I am disabled, have one, going on two Masters degrees, and I can't find a job.

[Leftist Agitator]

I have an MBA, and am currently pursuing an MS in Industrial and Labor Relations. I just got word from an office of the NLRB that my application for employment has been rejected. I've had 15 interviews between the first of the year and now, and that was the only one that proceeded to the background check stage. I have enough student loan debt to buy a house, and by the end of the year, payments on that enormous pile of debt are due. I just sent a message to the person at the NLRB who was making the hiring decision inquiring as to why I was rejected. I'm guessing that they want a non-disabled person, but good luck proving that in a court of law.

I don't have any idea how in the hell one is supposed to get ahead, even given graduate degrees. What good are degrees if nobody will fucking hire you? Let me tell you, folks, the game is rigged, and no matter how hard you work, no matter how hard you try, even if you do all the "right" things, you still will end up making $9 - 10 an hour in a job that strips you of your dignity, and leaves you a destitute debt slave for the rest of your days.

USA! USA! USA!

[Sarah Ibarruri]

1. Jobs have to be brought back. I don't know how, but they have to be brought back here nt

[JDPriestly]

27. Stop buying stuff made in wherever.

That is how we bring the jobs back. If the corporations discover that they can't sell their trinkets to us unless they make them here, we will get industry and jobs back in our country, and the corporations will play by our environmental and labor rules.

Let them try to sell their junk to the people in countries x, y and z they pay subhuman wages to make it. That will not work.

[Sarah Ibarruri]

33. I already have. I wish others would do the same. nt

[DocMac]

53. The jobs that left here

will not be close to the people's needs if they come back.

The Republicans want to defund education at a time that it should be super funded.

But, I should say that if you want a return on your education investment, you should dive deep in science.

Computer science degree is the best right now. If we can end the h1B visas, we can gain some ground.

H1b visas are the enemy of our educated youth.

[Sarah Ibarruri]

54. Right? And every time I say that H1bs are our biggest enemy, someone says they're not

But they are. Our best jobs are stolen because of H1b visas. How do we get the issuance of these H1b visas stopped? What do we do?

[DocMac]

60. Corporations want cheaper labor.

Many in Washington will see that they have it. The parents of college grads have to fight this battle.

Might I add that any graduate can get on the computer science bandwagon with just some good instruction.

I know this is true! It takes just as much effort to train an Indian (from India) to train an American college student.

I'll defend this as long as it takes.

[mdmc]

2. courage my friend

peace

[freshwest]

7. Also.

[xchrom]

3. Du rec. Nt

[jeff47]

4. Post your resume

While it doesn't sound like my employer can use your skills, someone else might.

Just remove your name/contact info, and remove the company names in your work history.

[Cali_Democrat]

5. Keep your head up

My brother in law is a lawyer. He went to Yale and USC law school. He was out of work for nearly two years before he finally found a job after he was laid off. It can take a lot of time.

[Leftist Agitator]

6. I don't have the luxury of a lot of time.

If I don't have a job, I can't get into the Income-based Repayment Program, which is the only way that I'll be able to manage my student loan debt. And believe it or not, shitty jobs are even more dismissive of the disabled than are so-called professional positions.

I am at my proverbial wit's end. I was sure that the NLRB position would pan out. Not so much, as it turns out.

Oh, and my savings will be gone circa August. So at that point, I'm verily Fucked, with a capital F...

[creeksneakers2]

8. Are you sure you can't get income based repayment?

If you make less than 150% of the poverty rate your payment should be zero. Also, look into a deferment or forbearance.

[freshwest]

9. Please cross post this somewhere on DU, I've seen some people get jobs.

And remember they can't take your dignity, if you don't believe in trying to please.

What you can do to make money is not the sum total of who and what you are.

They cannot make you pay, it is humiliating, but many of us here have faced similar things and you will always be a worthwhile human being.

