What is this guy crying about. I am a 44-year old IT person. I quit my full-time job to do contracting as as a single person S-CORP. It pays THREE TIMES AS MUCH!!!! I get to pick my assignments and don’t have to tolerate a bad boss.
You're exactly right. No company wants a new 44-year-old employee because no company wants to pay that employee's health care bills, and at age 44, looking for a screams "loser". That doesn't mean there isn't a ton of work out there for 44-year-olds, however, you just have to find a way to get it without resorting to the "income with training wheels" mechanism of a job.
Jeez, I'd think that I'd have an even tougher boss, if I worked for myself.
That's one reason why I've not gone independent, yet. I figure that I'd work much, much harder than if I just worked for a company.