The current events presentations today really resonated with me as they highlighted multiple issues with our health system and job market. The first presentation about the senior job fair addressed problems related to ageism and insufficient living wages and salaries. This topic reminded me of multiple times in my life in which I witnessed firsthand instances related to the difficulty of finding a job due to ageism and older folks working past retirement age out of necessity.
For example, around the time I had just completed elementary school, my father was laid off from his position as a computer technician. At that point, he was in his early 50s. Despite his work experience and refined resume, my father struggled to find a job for an entire year. Fortunately, he was eventually offered a position by a family friend, but I wonder how much longer he would have had to have been job searching had it not been for this stroke of luck.
Aside from that, I have also had experience working with older people who work part-time out of necessity. One of my first jobs was in retail at Knott's Berry Farm, and I was assigned to Virginia's Gift Shop, a store known for selling collectibles and fine gifts. Having worked with younger folks in other areas of the amusement park before, I was taken aback by how many older people were working at Virginia's at the time. The older folks by far outnumbered the younger adults working at the store. Because I worked there for almost a year, I got to know the older people and found out that many of them worked to support their children and grandchildren and simply pay the bills. These older folks were experts in retail and really knew the products we sold (especially the Lladro figurines). To me, they were living proof that older people could do just as good, if not better, in retail than younger folks.
For example, around the time I had just completed elementary school, my father was laid off from his position as a computer technician. At that point, he was in his early 50s. Despite his work experience and refined resume, my father struggled to find a job for an entire year. Fortunately, he was eventually offered a position by a family friend, but I wonder how much longer he would have had to have been job searching had it not been for this stroke of luck.
Aside from that, I have also had experience working with older people who work part-time out of necessity. One of my first jobs was in retail at Knott's Berry Farm, and I was assigned to Virginia's Gift Shop, a store known for selling collectibles and fine gifts. Having worked with younger folks in other areas of the amusement park before, I was taken aback by how many older people were working at Virginia's at the time. The older folks by far outnumbered the younger adults working at the store. Because I worked there for almost a year, I got to know the older people and found out that many of them worked to support their children and grandchildren and simply pay the bills. These older folks were experts in retail and really knew the products we sold (especially the Lladro figurines). To me, they were living proof that older people could do just as good, if not better, in retail than younger folks.