Some of the headlines on the Katie Holmes initiated divorce note that Tom Cruise is 50 years old.
The message embedded seems to be that he loses the prop of a youthful other half. Both equity and plain vanilla partners are lobbying organizations such as the American Bar Association to end the mandatory retirement age. Others are suing because of alleged shabby treatment as they age. And both we Baby Boomers and the first wave of Generation Xers have done the math and figured out that we need to work until our 70s and 80s.
Yet, it's dawning on us strivers that ageism trumps a track record and talent. In this article for the WALL STREET JOB REPORT, I chronicle how jaws drop when we show up for in-person interviews. Although I had been a civil rights activist, not until now have I experienced what it must to have been to be a person of color who kept getting turned down for jobs. To paraphrase Louie Armstrong, the sin is in our age.
A progressive society - and Obamacare demonstrated that America still is that - has to take on two new missions. One is educating us how to "fish" in this changing marketplace so that we do have skills to sell. The other is eradicating ageism in the workplace. The federal government has been successful in going underground, almost like investigative reporters, and unmasking child porn and insider training. Why don't they put together stings to catch employers and temporary search firms discriminating against those over 50? We need an analogue of Preet Bharara.
I assumed the worst in my career was over when I dusted myself off at age 58 from the collapse of my communications boutique (Download Geezerguts). How tragically wrong I was. That's why I later published the book "Over-50: How We Keep Working." Here is the speech I delivered at the New York State Bar Association on transitions after 50, which has been published in VITAL SPEECHES OF THE DAY Download NYSBAtalkinVITALSPEECHESOFDAY.
Jane Genova provides complimentary career coaching consultations (mgenova981@aol.com). Check out if coaching can help you keep working.
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