About being laid off and unwanted when you're 59

The Star (South Chicago) ^ | 4/23/6 | Michael Bowers

[SmithL]

One of my readers is an underemployed 59-year-old man from among us here in the South Suburbs. Call him Harry. He works in information technology. Slowly and wearily, he says: "Once you get past 50, I swear, it gets tough, it gets really tough."

For instance, Harry applied for a job with a city of Chicago department that operates 24 hours a day, seven days a week. He got an offer for some contract work. There were no benefits, but it was a paying job.

A woman from the city called him one Monday morning and wanted to know if he could start at midnight. Harry said he'd like to give his current employer a week's notice. That wasn't good enough. The job was gone. The caller told him: "This is a brave new world. Learn to live with it."

[tortoise]

Frankly, I'm tired of trying to explain things to people who refuse to believe there is something called Bad Luck, I'm glad their lives have been so charmed, I hope they continue to be because their lack of compassion will hit them in the face HARD should things turn for them.

I've had plenty of bad luck and pretty hard life by American standards. The difference is that a sacrificed a lot, worked very hard, and did not whine or quit when hit with serious setbacks. I also recognize that I could have done a hell of a lot more to deal with and prepare for all that bad luck when it happened.

People attribute FAR TOO MUCH to "bad luck" when it comes to their current situation. A lifetime of unwise and short-sighted choices is the weakness that allows bad luck to fester. Everyone has bad luck, but some people have actually been diligent in preparing for it; it is like all those people that don't want to buy flood insurance and pretend like their financial situation was beyond their control when a flood destroys their house. Some people really do get the short end of the stick, but the VAST majority of hard luck cases are largely the result of people being cheap/lazy/stupid. Just because people do not want to make hard choices does not mean that they do not have a choice.

[tortoise]

Truly said, by someone who hasn't reached that age yet.

It sounds like you are trawling for affirmations of your excuses. Perhaps it isn't them, but you.

[tortoise]

Older people have a lot to deal with just getting old. Do you think you just keep getting better? Let me be the first to inform you that physical deterioration is, under current scientific knowledge, inevitable.

If everyone knows this, then why don't they plan for it? A failure to deal with reality is not "bad luck". Just because it is human nature to squander your earnings in your younger years does absolve you from responsibility for your financial situation in your older years. Nobody puts a gun to your head and makes you spend money on needlessly expensive or frivolous things, and a little early investing compounds to a *lot* of money in your later years.

I do not know anyone who did not squander money or spend it foolishly to some extent or another when they were young, and I am extremely doubtful that all these hard luck cases are the exception to that rule.

[itsahoot]

It sounds like you are trawling for affirmations of your excuses

Har, Har, Har. I am retired and living quite well thank you.

The reaction here is exactly as I predicted, you just made my point for the poor guy.

[workerbee]

You're 44 years old, live in Maryland, and already have enough to retire comfortably? Wow, that's laudable. In which county do you live that you're able to raise your kids safely and still already have enough to retire so young? What about your wife, does she work?

[Alas Babylon!]

bfl....

[Dutch Boy]

LOL, there is plenty of fish to go around.

Books are an odd thing. I have a few really old books like a Physics book from 1902. It's worth squat (less than $6). I have another book that is a 1960's psych text book and I saw it on ebay for $75. Both are still in my book case.

[ContraryMary]

Yeah, I'd like to know.

[ContraryMary]

Who's whining? Simply pointing out that not everyone's circumstances are the same and that some have an easier road to travel than other is not whining. It's simply the way it is.

[AppyPappy]

One word for a 59 year-old IT worker who finds himself laid off:

Iraq

They need lots of contractors

[ContraryMary]

You guys cheer up. If things get too bad we can always be greeters at Walmart:')

LOL! We needed that.

[ContraryMary]

When I was college-age, I worked my way through school. Today college costs 10 to 15 times what I paid. Part-time jobs don't pay 10-15 times what they paid 25 years ago. Do the math. I know. I've been looking into it, as my oldest will be ready for college in a couple years.

[CindyDawg]

I make over 15 xs what I did when I was in school. It was hard then. It's hard now. Kids should at least try to help.

