Of course, the World Trade Center attack sealed the final nail in my coffin. The market dropped through the basement and companies stop hiring altogether. I found myself on the dole and wondering what I was going to do next. I realized that I hadn't completed my formal education before I retired from the Army in 1993. Looking around in near panic, I decided with my 128 credit hours earned while in the military, I could easily obtain an Associates in a very short time. So, off I went to the local community college. I started in the spring semester of 2002. I was on unemployment and still some GI Bill education money left and that combined with student loans, allowed to me attend college full time and still pay the bills. While I was at the community college, I learned of a program that was part of the New York State Board of Regents that would allow me to consolidate my previous credits into a Bachelors. All they did was to plug all of my previous courses into a matrix and then told me what I needed to complete the degree. As it turned out, all I needed was a written English course which I was already enrolled in at the community college. At the end of the spring semester, I sent my transcripts off to the special program, looked at my community college credits and realized I only needed 5 courses to complete an associates. I enrolled for four four of them during the summer. These were compressed (not condensed) versions of standard courses. They covered all of the material in a standard semester in just eight weeks. Never-the-less, I wasn't intimidated in the least. I finished the spring semester above 3.50 and blew the summer term away with all A's. In July, right in the middle of the fray, I traveled four and a half hours to Albany, NY to walk the stage for my four year degree. I was the first in my family ever to finish college or even to start college for that matter. Sometime during the summer, I realized a Bachelor in Liberal Arts wasn't quite going to be marketable so I decided to enroll in an online graduate program taking two courses per semester. I started in the fall while I was finishing up my last course for the Associates. Are you with me so far? Spring-finished Bachelors, Fall-finished the Associates and started my graduate program.
So there I am, busting my brain and I realized that the GI Bill money ran out. I started applying for any and every job that paid a significant wage. I had a few interviews and I have never before failed an interview, but was turned down. Okay, I told myself, I'll go for the lower wage moderate income jobs. Same story. I sent out resumes, networked as much as possible and started going to every job fair within a fifty mile radius. It was at the job fairs that I realized what the problem was. I would look around the packed room and see fields of gray hair floating above a landscape of business suits. Damn, everyone there practically was old. Shit! I was old. No wonder...it all made sense. Nobody was hiring anyone over 45 or 50 because there was a glut of eager young students graduating and going into the market for twice the work and half the pay. I knew right then and there that I had to set my sights lower. Hence the job I have now that only pays a couple bucks over minimum wage.
Meanwhile, what to do about the mortgage, the bills and emergency debts. The savings began to shrink like a grape left in the California sun. If it weren't for my military retirement money, the house would be history by now. Even so, I have gone to bed feeling sick that the debts are getting out of hand, my wife was shedding tears of frustration and my future looked dim. It still does. I finished my Masters in Adult Education in the fall of 2004. I chose that field because I am natural trainer. I spent years in the military in front of a class teaching something. I went through a faculty development course and taught into an Army program that awarded college credits upon completion. I figured training was where I belonged. By then, the IT field was out. System Administrators weren't in demand any more. Most companies just dual tasked their developers to do that job.
Since then, I have applied for every training position I could find, including three right in my own company. Not even an interview for the ones outside the company and just two interviews for the internal opportunities. In every single case, I was turned down in favor of someone younger and less qualified. So now, between work and resumes going out the door, I can't help but fear what the future holds. Our house is slowly loosing its roof, the siding is becoming threadbare and at least ten windows need to be replaced. Our kitchen range is on its last legs with only two working burners lefts and our cupboards are starting to look bare. I am suffering from depression and anxiety and my wife has literally withdrawn from the world. She works, comes home and does a few chores and then falls asleep on the couch. When she is not sleeping, she is pressuring me to keep sending out resumes that never get read or responded to. I don't know how long I can hang on. I don't want to see the day when we lose our house.
If anyone knows of any jobs in training out there that pays in the fifty grand range, contact me.
posted by MsJuneRose
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posted by colleenm
Someone asked about it and was told to hand carry their resume to the Google office. Not likely! A number of us had already done that, before they hired the fresh-faced, high-energy Noodlers (their cutesy term for New Google hires).
However, is there any place near you that needs people who can teach English as a second language? Or would you consider going overseas to do so? Your background might look good to companies in that field.
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