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Schools are trying to fill up nursing too. Hospitals don't like paying hundreds of nurses all that high pay. There are schools with night and Saturday programs, and they are doing everything they can to help the hospitals fill up the vacancies.
I believe it will fill up, because employers don't like having to pay such high wages to attract nurses. That has happened in a lot of other areas of medicine. Where there were openings with vacations and bonuses to lure people on, now, there is nothing. Virtually nothing.
If nurses were smart, they'd keep their numbers on the lean side.
Good points, Nebulous. As usual, it's about economics. The colleges want their classes full because they get tuition; the more students taking classes, the more money they get. Employers like a high inventory to choose because it gives them more leeway as to employment. When there's a surplus to choose from, they can then hire two nurses for the price of one and not pay benefits and other perks in certain settings.
I wasn't addressing anyone directly or trying to be obnoxious.
I was just saying I really can't take on anymore debt to change my career. I'm better off just getting certified in my state and working a sub job till I can get a 'full time' one. I suppose that will be the route if I return to teaching.
Otherwise I may be able to parlay my volunteering eventually into some paying job.
Gypsysoul, I find your posts to be very truthful and indicative of what it's like out there. You've never said anything that is not truthful. It IS a different job market and workforce than our parents or grandparents had to contend with. The old rules do not apply today.
It is absolutely true and I have been on both sides of the coin. I am 50 and ten years ago I was a hiring manager looking for a buyer. A woman came in for an interview and she was in her early sixties. She had been in the job market for a long period of period of time but had an excellent work history, excellent educational credentials, was willing to work for the salary we were offering and would most likely have made an excellent buyer. However, I knew immediately I was not going to hire her. It was an uncomfortable instantaneous gut reaction which I am just now trying to sift through because of my own situation. Some reasons I can think of in hindsight are;
1. The rest of the organization was younger. (Wasn't sure how she would fit)
2. I was extremely uncomfortable that I would be her boss and I was brought up to respect and obey my elders.
3. She was probably more qualified than I was for my position.
Now, over ten years later, I have been in the job market for over a year. I am looking for mid level management positions but because of the length of time out of work, am also looking at lower level positions. I am so frustrated! I have hidden my age well on my resume and get many interviews but many times, early in the interview, I am certain I see that same look in the hiring manager's face. The one I had ten years ago. And sure enough, I get a go away letter a couple of days later or no response at all. Some businesses have become more polished these days and their response is usually "we found a more qualified candidate”, some are not and won't respond at all even when you inquire.
NO QUESTION IT IS HARDER TO GET WORK AT FIFTY AND ABOVE
It is absolutely true and I have been on both sides of the coin. I am 50 and ten years ago I was a hiring manager looking for a buyer. A woman came in for an interview and she was in her early sixties. She had been in the job market for a long period of period of time but had an excellent work history, excellent educational credentials, was willing to work for the salary we were offering and would most likely have made an excellent buyer. However, I knew immediately I was not going to hire her. It was an uncomfortable instantaneous gut reaction which I am just now trying to sift through because of my own situation. Some reasons I can think of in hindsight are;
1. The rest of the organization was younger. (Wasn't sure how she would fit)
2. I was extremely uncomfortable that I would be her boss and I was brought up to respect and obey my elders.
3. She was probably more qualified than I was for my position.
Now, over ten years later, I have been in the job market for over a year. I am looking for mid level management positions but because of the length of time out of work, am also looking at lower level positions. I am so frustrated! I have hidden my age well on my resume and get many interviews but many times, early in the interview, I am certain I see that same look in the hiring manager's face. The one I had ten years ago. And sure enough, I get a go away letter a couple of days later or no response at all. Some businesses have become more polished these days and their response is usually "we found a more qualified candidate”, some are not and won't respond at all even when you inquire.
NO QUESTION IT IS HARDER TO GET WORK AT FIFTY AND ABOVE
I have been close to most of the HR managers at the different companies I have worked at over the years and almost everyone of them would tell me that there IS age discrimination and it starts at the over 40 crowd.
