Well Thomas that is awesome, I am trying to do the same I am in aerospace and they have told me as well I am to old but almost there at retiring just a little older than your self and have 25 grand kids and now 4 great grand kids at the present trying to find a job with no luck so hanging out with grand kids and three great kids I don't think I want to go back to work for a bunch of kids that think they know everything about aircraft and now I have to train them no I don't think so have a nice day right behind you on that retirement Thanks Robert

Glad you found your peace

More and more, it is appearing as if ageism is one of the last remaining acceptable (wink-wink) avenues for discrimination. How foolish it is to enable and enact it. In my last management role, I hired a person who everyone else has dismissed, most likely because of their physically-obvious age, something that could not be masked in a face-to-face meeting. The person tried to put their best foot forward in the interview, but it was also clear that they had been beaten down by years of working for a manager who grotesquely micro-managed them, and a series of job interviews that went nowhere. They were braced for yet another rejection. As our conversation progressed, I saw intelligence, valuable experience, a great work ethic, and a warm and amicable personality very well suited for cooperative teamwork and support.

I hired the person on the spot.

I was horribly ostracized by most of my peers and managers for doing so, scolded in formal reviews and hallway conversations, and negatively branded among management. It cost me my career with that company.

I would do it again in a heartbeat. Why? It was the right thing to do.

That person that everyone else threw away, is now the most-requested support person in that business. Everyone, and I mean EVERYONE, loves that person. That person, quite literally, has never had a single scrap of negative feedback. The quality of their work, their throughput, and their wonderful positive attitude, has become legendary in those halls. They are held up as an example to emulate.

I was discarded, and my decision to hire him has been lost to their corporate memory. Such is life. For me, it was still a positive experience. It validated a number of things to me: It reinforced to me that I have good management instincts and that I make good decisions. And frankly, it validated that I needed to make better choices in the employers I choose to work for. I am grateful that I had the opportunity to hire him, thankful (but not surprised) that to his credit he validated my trust in him, and thrilled that he has found a place where he is valued.

I look forward to the day when the tables are turned, and someone sees the same thing in me. I know it is there; who else is going to figure it out? It will be exciting to discover who else has the vision to see past accepted biases, and the courage to both trust their intelligence and go with their gut, rather than just following the lemmings.

Congrats on your retirement! Beautiful granddaughter by the way. She is blessed/lucky to have such a wonderful grandpa.

Good luck. I'm happy for you to see the enjoyment of the grandchildren. Enjoy your life and the peace of mind not to be worried about the problem every day. Take care of yourself.

Congratulations! Ageism got to me too. I want to retire but because my store closed and. I wasn't expecting it, it through a monkey wrench in my financial planning. Don't know what to do.

Good for you and Enjoy that baby!

What a beautiful blessings you have good bless on your retirement

So sorry to hear this Sir!

I also am willing to work but as an older worker, have had very few willing to even consider my skills and experience. So I am at home, applying, but working on many home improvement projects. There's a big untapped market of workers in this country, but employers don't seem willing to give them a chance.