A description of how much my work environment is toxic

Years ago I worked for the now long gone Gateway Computers, or Gateway, Inc. In that company, 35 was considered old. I was 43, so I was a dinosaur. It was an open secret that if you WERE over 35, you weren't climbing any ladders unless you were working inside the place as a hired contractor of some sort. I was routinely passed over for positions and promotions I was qualified for. I watched them being given to younger people who didn't know Jack Shit about the job I was doing or the department I was in. When I finally caused a shitstorm over it, I was slowly and steadily pushed out the door. Later on I heard that another person in the same boat I'd been in sued them for age discrimination, but that's nearly impossible to prove. She lost in the end and like me, they treated her like an idiot, piled on more duties and refused to pay extra for the efforts needed until finally she got up one day, told the Dept. Head to go fuck himself and walked out, never to return. It was what Gateway wanted all along. As maddening as it is to give a company a win, it always leaves a bad taste in your mouth. But in the end, ALL that counts is your health and sanity.

I ran into that more than once in jobs I had during my working years. A few times I got lucky and found a job where I didn't have to deal with people on a daily basis, and a little appreciation to go along with it, though none lasted more than a few years. I still work part time at a job where I deal with almost no one. I'm self-employed, work 3 nights a week, make decent money after expenses, and at 73, I'm finally content.

Anyone who thinks a company cares about them is only fooling themselves. You're a number, that's all, and if they don't need you anymore, the speed at which a company will turn on you can be stunning sometimes. I learned long ago that no matter what a company tells you, even it it's in writing, NEVER think you're indespensible.

Yep, time to leave.