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I recommend calling it "National Association of Grey-haired Geeks", thus
avoiding gender issues.
How do you compete with those young-uns who will work long hours for dirt
cheap wages? Cheaper isn't always better. Sometimes it's worth it to hire
experience for more money - someone who can produce a quality job in less
time. Newbies have to work long hours - they sometimes need the extra time
to (a) figure out what they're doing, and (b) re-writing material to make it
more efficient.
Everything in life is sales-related - sell your strengths against their
weakness.
Then again, if a company has a culture of youth over experience - do you
really want to work there?
Suzette Leeming
Stouffville, Ontario
On Fri, Nov 12, 2010 at 9:49 AM, Katherine Noftz Nagel (Kat) <
lists -at- masterworkconsulting -dot- com> wrote:
> On 2010-10-27 8:56 AM, Elaine Garnet wrote:
> > I so agree with the sell-by date. Mine apparently expired many years
> > ago despite my technological aptitude. I am finding that companies are
> > hiring candidates fresh out of university and training them for the
> > job. These young ones will work long hours for dirt cheap wages. How
> > can you compete with that if you have 10 years experience doing that
> > job successfully and are a mature candidate?
>
> I'm also discovering that gray hairs don't get the gold.
>
> When I started my professional life as a research chemist, and later
> started freelancing as a technical writer, gender was the issue. I had
> to deal with managers and prospective clients who didn't believe a woman
> could function successfully in a technical career. I managed, of course
> <grin>. And had quite a lot of fun in the process.
>
> Now, it's that gray hair. It takes a gawdawful amount of effort to
> convince a 30-something engineer/MBA that 17 years as a research
> scientist and 20+ years documenting new medical devices, laboratory
> SOPs, computer networks, industrial safety systems, payroll and benefits
> management software, and automated fork-lift trucks qualifies me to
> write highly technical material such as a lab-management system user
> manual.
>
> Oh, I usually get the projects, especially if the engineer/MBAs mother
> was a techie. But the process is exhausting. I'm considering starting a
> professional association for people like me. Gonna call it NAGG.
>
> --
> K@
> Kat Nagel, Owner, MasterWork Consulting
> Founder, National Association of Granny Geeks(tm)
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