[dothemath]

20. I think 'they' can make you pay ............

If any of the loans have been guaranteed by the Fed. gov't., your wages, if you ever have any, can be garnisheed. If you make it to qualify for SS, those funds can be garnisheed.

I could be wrong and welcome bona fide corrections if so.

[freshwest]

21. Oh, yeah, the garnishing is built in, the GOP saw to that. Obama has tried to change the predatory

Nature of these lenders, with limited success. The UA is always held hostage.

And yes, they can garnish, they can make you pay if you get a job. And a person's standard of living goes down, and it seems impossible.

His biggest danger to life and limb is garnishment of any disability or social security he may have to get him able to work, but if he takes on a crappy job, if he can do a crappy job, he can toss something. Because the GOP did insist that even a person on disability or retirement has to pay that loan, or court ordered child support, unless they've changed that law.

Yes, poverty lies in the road ahead, being treated like crap and many have seen it. But it's not exactly like one is going to prison for student loan debt --- yet. But although it sucks and is painful and a lot of people here have gone through excruciating changes, and we can do our best to help.

What I wanted to convey the most, is that his human worth, his dignity, cannot be take away if he knows that his worth is not dependent on the traditional measures: a high position from work, material means or the freedom that it brings.

I hope that answered what you asked?

I'm getting a bit worn out here now.

[Walk away]

10. It sucks. I know what it's like to be up against it.

The only advise I can give you is to not give up. Think outside the box. If you can't get a job maybe you can create one for yourself. I just road out the worst of the job market, an accident that left me with a permanent handicap and turning fifty with no means of support. All I have is a B.A. from a million years ago but after three years of pushing myself I have a little business that pays the mortgage. I even created a few jobs with health care.

It's not what I expected but I'll take it and enjoy it!

[CAPHAVOC]

11. I hope you have Social Security. And Medicare.

You should be able to work and still collect it. Maybe you can get "forbearance" on your loans. Is there any way you can "Freelance" your talent? Or do you want to work for a Corporation? Or for the Government? Or maybe change your field? Maybe the Right Things are the Wrong Things. Try thinking outside the box. Don't worry about the debt. You may be lawsuit proof. Keep Clawing Away at it. Some destitute debt slaves have more fun than the 1% who spend all their time worrying about losing their money. Retire now work later.

[BOHICA12]

12. What do you bring to the job that others do not?

Focus on that as a strength and market yourself using it.

Look at your local non-profit community, they can use your education & experience. Check out law firms specializing in disability claims law ....

Talk to counselor that can act as a good sounding board - be prepared for a paradigm shift. I suggest (if their is one) your local workforce board's Professional Placement Network - if they have a sharp leader it can be a big help.

[Coyote_Bandit]

13. Warm thoughts and good wishes

I have 3 graduate/professional degrees and 2 professional licenses. I'm long-term unemployed, am both vision and hearing impaired (though I require no special accomodations and do not qualify for any kind of disability assistance), have an employment history that includes stints at more than one employer that is no longer in business (and therefore unable to verify my employment), 50ish, female, single, without children, starting to get a bit of grey hair and not as fit and skinny as I used to be.

I figure I will not ever have another job (certainly not one paying a living wage that enables me to be fully self supporting) unless I create it myself. And I see no reason to assume that risk and put forth that effort in an economy that is stacked against me. But I'd be delighted to make that effort elsewhere after my folks are gone, assuming I am still able of course. My first loyalty is to myself and my family. And if that means seeking out opportunity elsewhere then so be it.

You are not alone. There are lots of folks looking for jobs that never seem to materalize. Small comfort, I know.

[GobBluth]

14. I am deaf and feel for you

I am late deafened. I only finished HS, have some college, but marriage and kids derailed that. Finally able to go back to school, and really wondering if it is worth it financially. I really believe that even if I had a PHD, I would have a very difficult time finding a job. My aunt and mother are also late deafened, same story. They are both CPA's and the only way they work is being independent and through people they know. Most deafened people are very isolated, so they are very lucky.

