The Subtle and Not-So-Subtle Force of Ageism
“So often, I see signs that they’re looking for someone younger. Ads ask for ‘digital natives’ and people who ‘live, eat, and dream social media.’”
Editor’s Note: This article is part of Exit Interview, a series of conversations about leaving one’s career.
In 2014, Gordon Rothman, a multimedia producer who worked in TV news, lost his job at CBS in a mass layoff. He didn’t sit idle. Rothman had already been volunteering for Gatewave, a radio reading service for the blind, and became the nonprofit’s executive director. He saved the group from financial ruin, earning the “New Yorker of the Week” from local news. But Rothman, who was in his late 50s, couldn’t support his family by volunteering. Despite picking up new skills and landing freelance work with big publishing houses, a full-time job remained elusive.
