My father has, over the last few years, discovered an affinity for computers 
and shows a knack for desktop support type work.  Recently his skills in this 
area have progressed to a point where I generally can't answer his questions 
outright anymore, and we both have to resort to some serious 
research/tinkering to figure it out.  Given the (reported) propensity for age 
discrimination in this field, what kind of computer jobs would be honestly be 
available for a 50+ man of his skills?  What kinds of certification/courseware 
should he pursue and why?

Hello, mr_zorg.

While illegal age discrimination is, unfortunately, present in the US labor 
market, your dad is smart to consider a career move in to the computer support 
field. Over the 2000-2010 period, “computer support specialists and systems 
administrators are projected to be among the fastest growing occupations,” 
according to the U.S. Department of Labor’s 2002-2003 Occupational Outlook 
Handbook.

http://www.bls.gov/oco/ocos268.htm

Your father's prospects hinge on his experience, to a certain extent. If he is 
completely new to the field, he might try volunteering at a local non-profit to 
build his skill set.

To find out skills sets required for jobs in his area, he can research the 
following job sites:

Dice.com Tech Jobs
http://www.dice.com

CNET's Tech Job Listings
http://www.cnet.com/techjobs/0-7067.html

US Department of Commerce Office of Technology Policy
http://www.go4it.gov

InformationWeek Careers
http://informationweek.com/career3/default.html

ComputerWorld Careers
http://www.computerworld.com/cwi/careers/0,1264,NAV64,00.html

Information Technology Association of America
http://www.itaa.org/

A site for Tech Postings
http://www.justtechjobs.com/

And more general employment sites:
http://www.hotjobs.com

http://www.careerbuilder.com

http://www.wetfeet.com

An article on TerraLycos’ Web Monkey suggests the following requirements for a 
desktop support engineer: "A strong Windows and Mac support background is an 
absolute must, as are good communication and customer service skills. 
Experience working in a cross-platform environment, including Unix machines and 
TCP/IP networking, while not required, is a plus. Additional pluses: a 
proficiency in the support of Internet and intranet users and technologies, 
experience supporting remote sites, as well as any time served trouble-shooting 
remote dial-in access. In general, you also have to be highly motivated and 
able to work well under the pressures of a dynamic and fast-paced environment."

http://hotwired.lycos.com/webmonkey/98/41/index2a_page9.html

For many jobs, certification is helpful but not required. Certification is 
divided into two categories:  networking-based technologies and software 
engineering disciplines. The most common certifications are Microsoft, Cisco, 
and Novell. 

Barnes & Noble – Computers -- Cerfication Information
http://btobshop.barnesandnoble.com/bookshelf/shelf_topics.asp?
userid=65UGU24HK9&btob=Y&feature_code=4&nTopicCode=6658&sort=

Microsoft 
http://www.microsoft.com/traincert/default.asp

Cisco
http://www.cisco.com/warp/public/10/wwtraining/certprog/

Novell 
http://www.novell.com/education/index.html

A book detailing the various computer and networking certifications available, 
advice on why getting certified is a good idea, and ways to use your 
certification to maximum effect is:
Get Certified & Get Ahead by Anne Martinez. McGraw-Hill (January 1999).

Author Dan Blacharski of ITWorld.com suggests combining "a vendor-specific 
certification with a vendor-neutral one" to expand your horizons and position 
your value beyond a specific piece of technology."

http://www.itworld.com/Career/3711/ITW010416blacharski/

Some IT professionals, however, are not convinced of the value of technical 
certification. In ITWorld.com's "Do Certificates Matter?" IT veterans debate 
the pros and cons of this type of training. 

http://www.itworld.com/Career/3711/IW001225tcpcp/

Your father should also become informed about laws against age discrimination, 
so he fully understands his employment rights.

US Department of Health & Human Services Administration on Aging:
http://www.aoa.gov/factsheets/ageism.html

AARP on Age Discrimination:
http://www.aarp.org/priorities/five.html

Monster.com's Age Issues Discussion Board:
http://forums.monster.com/forum.asp?forum=127

Search Terms Used: 
computer support specialist
tech jobs
technical certification
age discrimination
ageism


Best of luck to your father,

Zrica

Looks like a very complete answer, with plenty of links to help him get 
started.  Thanks!

What we see over here that there is a growing demand for people that want to 
teach older (40+), rich, people how to work with computers and other technical 
stuff.

So, he could try to sell his knowledge.

Good luck.

Time Computers in the UK are advertising for 50+ yr old staff, to deal with 
their increasing aged consumers: 
http://www.theregister.co.uk/content/51/24919.html