Bonkers

[Ian Docherty]

Peter Hickman wrote:
> Peter Corlett wrote:
>> That doesn't really help, as I don't have a degree, and Google seem 
>> to be in
>> that group of short-sighted employers who insist on one. Never mind 
>> if the
>> degree was obtained by keeping a seat warm for three years in a diploma
>> mill. If they've got that bit of paper, they're better than somebody 
>> without
>> one who has been actually doing the job for ten years.
>>   
> Then get a degree. I spent many years cursing employers who would not 
> even grant me an interview despite having ten years experience with 
> financial systems at that point. So I got a Ba in Artificial 
> Intelligence (which we all know is completely useless) at the age of 
> 31 and suddenly people would interview me. However at that point I got 
> married and had no intention of returning to work on financial systems 
> and preferred to work in Brighton.
>
> I really enjoyed my time at Uni (breakdown and therapy not 
> withstanding :) )
>
Or like me get an Open University degree (OK, i was in no hurry, it took 
me 12 years to get (I took one year off to get married)) and I got it at 
the age of 38 (can anyone else beat that?).

Putting the year I got my degree (1994) and not putting by DOB on my CV, 
as well as leaving at least 15 years off my CV (due to lack of space ;) 
means I do not immediately get discriminated by my age. At least not 
until I get to the interview where it would be amusing to see, if it was 
not so obvious.

I remember quite well an interview I had at a company called Yahoo (you 
may know them) where the person interviewing me found it difficult to 
have any enthusiasm with the interview once he saw me. I won't say it 
was because of my age (he and all his co-workers had not yet been born 
when I started my first job). The reason I was turned down, and bear in 
mind this is for a contract role, was because I was 'too experienced'....

Regards
Ian