Employers choose youth over wisdom

Thank you very much for your Saturday edition advocacy of senior matters.

I am at my wit's and bank account's end. I have been seeking employment on Long Island for 18 months, have been interviewed 147 times for jobs I am fully qualified for (even overqualified), and have received as many rejections.

I did the research and have concluded that in most cases, someone younger was hired. I sent follow-up inquiries to many of the companies, but receive generalized or form responses to the effect that they interviewed many good candidates and selected the ones who best matched their requirements. Some of these jobs were task-by-task replicas of jobs I had held.

I called several people and found out that the person hired was younger. No other reason. They did not have my experience, common sense or professionalism. Chronology over wisdom.

I am not sure if this practice is illegal, and they are very good at hiding it, but I needed to bring this up. As baby boomers age, we are being thrown under the latest model bus. It is a colossal waste.

Jacqueline Baron McCue, Holtsville