General Discussion
In reply to the discussion: Unemployable At 50 Fate Of Present And Future Workers [View all]SheilaT
(23,156 posts)With the possible exception of hair color. When my hair first started going gray, when I was just over 40, I did color it, and continued to do so for years. Eventually, my hair was so gray that the roots were showing after the first week, so I let the color grow out. And even with gray hair, I apparently look youthful enough, and I am energetic and extremely healthy, and I constantly astonish people when I tell them how old I actually am (64) because apparently they take me for a decade younger.
The weight thing is crucial. I have a friend who has not been able to find work in her field for several years, and I'm certain her being obese is a large factor. But how can I say anything without seeming cruel?
I have been arguing on DU for some time now that people over the age of 50 really can and do get jobs. Not every single one is permanently unemployable after that age. In some cases, new training would be a good idea. Just be realistic about what you want to train for, and do a little research about job growth in that field. Our junior colleges have excellent programs of many kinds that actually put you on track for a job. The idea that people would change actual careers more than once during their working life has been out there since at least the 1980's. Lifetime employment with one company was something that never really existed, but was a theme of the 1950's. By 1969 or so it was commonly understood that such lifetime employment was long gone.
Oh, brave new world!