When attending an placement service one of my employers provided after shutting down our location I met a HR manager. She said to avoid anything that can even give a hint to your age. She also recommended opting out of ussearch.com. It is a site where at no cost you can find a persons age if you know their name and city that they live in. Her HR group would always go to the site to get an idea of the candidates' age and usually toss the resume in the second tier pile if the person was 45 or older. Being over 50 and currently finding it difficult to land a new job in a new state this type of information scares me but it is the reality.
I found an excellent article for babyboomers who are actively looking for employment: Six Résumé Strategies for Fighting Age Discrimination: How Baby Boomers Can Use Résumés to Showcase Their Vitality
I worked for a company for 3+ years and in 2005 I had cancer and had to go through chemo and I had a really hard time of it and my doctor wanted me off work while I was taking chemo because it was running me down. I took a doctors orders slip to my work and then I received a letter from corporate office that I could only have 12 weeks off and if I didn't report back to work I wouldn't have a job. I had no choice but to go back because I needed the insurance for chemo. I returned to work and things only got worse. then one day my boss called me and said we were really slow and I should apply for unemployment. I applied and in the meantime I called everyday as I was required to so I could check for work the next day. about a month along I received a letter from corporate that I could apply for cobra because I no longer was working at the company.
I called and explained there must be some mistake because I still had my job, but because we were slow I was getting unemployment. They said no that they had a letter from the company saying i was not umployed there anymore. So there was nothing I could do but start looking for another job. But I am 59 and I have put in over 50 applications with no response. I know it is because of my age. Now my unemployment is almost gone and I still don't have a job. My husband is retired with only 600.00 a month ss. So we are looking at losing our home and being out in the street if I don't find a job.
This is the way the system works and there is nothing you can do about it.
very frustrated in Michigan.
One of the ways to combat this is to focus on a subject matter expertise you may have in your skill set. Instead of "selling" everything you have to an employer, your selling something specific they need...for example:
If you're an IT Manager and have managed large projects, many people, and have specific technical expertise...you might just talk about your technical skill in a certain program or tool.
That way you can be competitive with the "younger" generation...and sometimes, you don't want more responsibility anyway...so being an expert instead of climbing the ladder is acceptable after 50, 60 or beyond.
It's just one way to skin the age stuff that does exist in corporate...it's not good but you can get creative to get around it.
It is difficult to do anything if you are a college grad over 50 years old...the schools need substitutes, and bus drivers.......but if you are going to subsitute or do bus driving to be able to put food on your table, you had better think twice...you could die more easily just off the school grounds today than ever before.....there are gangs in there, even in the suburbs...thanks to all of the rap music and the mixing of economic levels in small towns built after 1980.
Unfortunately, it is a mess in the schools, and dangerous for the teachers too. I think being a janitor looks better all the time.
Old age and treachery win out against youth and skill... didn't you ever hear that one. My advice is to forget about the big companies. The little small businesses really appreciate and need the good help. No room and budget for slackers there.
You hit the nail on the head. This is the answer folks. Large companies hiring non-senior management or non-executives will either require convincing to hire someone in their 50s, or the prospective employee needs to be prepared to be offered money equivalent to what others in the 20s are receiving. It is rather straight-forward as large companies are about profit and high-salaries don't help generate profit.
Small companies are different. Since they cannot afford to hire a large number of people, they need real performers. In general they pay more and care more about hiring a hard-worker than just another body. Of course mileage varies, but that is the 2nd best advice I can think to give.
The top advice I can give to any of you in your 50s... recognize that at your age and given your expertise you should be starting a company and working for yourself; not applying to another job to work for someone else. As long as you work for someone else you'll have to deal with issues this thread exemplifies. Once you work for yourself, you'll have other issues but at least you'll be paid what you're worth versus paid what someone else thinks you're worth.
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Finding work after 50
