Courtesy of Jay Cadmus/ Jenny Chang-Rodriguez/BI
- Jay Cadmus was laid off in his 50s after more than two decades at IBM.
- He was unemployed for six months and had to pause his 401(k) and his kid's college savings.
- Cadmus said he experienced ageism in his search and found younger people got jobs he applied for.
This as-told-to essay is based on a conversation with Jay Cadmus, a communications advisor, about being laid off at age 55. It has been edited for length and clarity.