Too old to be hired at 50 ?
- Thread starter Dr.Debt
- Start date
Maybe too late for people over 50 to start all over again but just wondering for any young person reading this thread what skills/trades are you referring to that are so scarce?
For anyone in Ireland what are their options to learn these trades and how long would it take them to do so? Is Fas an option?
I think you had a post on this a very long time ago but I can't find it now.
Very worrying as i am 50 this year and looks like my job is going early 2013, things dont look good for me
Hi glynner,
Sorry to hear that. On the plus side, it looks like you have some bit of notice which is good. If I were in your situation I would make a list of all the skills you have and what you would be most interested in working as. I'd ignore job sites until I've done this. Some skills that you have that you might think are insignificant could very well be the ones an employer is looking for. For example if you can demonstrate that you are practical, friendly and calm in a crisis you'll easily beat competition from someone half your age for certain positions.
Another thing to bear in mind is that job descriptions from employers are essentially a wishlist, and sometimes it is clear from the skills and experience that an employer is looking for that they will not find anybody at the salary on offer. I went for a position once where I had less than 50% of the technical skills that were listed as compulsory on the job description. I accepted the job offer and the first thing the co did was train me up, which worked out quite well for me.
Firefly.
I work in IT, and there is a significant shortfall of skilled people in this area. We are bringing contractors over from the UK/the continent to fill positions. I know Purple is facing similar challenges in Engineering.
Hi Sue Ellen,
Regarding IT (my own area) crossing over after 50 might seem extremely daunting with all the technologies, acronyms and the like. Lots people seem to think that project managers who worked in construction can easily make the change across and to be honest I can't vouch for this because I don't know anyone who has done this nor do I (ever want to!) work in project management/management.
Regarding someone over 50 who wants to cross into IT at a techincal role, I would offer the following advice:
Technologies and languages that are the furthest away from the end user are the best. What I mean by this is that technologies that supply what the customer actually sees e.g. a application front end screen or a web page are all built on languages that are
(a) changing all the time (e.g. Java) and
(b) are well covered in 3rd level where you'll be up against good, young graduates willing to work for low money.
The action, IMO, is at the "back-end". This covers server administraion, database adminstration, networks, security etc.
The main problem though is that at the back-end you are responsible for the availability, performance and security of the firm's data & applications so generally 3-5 years experience, at a minimum is required. However, I've seen it done quicker and if I was over 50 and looking to do this in 2 years, here's what I would do:
I'd concentrate on becomming a server administrator. It's not my own field but there are generally plenty of positions in this field. I would aim to get a starting position in the Help-desk of a large company. I would do this by:
(1) Completing a course such as the ECDL
(2) Buy 2 home computers and figure out how to network them together, how to run a website from one of them and how to implement security - Google is your new best friend here
(3) Sign-up for the basic Microsoft exams.
The above will probably take 6 months, but what it will show an employer is that you have shown commitment up front in your own time and with your own money.
Soon after you start in the Helpdesk, make yourself known to the manager responsible for managing the server admin team. Tell him/her that you want to be working for him/her within 2 years and ask him/her exactly what you need to know to achieve this and as well as doing it, meet the manager every few months and outline your progress. 2 years after working as a server admin you should be pretty good at what you are doing and still be under 55. At that stage the contract market becons where you can earn pretty decent money. All in all about 4 years.
Someone being able to fix a computer/server will always have work
Just my 2c.
Firefly.
I just can't understand the categorisation of people on the basis of age/sex/ethnicity etc. In my experience, people of various skill and ability are not all part of a single homogenous group. I fully agree with the perception that is out there in respect of various categories of people, but this is a very narrow minded approach that must be changed. We all know successful people in all walks of life, both old youg etc. Their success generally is due to their own individual abilities and aptitude and not their age or other irrelevant characteristic. Unfortunately too many employers are led my irrelevancies such as this in disregarding very capable people from job positions.
Why don't we all start by becoming at little more open in our approach to people.
Why don't we all start by becoming at little more open in our approach to people.
Let's stick with real reality here. The market place is flooded with unemployed people. The old reliables for jobs every year have dried up - Civil Service, Banks, ESB, Nursing, Telecom, An Post, etc. Employers are wary of expanding their business - Who would blame them? Emigration is the answer for many, but even this is drying up. The real outlook is bleak for somebody in his/her 20's let alone the 50's
Are you saying the skills shortages in IT/Engineering aren't real?
Career after 50
Regarding IT, the shortages are real.
I know of some companies taking on engineers and others and cross-training them to IT.
I don't think it is feasible to move directly from an Engineering/Construction PM role to IT PM and in 20 years in IT I've never met someone who has done this.
Also Server Admin could be hit by the cloud. Make sure to re-train for this eventuality. It is no longer just a case of looking after the box in the server room, and that means jobs in server admin might be vulnerable.
Also, if you don't already have an interest or aptitude, don't bother.
This is not age related. So a fifty something with an aptitude is better than a twenty year old without.
Regarding IT, the shortages are real.
I know of some companies taking on engineers and others and cross-training them to IT.
I don't think it is feasible to move directly from an Engineering/Construction PM role to IT PM and in 20 years in IT I've never met someone who has done this.
Also Server Admin could be hit by the cloud. Make sure to re-train for this eventuality. It is no longer just a case of looking after the box in the server room, and that means jobs in server admin might be vulnerable.
Also, if you don't already have an interest or aptitude, don't bother.
This is not age related. So a fifty something with an aptitude is better than a twenty year old without.
I am a fortysomething and I stopped putting my date of birth on my CV when I was in my thirties. If I am moving job then my 10,15, 20 or 25 years of work experience will either get me an interview or not. The recruiters will have an idea of my age but my exact age is only for my HR file.
Irish companies need to look at the same type of apprenticeship model they have in Switzerland, Austria and Germany - Christoph Mueller spoke about it recently in the Irish Independent and Aer Lingus now have apprenticeships for Pilots and Technicians. Being German of course, he will have been brought up with the apprentice system in Germany.
In Switzerland it's usually a 3 year apprenticeship, 4 days on-the-job work training and 1 day college, which results in a Diploma in the chosen field and also a lot of hands-on experience.
Apprentices start from 15/16yrs or if they continue with their education and to Leaving Certificate equivalent level, they can start at 18 or 19 yrs.
Irish employers are complaining that graduates are not 'ready-to-go' when they leave college or uni and don't have the specific skills they require, so maybe they need to look at training their future employees themselves in the exact skills they need to grow their businesses.
The UK Government are also looking at the Swiss system as a way of giving young people who leave school early a proper start in life.
IT was in vogue for a period running up to the .com crash, since then colleges are struggling to fill places and are resorting to tactics such as including game design elements to their courses to attract candidates. Even with that, demand is currently outstripping supply.
That's true. And certainly in the boom prior to the .com burst, a lot of people changed career path to move to IT doing short transition courses. Many of those people found out IT wasn't for them and subsequently changed career path again since.