[Tabasco_Dave]

15. Don't give up!

I'm disabled too and the thing that sucks about being disabled is the poverty but a few make it out,you can be one of those few.

[russspeakeasy]

16. Damn, there are some brave people on DU.

Good luck to you.

[slackmaster]

17. I never did get a job in what I studied for. I got my first job doing something I do well.

Best of luck to you. Please keep all options open. Take any job you can get with an enterprise that you respect, and run with it.

[gateley]

18. I don't know what to say. This just makes me so sad for you and too many others in your

situation. America has become a nightmare. I'm just so sorry.

[baseballguy2001]

19. keep fighting

I don't have any degrees, but I started my own gig, you can too! I launched my courier service in 2009 with a $15 dollar a month VOIP line and a 1995 Jeep Cherokee. You can do it!

[AC_Mem]

22. Contact me via pm

I can give you some info and advice that may be of great benefit to you.

Things are getting better!
Annette

[MarianJack]

23. My best wishes to you.

I have a Masters degree and have been 10 months without a job. I believe that I've been the target of some blatent and brazen age discrimination. I have gone 0 for 24 in interviews for State Jobs.

It looks like I may get an offer this week for under $10 an hour and at this exact moment it looks like a fortune, even with the 65 mile round trip everyday. Fortunately, my likely manager has stated that she sees me as a likely supervisor within a few months, so it'll be a bit more in the paycheck.

My wife and I are coming closer to the conclusion that we need to do our own business. Between the 2 of us, we've spent 2 1/2 of the last 4 years out of work and that TRULY SUCKS!

Best of luck to the both of us!

PEACE!

[Liberty Belle]

24. If you can do online research, type and meet deadlines,

pm me. I need someone to do a monthly "how they voted" column on my area's federal and state representatives. You won't get rich, but it's a little something, better than the rates you list above, and occasionally I can outsource other research or writing projects.

[CoffeeCat]

25. I hope you're collecting unemployment

And getting those benefits. Yes, the money isn't a windfall, but it helps. Also, check with the laws in your state. In my state you can do contract/ freelance work and still get full unemployment benefits. We were able to stay afloat by combining our unemployment and some contract work.

I know this is rough. Just keep going. You have to. Keep applying, researching and networking. So many including myself, understand. You are not alone. And I'm glad to hear that you have some savings to get you through. Please keep us posted!

[Odin2005]

26. Only 5% of people on the autism spectrum have a steady job.

I'm one of the lucky 5%, but I know many people on the spectrum here who are stuck working in sheltered facilities with job coaches, or simply live off SSDI with no job.

[KamaAina]

39. An Autistic friend of mine also has two graduate degrees and no job

agenices that purport to place Autistic and other developmentally disabled perople in jobs don't know what to do with her. Literally. They don't understand the basic terminology that goes on a biologist's resume.

[Kablooie]

28. That's awful. The Republican 1% has been in charge far too long.

I'm sure they have been rigging the game for years.

I make a distinction between them and Democratic 1% because the Dem 1% agrees that the game has been rigged and supports the movement to bring things into balance again.

[hfojvt]

29. and here I was wishing I had an MBA instead of an MA

Here are the jobs I have gotten since I graduated from Nebraska
1. assistant lecturer - $810 a month for two classes
2. self employed - not having a job, I decided to try opening a bookstore, lost perhaps $5,000 over seven years, but I was living in the store so it's kind of a wash, other than not making any money it was kinda fun and I got to read a lot too.
3. satellite dish factory - $5.40 an hour
4. some temp jobs and snow shovelling
5. part-time janitorial work at a bar - $5.50 - $7.15 an hour
then I sold my building and moved to Iowa
which ended up being a fairly huge mistake
6. temp jobs for 3 years $7.25 to $8.50 an hour
7. entry level phone customer service $11.30 an hour
8. part time janitorial work $10.69 an hour
9. full time janitorial supervisor - $15.53 an hour

Not exactly why I spent all that time studying for straight A's and taking college classes, but I have gotten by. Walking home from my first day at the satellite dish factory, I was pretty darn pumped. I had a job!!! Later as I got ready for work, I would think to myself "grind" as it felt like I was being ground down. The phrases "nose to the grindstone" and "the daily grind" had much more meaning to me. Janitorial work is many ways better than factory work, in my opinion. You move around more, instead of being stuck on the line or at the drill press, and the best part, of course, is the high esteem that the profession is held in society.

