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[1]TECHWR-L Digest - 19 Oct 1996 to 20... 10/28/96
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Date: 10/20/96 10:04 PM
To: Karen Lew
From: Technical Writers List; for al
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There are 11 messages totalling 745 lines in this issue.
Topics of the day:
1. No Gray Hairs
2. Almost over 45 club
3. Age work-around
4. Library catalogs and agism
5. Ageism discussion
6. Ageism example
7. Ageism (2)
8. ADMIN: Posting Guidelines
9. ADMIN: Administrivia FAQ
10. To Laugh or To Cry?
Date: Sun, 20 Oct 1996 08:37:44 +-200
From: Rebecca Phillips <rebecca -at- QRONUS -dot- CO -dot- IL>
Subject: Re: No Gray Hairs
Robert Plamondon wrote:
>>Ageism works both ways.
No kidding. I'm under 30 (and a woman). In my last job I found it impossible
to
get promoted because, among other things, the general perception was that
I was young enough and was in no hurry. I wasn't in a "hurry", but after
almost
3 years in a job, I was getting bored and looking for new challenges. The
company's
response was: Wait another year and we'll see. At the same time, the company
was
hiring senior writers at a much higher pay scale than they were giving me, and
telling me that I was mistaken in thinking someone so young could be making
that kind of salary. Well, I am now. However, it took me a while to find a
company
that understands that a young woman who does the same work as an older man
should
get the same salary.
Rebecca
Rebecca M. Phillips
Documentation Manager
Qronus Interactive Ltd., Automated System Testing
14 Shabazi Street, Yahud 56231 Israel http://www.qronus-int.com
rebecca -at- qronus -dot- co -dot- il
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Date: Sun, 20 Oct 1996 00:01:16 -0700
From: Marilynne Smith <mrsmith -at- CTS -dot- COM>
Subject: Re: Almost over 45 club
At 12:34 PM 10/18/96 -0700, Elna Tymes wrote:
>Sullivan, John wrote:
>>
>> Arghhh! I'll be turning 45 this December -- I didn't realize I'd be
>> facing death so soon!
><chuckle> Welcome to "middle age," my friend. I passed 45 a long time
>ago!
>>
>> What the heck kind of comment is that? Most of the computer-savvy people
>> I know are over 45 (heaven forbid!). Since when does age have anything to
>> do with ability and knowledge?
>ELNA
>If you look at Microsoft, where the average age of employees is not
>quite 30, and you look at most of the Silicon Valley companies, where
>the average age of people involved in software or hardware development
>is under 35, you realize that the work force in these industries is
>pretty young. When you get outside of the computer business, into
>industries where the computer is just another tool, you have a more even
>age range.
MARILYNNE
I've met a lot of tech writers in Silicon Valley. They didn't strike me as
all being under 45. You know, one of the curious things about getting
older is that, from your perspective, the number of "young" people (those
younger than you) is always increasing, while the number of "old" people
(those older than you) is always decreasing. So, from my perspective, this
is a very "young" profession. <smile>
I suggest you look around. You'll find there are a few of us still able to
find our feet long enough to tie our shoe laces. <smile>
> It's been my experience with these kinds of companies that the older
>folks (45+) are not as comfortable with computers as the younger folks
>are.
=================
Baloney!
=================
> It has also been my observation, both from anecdotal research
>among my friends, and from LOTS of business studies, that people over 45
>are more likely to be caught in downsizing and other forms of informal
>layoffs.
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