculty (and good luck with that!). Higher you usually get pushed out as staff when you have kids. When you don't have kids, you get to stay a bit longer.

On the other hand, lots of accomplished professionals find a second act in higher ed as adjuncts or professors of practice.

Haha making peanuts that work out less than minimum wage

Not the point at all. If you could read, my comment was talking about people who have had a successful career and now choose to spend their time teaching. There are a lot of adjuncts like that (was the original idea behind adjuncts, I believe). Question was about ageism, reality is there are a lot of older people in academia.

And professors of practice are well paid, often comparable to other professors of similar rank.

GenX is about to become Madame President.

GenXer woman here. Sometimes we really need to stop whining.

It's an up or out system. We need to move on. Keep moving and progressing. Let the young ones take our jobs

I wanted to start my own business in my 30s. Here's my chance.

I just can't deal with corporate BS anymore.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Nope on higher education unless you are tenured faculty (and good luck with that!). Higher you usually get pushed out as staff when you have kids. When you don't have kids, you get to stay a bit longer.

On the other hand, lots of accomplished professionals find a second act in higher ed as adjuncts or professors of practice.

Haha making peanuts that work out less than minimum wage

+1 I know a PhD who compares adjuncts to actors who think doing porn will get them into acting.

Being the boss is pretty much agism proof in any industry

Anonymous wrote:This whole ageism stuff is really depressing folks. Not everyone has had the luck despite hard work of a very high paying job by 50. Now if these people are likely going to be laid off and never be able to find another professional job again after 60 then this country is in serious trouble.

Unfortunately this is true..and that's why when stupid articles are written about the 401k millionaires (never mind they used average as opposed to median but that's another topic of discussion) we are giving people a false sense of security..the truth is the government says yeah work until you are 67 but the private sector says hey hmm 59 maybe you should retire. Big disconnect.

And corporations in this country are unbelievably powerful and it benefits them financially to show you the door earlier.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Nope on higher education unless you are tenured faculty (and good luck with that!). Higher you usually get pushed out as staff when you have kids. When you don't have kids, you get to stay a bit longer.

On the other hand, lots of accomplished professionals find a second act in higher ed as adjuncts or professors of practice.

Haha making peanuts that work out less than minimum wage

Anonymous wrote:I’m not sure I would put consulting in worst. The partner element of it keeps some dinosaurs around and some big firms will hire from the outside for subject matter experts in specific fields (like tax). So it may be more of a mixed bag.

For all industries, executives and partners are inoculated from ageism. That’s a different thing

I’m not sure I would put consulting in worst. The partner element of it keeps some dinosaurs around and some big firms will hire from the outside for subject matter experts in specific fields (like tax). So it may be more of a mixed bag.

Anonymous wrote:Nope on higher education unless you are tenured faculty (and good luck with that!). Higher you usually get pushed out as staff when you have kids. When you don't have kids, you get to stay a bit longer.

On the other hand, lots of accomplished professionals find a second act in higher ed as adjuncts or professors of practice.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:This whole ageism stuff is really depressing folks. Not everyone has had the luck despite hard work of a very high paying job by 50. Now if these people are likely going to be laid off and never be able to find another professional job again after 60 then this country is in serious trouble.

It is! And I'm wondering why all the attention now??!!!

Because BOOMERS never experienced Ageism? They were worshiped for their wisdom and knowledge and dug in and stayed in their senior roles as long as they wanted - 60s, 70s.

Because GEN X is now the ones aging and we always get the shaft? What else is new.

Because millennials (the younger ones anyways; the older ones are in the same boat as genx) are now hiring managers and they are ageist?

I hate generational generalizations, but this one is truly generational and I'd like to understand.

GenX rarely gets to advance to leadership because of toadstool Boomers. So hitting 50s and 60s — C-YA!