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I am a retired Marine after 26 years, age 50, and retired almost 7 years ago. When I retired, my wife went back active duty Air Force. We have two kids age 15 and 7. I have not worked in almost 3 years and during that time I have managed our rental homes in CA for the last 10 years, taken care of the kids needs, I workout at the gym almost everyday and swim, volunteer at my kids school for a couple hours a day, and have gotten my bachelor degree.
As I explained passionately to my wife, I feel useless and not whole. She says I should focus on the positive not the negative. I did recently find something to be positive about. I found a physical I did in 1994 In which I weighed 178lbs. and as of today I weigh 186lbs., my usual. I am unhappy because it seems I have just the same routine everyday of shuffling the kids around and the other things I do on a daily basis (home chores to be included). At age 50 I don't how marketable I would be re-entering the job force despite having a degree. I recently applied for a job at the fitness center on base (since I'm there all the time) and was told by the young lady at the civilian employment office that I didn't necessarily possess the skills needed which were cleaning the facility, setting up equipment, moving equipment, and showing people how to use the equipment. I asked several employees at the gym I go to if they had experience before they got the job there and they said didn't, most don't. And yes they were younger.
We do things every weekend as a family but during the week I feel almost like a nobody. Any advice or suggestions would be appreciated. Thanks for listening and I hope I made sense.
B
What is your degree in? You still manage rentals? Hobbies? I retired from the Navy back in 95, got a degree, and then went into teaching high school and even now get into a funk with the routine. While in the military, I was going 100 mph everyday and now it seems like idle speed. Getting easier to deal with as time passes on.
As a side note, appreciate the things you have going for you. For example, the teachers in my district pay about $400-600 a month for medical and I just had a knee operation for my $12 Tricare co-pay!
I am a retired Marine after 26 years, age 50, and retired almost 7 years ago. When I retired, my wife went back active duty Air Force. We have two kids age 15 and 7. I have not worked in almost 3 years and during that time I have managed our rental homes in CA for the last 10 years, taken care of the kids needs, I workout at the gym almost everyday and swim, volunteer at my kids school for a couple hours a day, and have gotten my bachelor degree.
As I explained passionately to my wife, I feel useless and not whole. She says I should focus on the positive not the negative. I did recently find something to be positive about. I found a physical I did in 1994 In which I weighed 178lbs. and as of today I weigh 186lbs., my usual. I am unhappy because it seems I have just the same routine everyday of shuffling the kids around and the other things I do on a daily basis (home chores to be included). At age 50 I don't how marketable I would be re-entering the job force despite having a degree. I recently applied for a job at the fitness center on base (since I'm there all the time) and was told by the young lady at the civilian employment office that I didn't necessarily possess the skills needed which were cleaning the facility, setting up equipment, moving equipment, and showing people how to use the equipment. I asked several employees at the gym I go to if they had experience before they got the job there and they said didn't, most don't. And yes they were younger.
We do things every weekend as a family but during the week I feel almost like a nobody. Any advice or suggestions would be appreciated. Thanks for listening and I hope I made sense.
B
You need a job (even part time) and/or a time consuming, socially active hobby like golf.
Have you thought about volunteering? Since we don't have much info to go on, it is hard to know what makes you tick. But volunteering could be something for you. I am sure there are soldiers from all branches that would like someone to talk to. Maybe talk to the base chaplin about starting a group with retired vets like yourself? Or getting in contact with military personnel that need an ear from someone that has walked a mile in their boots. What are your interests? Or do you need some income? What about a part time job in a job that you would like? I hope you find something.
babbles12, it sounds like you have the perfect skill set for one job, but are just lacking one requirement. Twenty-six years! During those 26 years, you have become quite proficient at being a manager, organizer, paper-pusher, supervisor, and instructor. All of these are good skills to have to be a community college adjunct professor. The only thing else you need is a masters degree.
Schools highly value "real world" experience and that goes a long way to being hired as an adjunct. Being an adjunct, all you have to do is teach. No committees, no meetings, few "Micky Mouse" regs. You are a part-time teacher and the department will move classes around to your schedule, (usually), so that you can teach when your youngster is in school.
Assuming you wife will be transferred to a new duty station, and if they have a community college there also, you can teach in the new locations and your past teaching experience will give you a leg up.
Just one option you may not have considered. I sort of did this. I have a pretty good job with NASA, of which my Navy training and experience is directly applicable. And, one aspect of my Navy work ties directly into the subject I teach at my local community college.
Good luck, and thank you for twenty-six years of selfless sacrifice to your country. It just sounds like you are going through that proverbial 'mid-life crisis'. You'll get through it.
My husband retired from the Air Force and also felt at loose ends. He also went to college to earn a BA. In his case the BA was particularly worthless and he wound up working as a security guard-- which was a job that he very much enjoyed even though it didn't pay well.
There are a lot of different types of discrimination in the American workplace, most particularly by larger employers. Sole proprietors and micro-businesses are more willing to hire older employees.
Also, you have the ability to start (or buy) your own small business. Lots of people do this too. I find that I enjoy working for myself much more than I ever liked working for someone else. Here is a small sample of people that I know:
A woman who is a customer at my store was a Director of PR for a major corporation. She had worked there her entire career until she unexpectedly became pregnant at age 40. Her employer found that there were layoffs needed in her department and she was the first to be laid off. She searched for a new position for 1 year and then decided to buy a franchise. She is very happy with her decision.
