You’d like to think that no matter how old you are all that matters is your resume when applying for a new job. That’s not always the case, however, and as a recent article in the New York Times highlights, even tech geniuses can be kept from being Geniuses because of their age.
JK Scheinberg is a 54 year old retiree who thought he’d pick up a job to help pass the time. Scheinberg went to the Apple store to see about getting a job at the Genius Bar. After a positive group interview, where he was the oldest among the other candidates, he was singled out and told the store would be in touch. You can tell by the fact that we’re writing this story that he never heard back about the job.
This wouldn’t be anything too shocking if it wasn’t for Scheinberg’s background, which makes him uniquely qualified to be an Apple Genius. You see, Scheinberg is quite literally an Apple genius. Before retiring from Apple, he was a high-profile engineer with the company, and even lead Apple’s efforts to move to Intel processors from PowerPC in 2005.
Now sure, this is an anecdote. Older Americans find work every day, but it’s an example of a problem that faces many retirees and middle aged adults looking for work. Perhaps it’s because younger employees will work for less money or because businesses are worried experienced employees won’t be as loyal to a position, it is often harder for older Americans to find work.
For his part, Scheinberg isn’t exactly bitter, but he’s happy his story is being told. When the story broke he Tweeted out, “Wonder if Apple will finally give me callback on that genius bar interview.”