But I have not been destitute. I feel like I have what I want, perhaps because my wants are pretty simple. But compared to what I am used to, I have some cool things - digital cameras are totally awesome compared to the film I grew up wtih, DVDs are way cool too. Hell, we didn't even have VCRs when I grew up. Ipods, netbooks, desktops that play libraries of CDs, 200 gigabyte hard drives, and so on. All in all, life in America is pretty cool. I don't know why people are not happier.

Part of the problem, I think, lies in the phrase you used, probably unintentionally - "get ahead". Instead of enjoying what we have, we compare that to what we think others have on their greener side of the fence. Unless we are ahead, unless we have more, more, more (How do you like it? How do you like it?) then we are not happy.

Maybe that is not your outlook and you really mean "a decent life" (with a couple of rooms and a bath - did I mention how awesome hot water is? I lived without it for a year, and after about three months in 1987, all I could think was "God, I would love to take a shower.&quot But it does seem to me that the debt which is hanging over you like the sword of Damocles is a pickle that you willingly got yourself into for the express purpose of "getting ahead" so that you could be one of the fortunate ones who does not have to work an excrement job for low pay. That's the trouble though. Not every rat can win the rat race. In fact, I still feel that the rat race is a little bit like Global Thermonuclear War. "The only way to win - is not to play."

[LooseWilly]

30. the debt which is hanging over you like the sword of Damocles is a pickle that you willingly got yo-

... urself into for the express purpose of "getting ahead" so that you could be one of the fortunate ones who does not have to work an excrement job for low pay

Wow... I've never heard such demeaning patronization aimed at someone for getting an education before... I'm sure the anti-intellectuals, not only of "our party" but also the other one... will be proud.


Ohh, and I've assiduously avoided the rat race... until there was nothing else to race other than rats.The only way "not to play", that I've ever seen... is to "go hobo" and start shoplifting (Urban Foraging) for food any any other niceties.
Sometimes you can get lucky and find good stuff ... to "steal". From that point on though, it's kind of a free for all... but, with newstuff hiere and there to to snatch.between billings.

If you're going to advocate for bailing on the rat race, might as well be honest. Get used to a spot of stealing... not much different really, than the stealing that goes on under government oversight.... let alone corporate oversight.

[Coyote_Bandit]

31. In this country

we grossly overvalue education - particularly higher education.

A fair to average plumber or electrician will likely do better over their lifetime than someone who is college educated and finds themselves working call center jobs - and perhaps doing so sporadically as they face layoffs throughout their career. The college educated may earn less, they have the expense of financing that largely useless degree and they forego 4 or 5 years of employment.

College students of the 50s and 60s were well advised to go to school, work hard and get good grades so that they could get good jobs. But the returns on that investment of time, effort and $$$ have been diminishing since the 70s. Well over 50% of college grads today never work in a job related to their field of study. No economy - and particularly our kind of service economy - is capable of creating enough good paying white collar professional jobs (particularly the generic management and middle management kinds of jobs business programs seem to train our kids for) for all the college grads we churn out. We don't create many of those kinds of jobs - and the lucky ones who find themselves with these kinds of jobs tend to hold onto them and follow that professional career path until they retire.

But most everybody wants their kid to go to college so they can get a better job (whatever the hell that is). They discourage their kids from being self-employed or from pursuing blue collar (or, worse, agricultural) work.

