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Old 10-06-2015, 09:44 AM
 
115 posts, read 226,305 times
Reputation: 96

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After I turned 50, job hunting clearly became much more difficult than in the past. I have lots of experience but no college degree, a great work ethic, always well rated by my past employers and a great disdain for the ridiculous expectations of employers. (lots of folks look good on paper).

I quit a job I hated almost two years ago, which was very difficult to get in the first place, decided I could do better in a thriving economy so I took my savings and moved to Colorado, with a super low unemployment rate. I had several interviews lined up for the week I was arriving there but they did not materialize, some of the positions had been filled in the three days it took me to drive there. I had lived in Denver for a total of 15 years throughout my adult life so it was a familiar place and it had always been easy to survive on very little there. I originally left Colorado because snow is not my friend but thought I would try to stop being a big baby and suck it up. There are lots of jobs in Denver, most of the jobs I qualify for were not going to meet the increasing cost of living there, (rent for a dumpy apartment went from 700 to 900 in a year and a half) most rents are far in excess of that.

It took three months to find a position there, I won't go into details but it was a nightmare job and I was going to stick it out until I found something else. On the 90th day of probation, after they handed me the employee handbook etc... they decided I was not a good fit, ok, I thought the same of them so it wasn't a big deal. I started cleaning houses while looking for a new job, ultimately gave up and moved back to my mothers home in Northern California before I used up all of my savings.

Decided I wanted a government job, they look at what you have done in your past positions, not how fancy your resume is, I took the necessary tests to get on the interview lists, scored 3rd for DMV, Eligibility worker and Office Tech. Based on my ranking, I should get called for an interview at some point.

Since I am down to my last $3k, I applied at one of the poorest counties n California, it is very, very pretty and does not snow, I knew this county had a very hard time finding qualified people, I did not even have to take a test to get on the interview list. Did the interview last week, will start job at end of the month. Pay is very low but the cost of living is also super low (for California) so it should be ok, my only problem now will be finding housing and stretching what I have left in funds until the first pay check. There do not seem to be many rentals available which will fit into my wages but homes are less than 80K and I believe I will qualify for a mortgage. Gonna stay in moms RV for the first few months, there, hope I can find permanent housing. I do not want to do this any more.
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Old 10-06-2015, 10:45 AM
 
1,454 posts, read 1,934,853 times
Reputation: 1254
do you have a question here? Or you're just letting us know?

I assume you're wondering about rentals for the area- whats the town?
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Old 10-06-2015, 08:23 PM
 
115 posts, read 226,305 times
Reputation: 96
Just sharing, but if you know about rentals, that would be awesome. It is Clearlake, many rentals are now filled up after everyone was displaced.
I know some of this is my attitude, but there are some things that people suggest, which I tried, I found a bit of a different alternative.

Last edited by Grovester; 10-06-2015 at 08:35 PM..
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Old 10-06-2015, 09:17 PM
 
1,454 posts, read 1,934,853 times
Reputation: 1254
there's places on craigslist in lake county:
SF bay area apartments / housing rentals "clearlake" - craigslist

most seem to be around $1,000 so you should do just fine in managing until your first paycheck. Do you not use cc's at all? That's always a good way to get an extra few weeks- put your bills on the CC and payoff before the due date.

Last thing would be to look for any short term rentals near by like extended type hotels/motels.

Here's a few
Hotels Lakeport CA, Hotels in Clear Lake CA.
Clear Lake Cottages and Marina | Clearlake Highlands, CA Lodging
Americas Best Value Inn | An Affordable Hotel at 13865 Lakeshore Drive - Clearlake


good luck!
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Old 10-06-2015, 09:53 PM
 
115 posts, read 226,305 times
Reputation: 96
That amount of rent is much too high for the salary they can offer. Since I love the area, I am more than willing to make less for a while if I can make it work, basically, the jobs meets every single item on my criteria list except pay. Mendocino and SF CL.

I do use one Credit Card, I have had it for over 8 years, it has been zero interest for the entire 8 years time, (weird fluke when they sent out a promotional rate, I even called and inquired about it, they asked me if I wanted to know how long the offer was good for, told them no thanks), I have used it many times and it is almost maxed out right now, I never run it all the way to the max, never pay it all the way off and never ask for an increase.

The jobs which I have ranked third on the lists are all in Sacramento area, great pay but this is such a horrible place to live IMO and just because I score high on a test and get an interview, does not mean I will get the job so I took what suited my personality more than my pocketbook.
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Old 10-09-2015, 02:03 PM
 
115 posts, read 226,305 times
Reputation: 96
Maybe it won't be so hard after all, they want to interview me for a different position, same department, pays much more.
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Old 10-09-2015, 06:04 PM
 
Location: Planet Woof
3,222 posts, read 4,554,991 times
Reputation: 10238
Sounds like it all worked out. If I were you I'd stay in the RV for the long term and be with your mom. If you are 50 she could probably use your presence in her life.
Save every penny you can and NEVER assume any job security or growth in this economy.
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Old 10-14-2015, 03:30 PM
 
115 posts, read 226,305 times
Reputation: 96
I wish I could stay with mom, she is healthy and wealthy. The job is 150 miles away though so I have to move, I will be using her RV for a few months.
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