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Subject:RE: Another question to ponder From:"Kathy Underwood" <Kathy -dot- Underwood -at- sas -dot- com> To:"TECHWR-L" <techwr-l -at- lists -dot- techwr-l -dot- com> Date:Tue, 19 Oct 2004 11:13:37 -0400
I think the question of age or other biases depends on the company. I also think that the problem with being older for some companies is that it also means you have lots of experience and strong views. I'm 57 with 25+ years writing & managerial experience with several major software houses. In my last job hunt I got a lot of "you're overqualified" comments. One manager even referred to my resume as "intimidating." I should say that these comments mostly came from younger people. FWIW, I'm not an absolutist. I taught tech comm at the college level for several years, so I know that there's no "unified field theory" for producing great doc.
When I was interviewed at my new company, my experience was seen as a good thing. They didn't express any fear that I would want to "move on" instead of stick with the work. (I had been with my last employer for almost 10 years.) I think this reveals a difference in the maturity both of the individual managers and in the overall organization (see JoAnn Hackos on the maturation of publication groups in her book Managing Your Documentation Projects).
-----Original Message-----
From: bounce-techwr-l-178785 -at- lists -dot- techwr-l -dot- com [mailto:bounce-techwr-l-178785 -at- lists -dot- techwr-l -dot- com] On Behalf Of Gene Kim-Eng
Sent: Monday, October 18, 2004 1:56 PM
To: TECHWR-L
Subject: Re: Another question to ponder
Offhand, I would guess that it probably has at one time or another, but it's only a guess, as most people who practice discrimination, whether based on age, race, gender or whatever, are seldom stupid enough to be obvious about it anymore.
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