The schools certainly want to sell the hope of a better future to get folks enrolled and to keep the tuition dollars rolling in. Same is true of the professors who find employment security in that enrollement. And having as many people as possible pursuing an education serves our broader economy by keeping all those students out of the work force for years (or only marginally employed). Most schools wash their hands of those grads and have very poor job placement programs. Even those who have stellar placement programs many be unable to assist their grads to find anything other than entry level positions immediately following graduation.

We also are under the illusion that if we send our kids to college that they will be "educated." It is quite possible to be "educated" in the sense of having critical thinking skills and being widely read without ever darkening the doors of an institution of higher education. It is also possible to have multiple college degrees and be utterly lacking in such education. This kind of education is acquired - and maintained - because one wants to have those skills and knowledge and is self-motivated enough to develop them. Cliff notes can get someone through college but they can never instruct or inform the beauty of a particular piece of literature.

I have a BA and 3 graduate/professional degrees (and a year in a tech program that was terminated before I had an opportunity to complete it) earned over a 20+ year period. My experience is such that I have concluded that there are only two reasons to go to college:

(1) You need a credential to get a particular job or have a particular career - and you have done the research to know that (a) you are suited for such a career and that (b) you either have the resources to be self-employed in that career or that it is likely that there will be sufficient employment opportunities available upon completion of your schooling for you to find employment. I've known fully licensed attorneys that drove UPS trucks and worked cosmetics counters because there were no jobs available and they did not have the resources to hang out their own shingle.

(2) You love to learn and want to be well educated and well read. An admirable cause and the best reason to enroll in college. But don't attach any career or employment expectations to your education. Don't expect an educational institution to do the work of a technical or trade school in preparing you for a career. They are not equipped to do that.

Millions of people take on debt to get an education and for virtually all of them that debt represents their hopes and dreams and desire to create a better life for themselves and their family. Daring to hope is no crime.

However, I'm not sure I can say that those who exploit those hopes and dreams are guiltless. Our social, educational, political and business institution encourage people to invest their time, effort and $$$ to pursue an education. And they know damned well that many of those people become enslaved to the debt they incur and that they are not rewarded with greater earnings ability.

[RKP5637]

59. IMO this is an excellent analysis of what we are faced with today. When I went

to school doors automatically opened after graduation, numerous job offers and a future, but today all of that has changed.

I had a BS and two tech degrees. The tech degrees opened the doors, and then the BS was an asset.

I agree so much with what you said, there are a lot of tech. jobs today that in many ways can be a better door opener than lots of degrees.

Times have certainly changed from the 60's/70's.

[Fumesucker]

32. A quote from the OP that struck me..

What good are degrees if nobody will fucking hire you?

I'm ADD enough that I never managed to complete a degree but if I had I wouldn't feel it was useless even though I"m long term unemployed now at sixtysomething. I have always studied what interests me, if it pays off monetarily that's great but money was never my motivation for learning.

[hfojvt]

35. one can get an education

for nothing more than a few dollars in late chahges from the public library. One gets a degree, not so much in order to learn, but in order to get one of those seats on the good job train.

That's what I mean by avoiding the rat race - avoiding the scramble for money and status. As Studs Terkel quoted the song from many years ago.

"I don't mind wearing raggedy britches
because them that succeeds is sons o' bitches
I'll stay down here with the raggedy crew
if getting up there means stepping on you."

But I also think it would be easier as a group to avoid the rat race. If we could figure out some way to live together, cooperate and share.

[raouldukelives]

41. So very true.

To many just the fact they are making "good money" is the reason. With no thought or consideration to what the long term effects of the "work" they are doing is.
We have become a nation of people who commute an hour just to push decimal points around on a computer screen. Just the amount of climate change brought about by these useless positions is reason enough to stop. That is, if they had any shred of individual thought or an idea of personal responsibility to the world they are leaving behind.
“We do not inherit the earth from our ancestors, we borrow it from our children.”

[Scout]

34. do you have any actual work experience? or just degrees?

