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It's all well and good for people to 'suggest' you go back to school and get training in something else but for those of us who ARE well educated and spent thousands of dollars on BA/BS and MS/MAs or PHDs. it's not viable.
I feel like I put in my dues when it comes to my education. I also CANNOT afford more training to change careers. The only thing I would pay for, once I got an income, would be possible training in Excel or other computer programs I am not very fluent in.
I also agree with the problems of being highly educated and getting employed. If you have a Masters you can't just go to Dunkin' Donuts and say 'hire me' because chances are they are going to think you are wasting their time and just buying time (which I would be) till I found something better.
My only other option is PAY MORE money again and try to get certified to teach in this state and the next border state...it's a matter of a few hundred dollars I DO NOT have right now..
So, it's not just the 50 somethings having trouble..I'm a SAHM who has been out of the job market 10 years. Once I was finally able to go back to work full time--November--all the jobs seemed to 'dry up.' I only want to work 30 hours max and don't need benefits..
I think Purehapa hit on this and it rings true - it's the age of technology, and many of us "old" workers haven't kept up with the cutting edge stuff - we're poor on complex computer skills, don't want to run our lives by a Blackberry and text messages, and would have to literally study to do a Powerpoint presentation. The younger group? They teethed on technology and are far and away superior to us in a lot of electronic data transmission and comprehension. I'm looking at unemployment for the first time in 30 years (which is okay, I wish they'd let me go tomorrow, I want to plant flowers), but the new programs that are thrown at me daily? Well, this brain is having trouble absorbing them. My son who is 27, however, picked it all up in a matter of a couple of hours and was making these programs whirl and go. If we want to remain employed, the bottom line may be that we HAVE to dish out the money and stay competitive. We've already got our age and longevity of employment working against us - "I don't know about that" only works to move us to the bottom of the list...again.
I'm 42 and I try to keep up with technology. I taught myself how to use Paintshop Pro X, I'm online doing things half the day. I took a look at Powerpoint one day (we have the program). I figured it out in about an hour. If I have book to guide me or I just get in there, I can do it.
I tried this a couple of times but didn't feel good about it. It's almost like the reverse of padding a resume, or is it? But if you're applying for an admin assistant job or any job that doesn't require a master's degree, they will be hesitant to hire someone with that much education. Has anyone dealt with this ethical dilemma?
It's all well and good for people to 'suggest' you go back to school and get training in something else but for those of us who ARE well educated and spent thousands of dollars on BA/BS and MS/MAs or PHDs. it's not viable.
I feel like I put in my dues when it comes to my education. I also CANNOT afford more training to change careers.
I'm not necessarily "suggesting" that you do anything. I was just stating the facts of life as an older worker. If you don't want to go back to school ... don't.
I certainly understand the problem. There were many older students in my nursing school class (about a third of the class, actually) who had bachelor's, master's degrees and all kinds of credentials.
Nevertheless, they were back in school because their degrees just weren't marketable anymore ... times had changed. And they were tired of the same stuff that I was tired off ... being laid off, constant job insecurity, low incomes, etc.
As far as affordability ... very few of us could afford going back to school either. So we attended community college because it was a lot cheaper. A lot of us applied for every scholarship, government assistance program, etc. we could find and found money that way. Many of us worked part time ... whatever it took to get through.
I can tell you one thing ... even though we all suffered and were totally miserable at the time, we're now REALLY GLAD we did it. None of us has to worry about finding decent employment again.
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.
Depends on what line of work you are in...
But I have experienced it. I am 53. Sometimes, it has been rather blatant.
I was told one time my resume looked "too well-seasoned."
Old now is anything over 35. But to those of us like me in our 50s, we have more work confidence.
I have heard really silly arguments like "people over 50 can't use computers." I laugh. I have networked my home.
It's all well and good for people to 'suggest' you go back to school and get training in something else but for those of us who ARE well educated and spent thousands of dollars on BA/BS and MS/MAs or PHDs. it's not viable.
I feel like I put in my dues when it comes to my education. I also CANNOT afford more training to change careers. The only thing I would pay for, once I got an income, would be possible training in Excel or other computer programs I am not very fluent in.
I also agree with the problems of being highly educated and getting employed. If you have a Masters you can't just go to Dunkin' Donuts and say 'hire me' because chances are they are going to think you are wasting their time and just buying time (which I would be) till I found something better.
My only other option is PAY MORE money again and try to get certified to teach in this state and the next border state...it's a matter of a few hundred dollars I DO NOT have right now..
So, it's not just the 50 somethings having trouble..I'm a SAHM who has been out of the job market 10 years. Once I was finally able to go back to work full time--November--all the jobs seemed to 'dry up.' I only want to work 30 hours max and don't need benefits..
I was one of the ones who went back to school and changed careers for the new workforce! Well, a lot of people had the same idea I did, because the field I picked went from begging for people to now, you can't get a job. There are temp jobs, not necessarily going to perm, but employers are trying people out and if they don't like your haircolor, next!
I agree with you, one can only spend so much money on constantly retraining for the economy and after awhile, one has to earn a living. Being in school for 3-4 years can really set you back financially, and I'm not just talking about the student loan.
Schools make it sound so exciting, oh boy, and I am someone who loves to learn, but I had no life when I was in school.
For the time, work, effort, and money I put into it, it hasn't paid off. I know for some it has. But we need jobs out there, and all the educations in the world aren't going to get us jobs, no matter how much we retrain, if there are no jobs to go to.
Also, the thing about Dunkin Donuts...I agree..places like that don't respond. And those jobs aren't meant to be livable wage jobs. I did those jobs in high school and during college. They don't pay a wage you can live off.
Somehow, people got the idea one just needs to go work one of these low wage service sector jobs. I have heard people say "oh, its beneath them"...but it's not, heck, Id work at Burger King if I could make a livable wage with benefits.
Americans aren't too expensive to hire. CEOs are too greedy.
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take graduate degree off resume?
