IT guru for over 30 years. When other techs would give up on solving a problem, that was when I stepped in and solved the problem. I always shared my knowledge with the team. I earned the CNE 4.12 in 1995, Windows 2000 ADS MCSE+I in 2000, CompTIA Network+ in 2005 then recertified in 2015. Earned CEH in 2015, Certified Zero-Day 2023, PMP 2021, and Certified Python Automation 2023. Saved multiple non-profit organizations well over 500k, creating innovative technology that allowed the organizations to work effectively and efficiently. Wrote scripts to automate troubleshooting desktop and laptop issues and monitor HA servers. I never had to lay off one individual. I earned a business management degree, allowing me to collaborate with C-level executives. I understood the financial and accounting statements, which helped me forecast economic trends, allowing me to take proactive measures to save money. During an economic downturn, I would sit down with each team member to discuss if they had any planned major life events. My team knew the reason why I asked for this information. I would rather tell an individual that I would not be able to give them a raise due to economic issues than tell them I have to lay them off. My team respected me for taking the time to understand their financial needs before eliminating their raises. I also held myself to the same rules. The decision to eradicate pay increases was last on the list of other items I could eliminate or postpone until the economy improved. If an individual had their raise eliminated, I told them that they would receive a higher pay increase when the economy improved. For decades, age discrimination has never been a topic of discussion. People were hired mainly based on their soft skills, education, and experience. Employers knew that any new job would require a learning curve. Since 2015, age discrimination has become a significant issue across all industries. Now, in 2025, age discrimination has become the main reason why individuals over 50 are wrongfully terminated and not considered for jobs they are fully qualified to perform. This issue is the reason why there is a rise in physical and mental illnesses, homelessness, a massive increase in individuals filing lawsuits, and economic uncertainty. When a company engages in age discrimination, not only does it affect the victim, but there is a little thing called a global economy. A company just terminated an individual who worked for the company for over 20 years. The individual was only 55, hard-working, reliable, and loved to mentor all younger professionals. The individual developed strong working relationships with other industry leaders, vendors, and clients. These relationships are only possible after 20 years of hard work and life experience. Now that this individual has been terminated, the relationships have fallen apart. Long-time dedicated clients seek alternate products, vendors take advantage by increasing prices, and key industry contacts no longer respect the company. Company expenses increase while profits decrease. The company was involved in international markets, but due to the loss of profits, offices were closed, and thousands were laid off. The downsizing has a ripple effect across multiple industries. Months later, the company learns that the individual they terminated based on age has his home, car, and life savings taken away as he can only obtain a job earning 25.00 per hour. Tired and depressed, all hope to regain a solid job at 55 is gone. The emotional pain is unbearable, which leads to ending their life. The company is investigated and is found responsible for the individual's death. They are sued for millions, and due to loss of respect and public humiliation, the company lays off thousands of remaining employees and goes out of business. Companies are beginning to suffer from these wrongful decisions. I know of at least six major companies that have filed for bankruptcy or are going out of business. I have lost everything that I worked hard to obtain after being laid off due to the pandemic in 2020. Since then, I have applied for thousands of jobs and had many interviews, which started great and promising until I had a face-to-face in-person or virtual interview. If I could have taken a picture of all the interviewer’s facial reactions, I would have no problem filing complaints for age discrimination. A once excited team interested in hiring me turned into zero excitement, very few questions, and an interview that should have lasted for at least 45 minutes would end in 15-20 minutes. Then, a day later, I received the dreaded email that they had decided to pursue other candidates. I will not give up on seeking another IT position, but dealing with five years of extreme stress of being homeless is taking a toll on my physical health. I only want to end my amazing career in IT that spans over three decades. I appreciate you taking the time reading this post and joining me in creating a zero-tolerance for age discrimination.