'cuz personally, i would not hire either an MBA or someone with a master if all they have is schooling.

[FRG4]

37. Catch-22.

How are you supposed to get work experience if you need work experience to get work experience in the first place?

That's what I was told when I went to my interviews. They said that without "work experience" they could not hire me, yet without a job I could not get any to begin with.

[Scout]

43. oh bull. how has ANYONE ever gotten their first job?

it's not that hard, really. will your first job be in your field making a gazillion dollars? probably not. did you start working as soon as you could? or did you wait until after you graduated college to look for your "first" job?

my first job was when i was 13, i got a paper route.

when i was 12 or 13, i started babysitting and did that through college.

the summers between 9th and 10th grade and 10th and 11th, i worked temporary full time in a printing plant. same for Christmas break.

during 9th grade i worked after school for the stagecraft/auditorium help.

my senior year of high school i worked part-time at a bank, then full-time for that summer.

freshman year of college i did not work except for studies. during the rest of most of college, i washed beakers and test tubes in a biochemistry lab about 15 hours a week to earn pocket money.

the summer between my sophomore and junior years of college i worked midnight shift at the printing plant.

i ESPECIALLY won't hire someone with advanced degrees if they have no real-world experience to go with it.

[FRG4]

48. I've done plenty of menial jobs since high school

At that time I had two jobs - fast food during the weekdays and in a shoe store on the weekends. In the summers during college I worked the front desk in my department's equipment room, and also as a waiter and a janitor at various times to pay my own way through college. My parents didn't have much money but I didn't get a whole lot of financial aid. I worked 20 hours a week all four years during the school year and full time during the summers, and still managed to do better than the people who didn't have to work.

During my junior and senior year I ran an online business out of my dorm room (an ebay store). After getting my degree I still had no "real" job, so I kept doing the ebay store thing (until 2008 when ebay changed its policies and my profit margin dropped), and then worked at my friend's dad's garage and as a furniture mover up until I decided to go to grad school. I didn't have much time during grad school, but I was a TA and a tutor and did translation work during the night.

I had experience which generally was similar to yours in my early years, but they told me that my experience wasn't "related" to the job I was looking for. Of course I told them things like the jobs helped me develop teamwork skills, presentation skills, or time management, as since they really weren't related to my studies, I couldn't say anything else. At one of the jobs they hired some slacker with a 2.0 GPA and no experience whatsoever.

[Scout]

49. "they hired some slacker with a 2.0 GPA and no experience whatsoever"

too bad they beat you

how do you know for a fact they were a "slacker"?

[FRG4]

50. He was in the same department as me

And I was familiar with his work and his M.O. He was bragging about landing the job since it was a rather sought-after position, especially for a newly-graduated student. What's more is that he was promoted after only 6 months at the company. Maybe he knew someone on the inside - a family friend or a relative or something, or maybe he was just a smooth talker. You don't go from being a C student to assistant project manager within 6 months of graduating, especially lacking certification of any kind.

[FRG4]

36. I feel you

This has been going on for a very long time.

I graduated from my undergraduate institution with a 4.0, and couldn't find a job. There were people who barely graduated alive, and somehow, they managed to get jobs, but not me. I sent out over 50 resumes and got 3 calls for interviews. That's it. Three lousy interviews, and no job. I decided to suck it up and get better educated. I went on to get a Master's degree from one of the top public universities in the country, during which time I published several technical papers. My master's is in engineering which should have been worth something, but after graduation, I applied everywhere from the top engineering firms, to McDonald's and WalMart, and everywhere in between. I only managed to get work on a construction site alongside day laborers so that I could make ends meet.

So I decided that I'd get my MBA, and that's what I'm doing now. I'm currently enrolled at an internationally ranked business school and *hoping* that the economy will have picked up by the time I get out for me to land a decent job.

[taught_me_patience]

38. Where are you looking for work?

Networking is the key to finding a job in this economy. Do you have any work experience? Having an MBA without experience is likely a waste.

