[codegeek]

I assume that you are talking about 50+ demographics, I can share one anecdote. My father-in-law is in his early 60s and he was recently laid off from his job. He was working with RPG /AS400 stuff. He was never in management path and always been individual contributor (even though he started when he was 40 being an immigrant in the US starting from scratch).

He strongly believes that they laid him off due to his age. Sure, he was not doing any extra wonders but was getting things done. However, he was telling us for almost a year that his days are probably numbered because new management wants fresh face.

Right now, he is almost done with unemployment and trying to get back in the market. There certainly are jobs in RPG/AS400 areas but his resume clearly shows his age and he is not getting even a single call. I advised him to only show the last 10 years of work and then see what happens.

[scottedwards]

Thanks for this story - always great to hear about a real experience. This is very disturbing. What the heck does "fresh face" mean? Did he have any idea what they meant, or were they just looking to cut costs and hire a more junior guy?

[tiensi]

This is exactly what my father went through too, he worked at IBM and then AT&T till he was 60+.

He's over it and is enjoying his retirement playing sudoku everyday.

[scottedwards]

Would he be "over it" if he hadn't saved for retirement? Why did they let him go? Was he not contributing at the same level as before?