Sound and Fury, Signifying Nothing

Job hunting has become an entirely new ball game in the age of the internet, particularly in my field… multimedia.

All jobs are listed online. I also post an online resume, with samples of my work. I get three or four calls a day from recruiters who have seen my resume on Hotjobs or Monster. Most of them haven’t really bothered to read my resume in depth

I traveled to Manhattan on Tuesday to interview at a temp agency. On the way, I passed this odd new building on 42nd Street. The temp agency seemed to specialize in advertising firms. I wasn’t optimistic about the interview.

Age discrimination is practiced with a vengeance, and with some pride, in the multimedia business. In New York City, gay men under the age of 35 dominate the ad agencies and design shops. They just don’t want an older, straight man around. The popular notion that straight men cannot possibly have a sense of style gives the young gay men a ready made rationale for refusing to hire a straight man. My friend, Peter, would probably consider this a men’s issue... and it is... but what in the hell am I going to do about it?

I struggled with this even when I was employed. The kids harbor a strong belief that a man past the age of 45 should either be rich and in an executive position, or vanished from the workplace. I remember being introduced to my boss, a woman only a few years out of college, at my last job.

“It must be tough to be… you know,” she said.

“No, what is it that I am?” I asked.

“You know… a loser.”

I never really wanted to be an executive. My life has always been focused on my work as a musician, and when my children were younger I wanted to be with them. While I wanted a job that was interesting and enjoyable, I’ve never really been a committed participant in the rat race.

Now that I’m in my fifties, the kids are even meaner, and they feel even more justified in their meanness. I understand clearly now what King Lear suffered. The kids want me to go away and die, and if possible, they’d like me to hand my stuff over to them as I expire.

The interview went better than expected. Kids seemed to like me. Fifteen minutes after I left, they called me to offer me a temp job. Unfortunately, I had to tell them that I’m going on vacation next week… to Aruba with the Karaoke Queen.

Comments

[Richard Galassini]

Hey Steve -

It finally dawned on me a few months ago that I will never make enough money -- no matter what. 30 years ago I made $15,000 a year hanging garage doors. Now, I make more than 10 times that as a Project Engineer and I still go from paycheck to paycheck. The time is coming to tell the ex-wives that the gravy train stops here and join a Buddhist monastery and let the kids bring me a carton of Marlboroughs on visitors day. But my question is this, do you like TV Jones pickups on a ES-335 Dot? I considering this mod and like to know if you have any experience with these.
Cheers,
Rich

[Shouting Thomas]

Rich,

I keep my ES-335 stock. Same with my Harley. For that matter, I prefer my girls with their original equipment. I'm not that excited about modifications to the headlights.

Met a girl who had the custom jobs once, and it was a complete botch. They were like puffed up pillows. Just didn't handle right at all.

So, my advice is... don't mess with Mother Nature. If God had intended your ES-335 to have custom pickups, He would have created it that way.

The Buddhist monastery thing has been tried. We have one right here in Woodstock. Actually we have two... Tibetan and Zen. If you think that this retreating to the monastery solves the girl problems... well, I invite you to see the result here in Woodstock.

For my part, I don't do the ex-wife thing, but then I'm twice widowed.

[Karol]

I work across the street from that building on 42nd.