Jobs

[Stonecoldharbours]

My husband is also well educatedm, not on your hubbys level of course, wow that is rather impressive too! But he is an Engnieer and he is well sought after, infact headhunters fight over him, and companies do compete for his expertise, but yet we don't live in PGH, nor have we ever gotten any interviews, that should also say alot!

[Katarina Witt]

We once considered trying to go back; DH could not scare up any job possiblilites there. When we were there last fall, he said he never wants to look for another job again! So we are here till h*** freezes over or we retire, whichever comes first. And I think it will be h*** freezing, frankly. We have to finish putting our kids through college.

[Stonecoldharbours]

I know, we tried and we more less just gave up College and retirement takes a huge chunk of income, yes. We are in SE VA and the cost of living is horrendous, we paid alot of money for a townhome, got a good deal, the value has skyrocketed in a short amount of time, but we are not happy here, we miss pgh, we are looking into Seattle but I am finding out it can be just as expensive if not more than the tidewater area we live in All we know is that it has be better somewhere else, there is alot of crime in our town, and we actually live in the less desireable area, and we see too much, and want to go. We get a lot of calls from headhunters and I know we will find something good, but we want to be smart bout it this, and be sure its an area that is not so high cost and crime ridden this time.

How do you like N colorado? We thought of that state as well, as some out west and some in the south but we are still in the beginning process and have not narrowed it down yet

[Drover]

Primary reason my ex and I left Pittsburgh: couldn't find a decent paying job. She had a tech-field Masters from CMU and couldn't shop her services there. Bloody awful job market. If we could have been paid even 2/3rds of what we ended up making in Chicago, we'd have stayed.

[Stonecoldharbours]

I understand, we would of settled for less too, if we actually got a offer for one

Most do not get positions created "Just for them"...most have to leave, I guess we all can't be so talented and wonderful...Mmmm. I still can't get over that comment that someone said on here, really irkes me to no end too.

[lauren54]

I have lived in Pittsburgh for over 20 years and have been struggling since I left Allegheny General during their bankruptcy. Unfortunately, my marriage also ended after 20 years. At this stage of my life, I'm finding myself looking for a better paying position so that I can maintain my house, help my children through college and remain in the Pittsburgh area. I've gone on at least 10 interviews over the past year and have even had two verbal offers but the jobs fell through. There were two other jobs postings that were withdrawn by the companies after I interviewed for them.

I really believed that the interviews went well. At 50, I may be considered too old but as far as I know, no one was offered two of these positions. Needless to say, I am very discouraged as my raises don't even keep up with inflation. Very recently, I interviewed for another position in Pittsburgh and I also have an interview in Columbus, Ohio in May. I'm fairly certain that I'll be offered the Columbus job and even if I contact the Pittsburgh people, they will probably tell me that they are still negotiating getting the funding for the position.

I think the job market in Pittsburgh really depends on the field in which you work. There seem to be many IT and marketing positions. I've gone to job fairs sponsored by the Pittsburgh Technology Council and they seem to be all about IT and marketing. The pay in the scientific field is very low and may have to do with the monopoly set by the handful of employers in this area. How do they expect young people to stay here, when people who have lived here for most of their lives are being pushed out?

[Hopes]

My husband was job hunting in his early 50s and ultimately chose to change careers to an industry that didn't consider his age a liability---a field where there is high demand for employees.

Good luck with your May interview in Columbus, lauren. I'm sure there's a higher demand for your skills there. And Columbus is a beautiful city. I always felt it was the place to move if the time ever became necessary for my family. It's still reasonably close to Pittsburgh for visiting family and holiday events.

[Katarina Witt]

Age discrimination is a fact of life as one enters the 50s. My husband was lucky, when he got laid off at 53, to find a job with a company that values experience over youth. I was fortunate to find a job with an employer who actually wants slightly older nurses (though of course, this cannot be said in a job ad). But it really does get difficult, and ultimately, depends on the philosophy of the hiring managers. Some want young because they can pay them less, some like older because older employees are more settled and less likely to change jobs again, at least voluntarily. There is a lot you can do to "sell" yourself in an interview, but if they are looking for someone younger, there is nothing you can do about that.

Good luck to all the job hunters out there!