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This post should be posted in the University enrollment center, engineering department
OP what you describe has little to do with your age (In engineering it seems to skew older) and everything to do with this warped society and bizarro job market.
First the background: I am a degreed engineer and although Ihave had many jobs in varied industries I have never been unemployed a day inmy life. I have held every position from design engineer to department managerto chief engineer, in the past 40 years.
Up until my 50’s, I never had a problem finding a job. If I becamebored or pissed off at work or tired of living in a certain location, I couldalways pick where I wanted to move or an industry I wanted to try and withinweeks I would have a couple offers. In fact, I always knew that if I went to anonsite interview an offer was soon to follow.
Once I turned 50 I noticed it would take months just to getan interview. I just thought it was because I made too much salary and wasoverqualified. I also noticed an onsite interview was no longer a guarantee thatan offer would follow. This change continued to get worse and worse with eachpassing year.
Once I turned 60, I decided that I wanted to find my “last job”and move to an area that I would retire to, so I stared a targeted search. After months of no success, I widened mysearch areas and job positions. Still no success. Then I started getting countlessemails and calls from head hunters and placement agencies, with the most absurdpositions in crazy areas. But again, I thought, that was just the hungry headhunters. But then actual employers and HR reps started calling with entry leveljobs, with exceptionally low salaries in prohibitive cost of living areas! Ialso started to notice that jobs I did get interviews for but no offer, would remainposted forever. Some being reposted every few months.
So, I figured it is not my age. They do want my experience, butat entry level compensation. What are employers looking for? It seems the adage,“you get what you paid for”, no longer is true. And if a 40-year engineering veteranmust work for $40000, then how are young engineers ever employed?
I understand what you are going through. It started at 40 for me. My forties have been really tough. My salary has been all over the place. I recently took a 40% pay cut. I do not expect to get back to my previous salary anytime soon. It saddens me but I have to keep moving forward and live my life to the fullest. I have come to the conclusion I am not marketable. I am the oldest person in my department. I am lucky to have the job. I struggled but things are better now. Sigh! Good luck to you.
I understand what you are going through. It started at 40 for me. My forties have been really tough. My salary has been all over the place. I recently took a 40% pay cut. I do not expect to get back to my previous salary anytime soon. It saddens me but I have to keep moving forward and live my life to the fullest. I have come to the conclusion I am not marketable. I am the oldest person in my department. I am lucky to have the job. I struggled but things are better now. Sigh! Good luck to you.
I understand as well. It started at 55 for me. I keep trying, but it's not happening. A friend has submitted my resume 3 times to his company. There's always some excuse. The latest was, not enough marketing experience in the digital space. Really? I was a marketing manager for a Fortune 200 company. I am currently at a 50% pay cut after getting laid off in 2014.
Last edited by milesfive; 07-03-2019 at 01:00 PM..
This is one reason I am hesitant to leave my current job even though I could potentially make a lot more in commercial industry. I work for a state institution. As long as I don't mess up, my job is possibly one of the most stable there is for the work I do. And the state benefits don't change much.
Before this, I came from a volatile workplace that fired people every time a contract was finished. I left after we had to sit through rolling layoffs that went on for way over a year. I remember everybody was on edge waiting for that phone call from HR. Most of the people who were let go had a heck of a time finding new work, and many had to move to other cities and states.
I took a big paycut for my current job working for the state. But it is less stressful. And at my age, I think of the reduced stress as just a part of my benefits package.
Pretty much that is exactly what I have faced. I have decided to retire rather than take these very difficult jobs where they want to pay the numbers you are talking.
Basically, cities with an abundance of jobs tend to have higher COL but employers are looking for either 20 year veterans willing to accept entry level salaries or they want to hire contract workers, so they avoid benefits and have the ability top easily reduce workforce without firing.
Areas with low COL then to have few engineering jobs.
Doesn't answer my question.
So let's see if I can make the questions a little easier to understand.
1) Where are you living NOW.
2) Where DID you live which had your resume experience?
if 1) has a lower COL than 2) then you're being rejected for having a big salary, which the lower COL can't pay. So, for example, if you lived in Silicon Valley (ridiculously high COL) and moved to Texas (lower COL) your salary history is at least double to triple what Texas employers pay - but Texas has a lower COL to compensate for that.)
And yeah, you're right, they don't want to hire older workers, that's why you should never quit a job without having another one lined up. That's a guaranteed way to screw up your finances and your work history. So now you're out of work (employers discriminate against people out of work) and you're over 50 (age discrimination) so you have 2 strikes before they even talk to you.
You also need to work at handing the salary question.
Examples of people I worked with all EE field, now doing:
*Top notch electrical design engineer (EE) did really pro stuff from ground up to designs that really worked and made companies money: Now doing: concrete driveways
* One of best metrology and calibration EE's for instrumentation systems, was highly prized at top companies like Motorola and others. Now doing: Working on apartments
All over 50 for sure. Most of those jobs: overseas now.
Last edited by TestEngr; 07-08-2019 at 07:13 AM..
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