Ageism

Jimmyhologram

In recent thread on this forum, somebody mentioned that they knew many people who had returned to education, only to find that it was impossible to find work, and that they felt that (economic downturn notwithstanding) ageism was a key factor.

It seems to me that this is an under-discussed aspect of changing career, with the majority of people adamant that it's never too late to start anew.

At what age does it begin to have an impact? And does it vary from industry to industry?

I ask because I am thinking of trying to make a start in accountancy (no previous experience or training, have degree in unrelated field). I am in my early thirties and am wondering if potential employers will see me as being past it when I'm 35/36 or maybe even already.

Delancey

Ageism is alive and well in the Banking / Finance sector - I did a diploma and part of the course included an unpaid placement within the funds industry - myself and the older students struggled to even get interviews for placements whereas the younger people ( regardless of how crap they were doing in their exams ) were having no trouble getting interviews and placements.
Had I known it was so rife I would not have bothered with the course.

Jimmyhologram

Delancey wrote: »

Ageism is alive and well in the Banking / Finance sector - I did a diploma and part of the course included an unpaid placement within the funds industry - myself and the older students struggled to even get interviews for placements whereas the younger people ( regardless of how crap they were doing in their exams ) were having no trouble getting interviews and placements.
Had I known it was so rife I would not have bothered with the course.

That sounds pretty lousy, Delancey, must have been so frustrating.

donegal11

What do you mean by older Delancey, 30 ?

ABajaninCork

30 - you're OK. After 40 it gets a whole lot harder. After 50 - forget it!!

Jimmyhologram

Here's another thing that has struck me recently.

Whenever the topic of career change comes up, inevitably someone will tout the statistic: "People nowadays change careers on average 6 or 7 times throughout their lifetime".

This is all very reassuring, but does the statistic really mean that you have happy-go-lucky professionals hopping from one field to another every decade or so?

From my experience, probably not. If people manage one such significant change, they'll be doing well, and it will not be without significant cost and risk (and the possibility of encountering ageism is one such potential risk.)

My hunch is that the average is so high on account of low-grade, unqualified workers who might move between cleaning, answering telephones or waiting tables in a single decade. And those transitions, by and large, are made in response to financial necessity and the vagaries of circumstance rather than pursuing ones dreams. It would be absurd, in most cases, to refer to such a transition as a "career change". But then, again, this is just my own speculation and I may be wrong.

Jimmyhologram

By the way, hope this thread is not a terrible killjoy for those about to make the leap. As I say, I'm going to try to have a stab at things myself, and would generally by an advocate of the "just do it" approach in many respects.

However, we shouldn't go into these things with our eyes closed either.