Week 14 Post 1

I found the job section of this chapter to be very informative and interesting. The book says that “People who frequently changed jobs by age 36 were three times more likely to have various health problems.” This definitely makes sense to men because changing jobs can be very stressful. By that age you are probably supporting a family as well so money is tight. Having to go in for interviews and desperately seek work can definitely be very stressful. Older workers find jobs more difficult to find because they are the seniors at their company so leaving one job requires them often to take a lower position. For example my dad was a top printer at his company but when they started laying off due to the economy he had to look elsewhere for work and this meant starting over and accepting a position with less benefits and less money. Another reason is many skills required for new jobs were not taught twenty years ago. This definitely reigns true for my dad. He was taught how to print on a printing press when printing was an art. Now it is all digital and requires a lot more knowledge of computer programs, etc. that he would have to go back to school and learn all over. Another reason is relocation is more difficult because a family is already established with a house and friends. When my dad lost his job I was a sophomore in high school, nearly finished with my schooling and my mom had a secure job at a nursing school so even if he went elsewhere to find work he would not be able to move. I find it frustrating that reliable employees who have been employed for years can just be dropped and then other companies won’t hire them because they are “overqualified” or “undereducated.” I saw first hand how hard the struggle to find a new job is. There’s no way that an older person can get the same benefits and the same wage they were paid before anywhere. In a sense they have to start all over which is so hard at that age.