I'm not 50, I'm twenty nine with 21 years of experience. ~Author Unknown
I just read a Business Week McGraw-Hill (NYSE - MHP) article about a book called Why 70 is the New 50, and I have to agree. The article talks about how baby boomers are reaching the so-called retirement age, but many are not retiring. The fact is that many of them are healthier than previous generations at age 50. Some are also finding it difficult to retire for financial reasons.
Some of the best help desk analysts I have ever worked with were over 55 years of age. Many of them were “entry level” when they started taking help desk calls, but they brought years of experience with them from other lines of work. Over time I saw how that set them ahead of their younger co-workers who were certified and educated in technology. The older analysts were more serious about work too.
I recall the early training days of one such man in his late 50s. I cringed when I overheard one of his phone conversations in the beginning. I even worried about him, but he quickly proved my doubts wrong. He became one of my Most Valuable Players, and hands down, he was the best mentor I ever had on my team.
One day I asked him what he did before he worked on that help desk. He was a retired general manager at a large retail store. So what brought him to our help desk, and how did he get the job with no help desk experience? Well, when he interviewed he asked upper management to give him the chance, and he would run circles around “all those kids on the help desk.” I can tell you that he did exactly that.
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Tracked on: September 12, 2007 12:27 AM | Permalink to Trackback