The first ageism I encountered was at an interview at Dell. First question: "You're 32. The average age here is 27 - do you really think you could fit in?"
Well, not now!
I always thought of IBM as better. It was once. I was made redundant from my first job, and an IBM pal asked me how long I'd worked there. Five years. "So at least you'll have your five months redundancy money."
No, four weeks.
I'm sorry to learn MBAs have ruined the old girl.
I heartily recommend working in Germany or the Netherlands if you get the chance, their management style is why they outperform us.