Comment Re:YES! (Score 1) 376
That's because it's government work. Government jobs (particularly state or local) tend to pay less than private sector, so you end up with a lot of older folks who have trouble finding work elsewhere.
Where I'm at (also government) I'm currently interviewing candidates for a web developer position. They want 6 years of experience and are willing to start at $40k per year - and they're shocked when all we can get are people who are obviously unqualified, people just looking for something to bridge the gap between unemployment and retirement, and people who are obviously just looking for something to tie them over until they find a "real" job. The latter category typically gets hired - and they can't figure out why the last 3 people in this position stayed less than 2 years.
FWIW, if I can find anyone qualified, I typically don't care how old they are. At what we're offering I'll take what I can get. Also, FWIW, at 34 years old out of a 25 person department I'm the 2nd youngest except for the secretaries.