I have found that a lot of experience and great skills, background, references mean nothing now. All they want are 20 somethings just come out of an AA or BA and they can start them really low on the salary scale. With 200-400 applications for every job out there this is the way they are working it.
Let's start a new Union of Unemployed Network Engineers. :cry:
Retail stores won't even give me a chance, even when I truncate my resume. I guess I'm "too old" now and they'd rather have some fresh faced high school kid that they can pay absolute minimum wage to without giving them benefits because the high school kid will see their paycheck and think they are rich.
12. I have never been able to get a retail job, not even in the stockroom
Probably have better luck with factory work or restaurants or janitorial or temp services. Although I have never been able to get a restaurant job either, except for janitorial work in a sports bar. People with college degrees can substitute teach in many states, although the application is a PITA in Kansas.
Now, I have to go back to work at some stupid McJob. My investments are at half of what they once were. My husband lost his job and has been out of a job for about 4 months.
I use to manage hundreds of people. Now, I get to work ringing up depressed shoppers for minimum wage. Ain't life grand.
From January 2002 to June 2002 I was an out of work programmer. I know the pain of having to look at your 8 year old daughter and explain to her why should wouldn't be having a birthday party. I know the pain of having to explain to the creditors why you couldn't pay the bill this month. I remember the pain and the stress of going to interview after interview only to be told that they had decided to go a "different" direction. I know full well the embarassment that one feels as they apply for unemployment and free school lunches. I have been there; done that and tried to buy the the t-shirt but I couldn't afford it. I wish that I could tell you something that would easy the pain but there isn't anything. All I can say to you is to have faith that better day is coming and that all this to shall pass.
Ten years of college including three graduate and professional degrees and two professionals licenses.
I am long-term unemployed after being laid off along with 30% of my co-workers in December 2002. After collecting over a thousand rejection letters and becoming very frustrated and depressed I decided to assume responsibility for my professional future.
I have come to view the diplomas and the credentials as a liability rather than an asset.
I've also come to view traditional employment as being unstable and irresponsible. Any job I take I view as temporary - and it must conform to my requirements. I do not work at someone else's pleasure I work by choice.
In the meantime, I am reinventing myself and acquiring the trade and craft skills required to start my own small little niche business. I don't need to make a lot of money I just need to be self supporting.
With those newly acquired skills, some modest success in my own business, my educational and professional history and my mostly still intact savings I hope to buy my way out of this country.
Even if I don't realize that dream I will still be free of servitude to corporate Amerikka.
10. I think I know what you do and that seems to me it should be a
very marketable skill. The following is just an idea which I am currently evaluating and think I'll do. How about working for yourself? Be an independent contractor designing networks. It might appeal to lots of businesses that don't want to hire full-time. I was looking at sitesell.com yesterday. It's appeal to a computer dummie like me is great. I checked out some of their case studies and took the "tour" of the program. Maybe it's something you could set up as another avenue while concurrently filling out job applications. Your situation may be a blessing in disguise...I hope so. Keep us informed! :hug:
I went through this is oct 2004 right before the 04 elections. I was fired from a 12 year long job with a perfect work record and repalced by a buddy of the new GM. It took 11 months to find another position at a ford dealership where instead of being the assistent service manager after 30 years of being a tech I was now a service advisor which was a lot less money but it was work. After 4 1/2 moths I was layed off due to cutbacks.
I tried every single dealership within 100 miles of where I live and interviewed and even tried all and any sort of customer service position that fit my experience and I was at that time 57.
I got not one call back even though the interviews went well . It reached a point in 2007 where the resumes did not render one interview and the places I did interview before I called and they said they had hired a young trainee or decided they needed to hold off hiring.
I truly do feel most of it has to do with age even though I sent resumes with a lot less experience so they would not look at that as an idication of age and I don't look my age at all. They know your age just in clues like when you graduated high school and many other ways.
I also know and was told that they felt I would leave as soon as I founf another job in my own field of experience.
They don't care , there are thousands of new youth fresh faces out there willing to work for less and the odd part about this is the companies set the rate of pay and you agree to it so it's not that I was getting more than a younger person would .
I don't know how old you are but it is a real bad deal out there. It brought me to a nervous breakdown to say the least. Now I can't even fill out an ap without scribble or shaking or the old panic attacks hitting me hard when at one time I had them under control.
I was always one who stuck with a job never looking outside of the one I had . I have other old skills like carpentry but then it really becomes an age issue as well as all the new tools required that I cannot affort to get even if they hired me . Who wants a now 59 year old around 18-30 year old workers and then expect to keep up at my age. I know a lot of skills but none of it seems to matter and going into business on my own is one thing I tried but there is no work and I can't go it alone without some sort of help.
I feel your pain , I really do and the depression that comes with long term experience meaning nothing but a draw back rather than a bonus, which is what experience was what we all worked so hard to aquire.
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