Printable View
Peak employment and still no jobs to be had except a little gig work, or fast food maybe. Although it's not good news, we are over due for a recession anyway so I think whatever happens will happen regardless of Trump since it's just about the timing (he could make it worse I guess). It would be like being surprised an earthquake hit the west coast - a matter of when not if.Quote:
Originally Posted by Yppej
ANM, are you close to retirement? If not you might have to move where there are jobs or retrain. Too constantly be out of work is really stressful. I know you don’t want to do either of these suggestions.
2 decades-ish to retirement, so not really close. I don't know what retraining makes sense. I applied to college but around here you have to apply to public college OVER a year ahead of time to get in (i tried before, turns out they only accept applications in the fall and then only for the following fall) with turning away qualified students sometimes anyway because of overcrowding, so I applied and there's really nothing to do there at this point but twiddle my thumbs, go broke (in reality look for work), and see where that application or my job search goes.
Community college is easy to get admitted to without a wait (perhaps not to get classes - they might be hard to get), out of state (online) or non-public college might be easier to get in to (and likely costlier - I am very mindful about the cost). I'm not sure real formal schooling like that really makes sense, since I'm beyond capable but really too old to be given a chance in a new field I fear, but I don't know what does make any sense. They say there are lots of jobs that don't require degrees but darned if I know what they are. Yes there are jobs you don't earn enough to live off of (and my standards for living aren't even high), then they say people should do something like welding but they have no idea how spectacularly bad I'd be at that, and I'm actually good at working in an office etc.. I'm not sure we're actually all cut out for blue collar work (not that that is wide open either, only some parts of it are, other parts are largely immigrant).
Moving might help, hard to know unless I looked for jobs elsewhere, yea I don't want to move.
I changed fields at fifty-one--from technical work to technical writing/editing. Got certified in both, got an internship, was getting nibbles and phone interviews (Microsoft!), and then the tech recession hit. I believe with a little luck and some perseverance, I would have prevailed. I had a co-worker who was hired (with extensive experience) at 65. And this, for the moment, is a better employment climate. I know it can be done.Quote:
Originally Posted by ApatheticNoMore
ETA: I'd hire a job counselor, if that's possible. I didn't find the state employment office helpful at all, though they used to be. Now they just show videos and tell you to spam your CV to everyone with a computer. Look into medical jobs--one that interested me was medical equipment repair--or jobs in criminal justice. Those two fields aren't going anywhere.
I went back to graduate school at 39 and changed careers. Once I graduated I job hunted nationwide even though I didn’t want to move I knew I had to be open to it.
why bother wasting money and time to go back to school then, might as well just move to a town of a few thousand people or a few more and look for a minimum wage job, you could maybe support yourself on it in such a place because costs would be low enough. School would be a bid to stay here. Because I actually don't care what I do for money all that much, work is work, I just don't want to do things I would be really bad at, so that sets some limits.
How do you know what you would be really bad at doing?Quote:
Originally Posted by ApatheticNoMore
Because I then obtained work in a professional position with great benefits. That’s what made the move worth it.
May not be of interest to very many here, but food for thought anyway. California is really hurting for trainable people for the building trades. We have had a housing shortage, and now with all of the fires and floods destroying so many homes, housing really has reached a crisis point.
My 19 yr old grandson went to work as a carpenter apprentice 4 months ago. His starting wage was $31.53/hr, and he got a raise after 90 days. He is doing finish carpentry work, so he works inside all day.
Similarly, the modular home building industry is looking for hundreds of workers, and all those people work inside climate controlled buildings all year. Central Oregon has several factories, as does California. All of those pay very very well. And they are located in the less populated areas, where one can reasonably run a huge home factory. Also, the cost of living is lower for their workers. I'm sure they also employ many people in their offices, as well as on the production lines.
Edited to add: In 'n Out Burgers pays $15/hr starting wage in California.
I know it is relatively expensive to live here, but there are lots of opportunities.
Excellent advice about trades--a laid-off co-worker of mine enrolled in carpentry school to learn to do finish work on boats. Last I heard, she was doing well. I would have thought that was too niche-y, but apparently not around here. Another example of thing outside the cube farm.
looks like I may be there awhile. Good because I found this "good job market" to actually be insane, looking for work as a database developer or anything else I'd done prior to that (application support, business analysis, something has to have some use to someone ... yea done more than one thing in my job life, probably not a great idea).
And I haven't been able to save much working yet. I guess how hard missing a days pay for xmas and new years, if you have to take time to go to the dentist, etc. would hit I didn't realize until I became contract (and I did not set my rate any higher than I would for a full time job - I was desperate period). After being unemployed for so long not able to save but bills get paid is hey BILLS GET PAID!!! And there was ahem pent up demand. I mean I didn't buy anything for a year so did some stocking up :~). So maybe I'll be able to save something eventually.
What saving I have done is mostly throwing about $600 so far in a Roth IRA, and feeling pretty foolish thinking: a lot of good that will do you when unemployed! Yea well it was symbolic, about keeping hope of being middle class again ... someday .... I think much about being middle class is foolishness, I am so done with most of it, the parts I ever even cared about. But the basics aren't = some minor degree of job security (more than contract work), healthcare, paid time off, not stressing about every penny (it's too hard to live that way), ability to make the rent. Ha.
About construction, my boyfriend works in construction, but is not a blue collar man, does administrative stuff, for which demand is not so great, so maybe he'd know some ins and outs of it. Some construction is all immigrant, but I don't know about all (some of it is government and unionized also, and that's not).