4 ms·

No one has mentioned that sometimes older people don't fit into the culture of the business.

ThomPete 9y ago
So funny to be called older people when you are 43 and party with the best of them. Anyway. This is why I decided to start my own company again after 4 1/2 years at Square. This way age becomes an asset rather than a liability.
- hackits 9y ago
  I think if you're 43 and can party with young people in there 20's then you've screwed up somewhere along the way.
  - ThomPete 9y ago
    In what regard?
- flukus 9y ago
  How do you recover? I'm only 33 and while I can still party with the best of them it takes it out of me. No more $1 drinks until midnight on Thursdays and being back at work at 8am.
  - ThomPete 9y ago
    I don't recover I just don't do it as often as I used to :) I have two kids how wake me up between 5-6 am.
a3n 9y ago
Except if an "older than us" came into the business, the culture would change somewhat. But we always want to keep out people that are different from us, in the small and in the large.
delazeur 9y ago
There is an extent to which culture fit is an appropriate discriminator, but writing people off based on their age is taking it too far.
- hackits 9y ago
  Really sit down and ask yourself do you really want to be in your 40's around 20 year old's who have completely different ethical, moral, and work ethic than you do? Personally I would rather find/work for a business that have similar cultural values as myself than find a business that have completely differing values. Being at a start-up when you're young, healthy and want to go out with your colleges and get hammer after work is fantastic. Though when you're in your 40's I can see nothing better than finishing work at 5pm, going for a 1 hour jogging with my partner and curling up in bed at 10pm to read a book. Do I think I will fit into a young crowed who have absolutely no social circles outside of work in their 20's now? The answer is no. Do I get approached by startup's to start some new fancy facebook clone every 2-3 weeks? The answer is 'yes' but I decline their offer's.
  - brooklyn_ashey 9y ago
    This would be your choice to make, and it seems you get to make it. Great! But the point is: so many do not because employers make it for them by discriminating against them based on their age.
    - hackits 9y ago
      I cannot speak for a employers, but I would say they've found a better person for the position. Either it be by age, sex, religion, health, ect... They're in the Business to make money and they've chosen somebody who is younger, more eager for the position than you. Accept it and move on.
      - delazeur 9y ago
        > Either it be by age, sex, religion, health I'm fairly sure those criteria are all illegal, at least in most U.S. states if not at the federal level. Also, it's a huge leap to say that discrimination is motivated by profits. I have no idea how you worked that one out.
brooklyn_ashey 9y ago
I'd like this explained in FULL COLOR if you please. What does this mean? "the culture of the business" Because from my vantage point (and I think from the vantage point of women, people of color, people over 40, and people with pink reptiles for pets at home) culture-fit is the way we do sexism, racism, ageism, whateverism, and anti-pink-pet-ism these days. But I'd love to hear a truly legit explanation for it from someone here. Anyone?
- hackits 9y ago
  Businesses have three major phases they go through. They're adolescence, teenager, and maturity. Adolescence is the phase where the business is formed, and there isn't any formal procedural manual written or processes within the business, but they've either achieve funding and backing from a niche market. Mostly this is where businesses either promote the importance of keeping everyone together to achieve a `collective` dream to improve the world. In this phase all hands are on-deck to get to the goal, and generally during this phase the business owners have no idea what they're doing and typically will either over-sell a service or promise the moon and the pay is all over the place. During the teenager years, (if) the business is still profitable and hasn't bankrupt itself the business owner start noticing the need for formal operation procedure manuals. They've either felt the pain of the lose of key developer and or customer and they to secure their position within the market place. Typically this is where in one form or another organisation charts come into existence and more formal documentation and processes start. Either in this time/frame you have HR/Sales/Support starting to take form. During the maturity years, most of the teenager years of formalizing and documentation of procedures manual is in full swing. You have well defined organisation charts with formal processes to follow and legal department to sign off on new contracts. You have the existence of Managers of each department to coordinate the necessary sales goals, and marketing goal for the business. In each of the three different phase you have cultural shifts. From young and dream focused. Then the shift during teenage years of reigning in the younger attitudes and formal processes. Then finally to the maturing phase where for better or worse a more mechanical and empirical processes of doing business.
  - woogiewonka 9y ago
eeZah7Ux 9y ago
More like experienced people are less likely to buy into just another rehash of a 30-years old idea.

