Getting a job in today’s market is tough. But in a world filled with “Discriminatory Words“, posting a job opening is also quite hard.

The reason for the challenge? It seems the perfectly reasonable qualification of having a recently obtained credential is deemed “age discrimination”. Kaustuv Basu of Inside Higher Ed explains:

Colorado State University officials on Wednesday reworded a job posting for an assistant professor in English, after angry faculty members across the country earlier this week complained that the ad was discriminatory. The original requirement asked for a “Ph.D. in English or American Studies or closely related area awarded between 2010 and time of appointment.”

Critics said that the ad amounted to a form of age discrimination and would also limit opportunities for adjuncts, many of whom earned doctorates before 2010 and have faced a terrible academic job market.

The revised posting does not have the previous requirement, and instead specifies that the job is “entry-level.”

“In light of the response to our initial ad, we examined how we could better describe the parameters of our search. We posted an updated position announcement that informs applicants that the position is entry-level and removes the restriction on date of degree. We invite all qualified and interested applicants to apply for the position,” said Louann Reid, chair of English at Colorado State, in an e-mail to Inside Higher Ed.

Since an increasing number of older people are returning to school after leaving the workforce, the attitude of those who complained about the ad’s original wording is odd and intolerant. However, it is another fine example of how progressives are never satisfied unless they are proving their moral superiority.