Behind The Mic With Joe Mathieu: Happiness At Work Comes With Age

BOSTON (CBS) - They say it's one of the keys to a happy life - finding a job that you actually like. Even better if you love it.

One of the other keys is having patience.

I say that because a new survey by the Associated Press and the NORC Center for Public Affairs Research finds that 9-in-10 workers who are 50 or older say they are somewhat or very satisfied with their job.

Fewer than half of young adults could say the same.

This may sound counterintuitive as we keep hearing about discrimination against older workers in the office. And indeed, this survey includes significant numbers of people, 50 and over, reporting unwelcome comments about their age and being passed over for raises or promotions.

But it was far more common for them to note the upside of their age in the office. And it goes back to the part about patience.

You hang around long enough and you figure out some things. That institutional knowledge and the ability to navigate the corporate environment mean greater salaries and security and researchers say they create more satisfaction.

Unless the job goes away.

Age discrimination is a much bigger problem when it comes to hiring - a bitter irony for people who work decades, gather intelligence and money, only to be scooped by a 20-something who costs a lot less.

That's the part of the story you won't find in the headline.

Follow Joe on Twitter @joemathieuwbz

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