[Scout]

44. "Having an MBA without experience is likely a waste."

my point above, exactly.

[KamaAina]

40. DU also has a disability group

where things tend to stay up a lot longer than they do in GD.

http://www.democraticunderground.com/?com=forum&id=1141

[ck4829]

42. Go to school, play by the rules, and you think you'd get a job, but no

K&R

[librechik]

45. you can get a deferment while you are unemployed, and they have an income-based repay

plan too. I got a job more or less in my field only 3 yrs after I graduated, but it has never paid enough to make loan repayments.

[Freddie Stubbs]

46. Degrees are good, but many employers also want experience too

An internship is a great way to get experience.

[Nikia]

47. If you have had 15 interviews, you are probably "qualified"

There are few companies that interview people that don't seem qualified on paper. That is something that some of the posters seem to be missing. That said, it can be hard to win the job in a competitive interview setting.
I don't know what your disability is, how apparent it is, or if you need accomodations. I think that employment discrimination has definitely increased in this economy and is harder to prove because there are probably several qualified candidates who also interviewed for your potential positions.
Good luck on your job search. Try to get help from anyone you can. Most positions are awarded on the basis of networking. Your college might have some ideas too. Be sure to take advantage of any career services or events that they might have.

[idwiyo]

51. K&R

[DCBob]

52. This story really disturbs me.

I read your post earlier and was not sure how to respond. Im still not sure but I just want to say I feel your pain. We all have to remember anyone can become disabled and have this happen to them. Take care friend.. I hope something good comes to you. Peace.

[Honeycombe8]

56. I hope this was sarcasm and that you are not really that kind of person. nt

[Honeycombe8]

58. I don't know what "industrial and labor relations" people do, but...

does your disability impact your performance of those job duties in any significant way?

You don't give your age or state whether you have any prior work experience at all. Those two things matter.

The job market is improving, so keep the faith. There will be more jobs. I know how disheartening it can be.

Also consider that the govt has TONS of resumes submitted for each job. Everyone wants to work for the govt, and yet, the govt has had a DECREASE in jobs in recent years because of cutbacks in programs. I've heard it's very hard to get hired by the govt, so it's very possible your disability has nothing to do with the declining of your app. Most applicants were declined.

I thought I'd have to get a new job, at my age (58), which wouldn't be easy. My work load had lightened significantly, and I thought I was in danger of being laid off. I planned at the outset to have to interview for jobs for maybe a year, possibly 20 times, before finding an acceptable job in my field. As it turns out, I decided to stay put and risk it. Maybe a bad decision; we'll see. But because of the job market (which is improving in hte private sector but still depressed), as well as my "handicap" of being 58, and being "overqualified," I figured I wouldn't get hired right away.

I don't think I could take 20 rejections, actually, unless I had to. Not w/o going into a serious depression. But that's how long I figured it'd take me.

I don't know if the job you want to do is specific, and there aren't many of those jobs, but if that's the case, it'll be all the harder to get it. Is there a private market for that type of job?

Is there another type of job you can also apply for? I've always thought it best to be equipped to do two things for a living, in case one doesn't pan out.

Please keep trying. It WILL happen, if you try long enough. You only need ONE job. You need ONE person to give you a chance. Sheesh, it must be hard to try 15 times and not get the job. But if you are truly qualified, and you're not screwing up in the interview, you will eventually get a job. Pay is not important for the first job. You need to get the job and keep it for awhile. THEN you'll be able to move to a better paying job, if necessary.

Have you consulted with an employment agent to get tips on the interview process? I am a terrible interviewee, so I am wondering if you aren't presenting yourself with confidence and all your abilities in the interview.

[DocMac]

61. Can I assume you are in Human Resources?

You have to be a nomad these days. Can you move?

Are you in the north east? Is your resume complete?

I'd like to see what I can do.

Please send to my inbox.

Thanks,
Duane