So funny to be called older people when you are 43 and party with the best of them. Anyway. This is why I decided to start my own company again after 4 1/2 years at Square. This way age becomes an asset rather than a liability.

hackits 9y ago
I think if you're 43 and can party with young people in there 20's then you've screwed up somewhere along the way.
- ThomPete 9y ago
  In what regard?
flukus 9y ago
How do you recover? I'm only 33 and while I can still party with the best of them it takes it out of me. No more $1 drinks until midnight on Thursdays and being back at work at 8am.
- ThomPete 9y ago
  I don't recover I just don't do it as often as I used to :) I have two kids how wake me up between 5-6 am.

a3n 9y ago

Except if an "older than us" came into the business, the culture would change somewhat. But we always want to keep out people that are different from us, in the small and in the large.

delazeur 9y ago

There is an extent to which culture fit is an appropriate discriminator, but writing people off based on their age is taking it too far.

hackits 9y ago
Really sit down and ask yourself do you really want to be in your 40's around 20 year old's who have completely different ethical, moral, and work ethic than you do? Personally I would rather find/work for a business that have similar cultural values as myself than find a business that have completely differing values. Being at a start-up when you're young, healthy and want to go out with your colleges and get hammer after work is fantastic. Though when you're in your 40's I can see nothing better than finishing work at 5pm, going for a 1 hour jogging with my partner and curling up in bed at 10pm to read a book. Do I think I will fit into a young crowed who have absolutely no social circles outside of work in their 20's now? The answer is no. Do I get approached by startup's to start some new fancy facebook clone every 2-3 weeks? The answer is 'yes' but I decline their offer's.
- brooklyn_ashey 9y ago
  This would be your choice to make, and it seems you get to make it. Great! But the point is: so many do not because employers make it for them by discriminating against them based on their age.
  - hackits 9y ago
    I cannot speak for a employers, but I would say they've found a better person for the position. Either it be by age, sex, religion, health, ect... They're in the Business to make money and they've chosen somebody who is younger, more eager for the position than you. Accept it and move on.
    - delazeur 9y ago
      > Either it be by age, sex, religion, health I'm fairly sure those criteria are all illegal, at least in most U.S. states if not at the federal level. Also, it's a huge leap to say that discrimination is motivated by profits. I have no idea how you worked that one out.

brooklyn_ashey 9y ago

I'd like this explained in FULL COLOR if you please. What does this mean? "the culture of the business" Because from my vantage point (and I think from the vantage point of women, people of color, people over 40, and people with pink reptiles for pets at home) culture-fit is the way we do sexism, racism, ageism, whateverism, and anti-pink-pet-ism these days. But I'd love to hear a truly legit explanation for it from someone here. Anyone?

hackits 9y ago
Businesses have three major phases they go through. They're adolescence, teenager, and maturity. Adolescence is the phase where the business is formed, and there isn't any formal procedural manual written or processes within the business, but they've either achieve funding and backing from a niche market. Mostly this is where businesses either promote the importance of keeping everyone together to achieve a `collective` dream to improve the world. In this phase all hands are on-deck to get to the goal, and generally during this phase the business owners have no idea what they're doing and typically will either over-sell a service or promise the moon and the pay is all over the place. During the teenager years, (if) the business is still profitable and hasn't bankrupt itself the business owner start noticing the need for formal operation procedure manuals. They've either felt the pain of the lose of key developer and or customer and they to secure their position within the market place. Typically this is where in one form or another organisation charts come into existence and more formal documentation and processes start. Either in this time/frame you have HR/Sales/Support starting to take form. During the maturity years, most of the teenager years of formalizing and documentation of procedures manual is in full swing. You have well defined organisation charts with formal processes to follow and legal department to sign off on new contracts. You have the existence of Managers of each department to coordinate the necessary sales goals, and marketing goal for the business. In each of the three different phase you have cultural shifts. From young and dream focused. Then the shift during teenage years of reigning in the younger attitudes and formal processes. Then finally to the maturing phase where for better or worse a more mechanical and empirical processes of doing business.
- woogiewonka 9y ago

eeZah7Ux 9y ago

More like experienced people are less likely to buy into just another rehash of a 30-years old idea.