A friend who worked in IT was laid off at age 50. He was unable to secure employment elsewhere so he turned his love of scuba diving into a scuba shop and now has two locations with plans to further expand.
A friend who worked in construction was laid off during the recession. He too had trouble finding work so he became a handyman. He makes more money doing this than he did working for someone else and likes that he can set his own hours.
A customer who was a Realtor couldn't find anyone to buy homes during the recession. She bought a business catering to pets with plans to return to real estate once the market improved. The real estate market did improve but she says the store is her passion and she doesn't want to be a Realtor any longer.
There are lots of opportunities out there for you. You could become a Realtor with very little monetary investment and just a few weeks of schooling to get your license.
You could sell insurance with very little monetary investment and just a few weeks of schooling to get your licence.
You could look at the websites at Bizbuysell or Bizquest (which are both owned by the same company and have pretty much duplicate listings) to see if there is a going concern that interests you to purchase.
You could talk to local business brokers (people who sell going concerns like a Realtor sells homes) about local businesses they have for sale. You can Google the term to find them.
You could read Entrepreneur Magazine to learn about franchises that might interest you to purchase. You should be able to find this magazine at your local bookstore. That is how my customer found her franchise that she bought.
You can think about something that your community is lacking and start a business to fill that need.
If your college degree was in something specific you can employ a headhunter to help you find a job. The employer pays the fee.
The hardest part is taking the first step into your future. Sending best wishes.
Location: We_tside PNW (Columbia Gorge) / CO / SA TX / Thailand
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I got 're-employed' several times after retiring at age 49, and I got 2 degrees in my free time (it was fun).
I enjoy teaching adults and also doing strange PT jobs and challenging temp assignments.
I Buy and sell homes and fix up and re-market rural properties using my bulldozer and other fun things in my free time.
Work is not it's cracked up to be. If you have healthcare benefits... I would risk a start-up of some type or Self Employment / investing. There are many opportunities to fill.
What do you really enjoy?
What is relaxing for you?
What do you want to learn?
What is your degree in? You still manage rentals? Hobbies? I retired from the Navy back in 95, got a degree, and then went into teaching high school and even now get into a funk with the routine. While in the military, I was going 100 mph everyday and now it seems like idle speed. Getting easier to deal with as time passes on.
As a side note, appreciate the things you have going for you. For example, the teachers in my district pay about $400-600 a month for medical and I just had a knee operation for my $12 Tricare co-pay!
Also, I wish I was the same weight as back in 94!
My degree is in Business Administration. I do still manage those rentals that were at one time 108k underwater but now only estimated 26k largely because I continued to make the monthly payments as promised. I like working on computers, traveling with my family, and watching a lot of boxing and a fanatic for college football!! Along with the volunteer work I do at my daughters elementary school, I also do volunteer coaching for kids athletics on and off base. And your right, I do have to appreciate the positive things I have going in my life like my wife said, just sometimes my sadness at times outweighs it. Thanks for the reply!
Last edited by babbles12; 11-02-2014 at 10:00 AM..
You need a job (even part time) and/or a time consuming, socially active hobby like golf.
Your right and I have been applying left and right but as I originally stated, I am the big 5.0. and I am re-entering the job force after an almost 3 year lay off so I'm not sure how competitive I will be. I have entered into the Vocational Rehabilitation program with the VA and I think that is a pretty good program assisting veterans with employment and training that fits your disabilities. I don't play golf but my hobby I guess is going to the fitness center, staying fit, and watching a lot of college football!
Last edited by babbles12; 11-02-2014 at 10:03 AM..
Have you thought about volunteering? Since we don't have much info to go on, it is hard to know what makes you tick. But volunteering could be something for you. I am sure there are soldiers from all branches that would like someone to talk to. Maybe talk to the base chaplin about starting a group with retired vets like yourself? Or getting in contact with military personnel that need an ear from someone that has walked a mile in their boots. What are your interests? Or do you need some income? What about a part time job in a job that you would like? I hope you find something.
As I originally stated, I do volunteer work at my daughter's elementary school, my daughter loves seeing me there at lunch time, and I was hoping maybe something would come up as a teacher's aide or something. I do belong to the Disabled Americans Veterans Association (DAV) and will start to attend their meetings since we just moved to this area. Yesterday I was at a chili cook-off with them and it was great being around veterans my age also. I like working on computers and I am actively looking for part time work. I have enrolled into the VA's Vocational Rehabilitation program that assists veterans seeking employment and training specific to their disabilities. I do a lot of things with my family and I am am a huge boxing and college football fanatic! Thank you for the quick reply!
B
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I am unhappy because it seems I have just the same routine everyday of shuffling the kids around and the other things I do on a daily basis (home chores to be included). At age 50 I don't how marketable I would be re-entering the job force despite having a degree. I recently applied for a job at the fitness center on base (since I'm there all the time) and was told by the young lady at the civilian employment office that I didn't necessarily possess the skills needed which were cleaning the facility, setting up equipment, moving equipment, and showing people how to use the equipment. I asked several employees at the gym I go to if they had experience before they got the job there and they said didn't, most don't. And yes they were younger. 
Any advice or suggestions would be appreciated. Thanks for listening and I hope I made sense.
yes