[Blackirish]

I think your wrong. I know people that worked hard, played by the rules and were blindsided. Usually people who get hit hard are hit more then once. Just as they are getting back on their feet comes the left and down they go.

I know other people worked pretty hard and everything just worked out....call it good luck...bad luck...

Or maybe God has something to do with it, he seems to test some people harder then others.

[Nowhere Man]

All I'm saying is that there are many, many people here on FR who for some reason are quick to blame the victim. They shoot from the hip for some odd motivation which I suspect is a Rush-like wannbe for "tough love", or seemingly like a tough-minded, "rugged individualist", and not recognize that there are many, many people out there who through no fault of their own end up with a lot of bad breaks. To sweep them all away under the rug of "it's your own fault you're broke so quit whining" is neither compassionate nor accurate. Life sometimes just isn't as straightforward as all that.

That's the problem, too much of a "Rush Limbaugh mentality." Sometimes I can't stand to listen to him anymore because of this and related issues. When Walter Williams comes on, in goes the 1980's era British "New Wave" tunes (I like the Police, Mister Mister, and Swing Out Sister as my faves, I was a teen in the 1980's, I'll be 40 this July) on my Walkman. Other times I float, perhaps landing on the local Christian station. Williams makes Rush sound compassionate. I'm sure if Rush saw you starving in the street, he would give you a sandwich and some help but I think he has lost a lot of contact on what it is like to be an average Joe. Sure, he worked for peanuts from time to time, but if he really crashed and burned, he could have always went back home to his family for a "timeout" until he figured out what to do next. I don't fault him for that, I just don't like the "blame the victim all the time" attitude that pervades the conservative side of the fence. Sure, there are times people make bad decisions and they pay for them and many times, they should but there is a lot of bad luck out there that can harm any of us. I don't wish anyone ill will and I hope that people who don't see it our way will learn compassion somehow. This is one Achilles heel, lack of compassion, where the liberal left criticizes us on and in this case, they are right. I don't dislike or hate anyone, I just want them to understand and then all of us come together to work for what is truly good for America. I think we have too much "me-ism" in America, too much selfishness.

[humblegunner]

Actually by 45-50 I plan on going into teaching

When I retire I plan to sell crack.

Really. Crack is profitable.

[Stegall Tx]

In the meantime, you should be a tutor. The hours can be pretty flexible and there is quite a demand in math.

[Windcatcher]

"Turn off the TV, hibernate the computer, put the beer back in the fridge, get off your fat lazy ass and get a freakin job!"

I beg to differ. It might be a boom on paper, but not in all industries, and some of the practices are downright cutthroat. After being out of work for a year I finally have a job -- and I absolutely hate it. I *was* a software developer, but now can't get a similar job to save my life. I'm now an administrator of a software project, which for developers is the secret tenth level of Hell created especially for us.

I couldn't count the number of nibbles I've had for "Java" development positions, but the second the recruiter hears that I don't have J2EE experience I never hear from them again. You see, NO ONE anymore wants people with computer science experience, no matter how many times they've applied their experience to differing languages and technologies. All the *recruiters* care about is getting their "sell" by marketing you to their client, and all their *clients* care about is a body they can drop right into the meat grinder for the crisis they've managed themselves into. Forget about being given a chance to learn something -- you either walk in the door with it or not, and if they hire you for technology x you can bet that that's all you'll work with and not be given a chance to learn anything else. No matter that the technologies change every five years -- that's only eight or nine times in a person's career -- you're either their guy or you're not, and if not, sorry, Charlie, maybe next time. There might be lots of "IT" jobs, but the truth is the software development industry today is completely pigeon-holed and when people get laid off it's impossible for them to recover. I call that unabashed, downright immoral greed on the part of IT employers and recruiters (who usually don't even know what the buzzwords mean and aren't worth spit in my book).

[McGavin999]

That's interesting, but I know a LOT of people who DON'T file bankruptcy because they believe honor compels them to pay their debts. They are not lazy, nor are they spendthrifts, they just hit the bad times.

You guys can think these people are silly and frivolous, I'm sick of trying to get through to you.

[JasonC]

I work in software and every word of that is utter nonsense.

And this is a boom economy in the freest and richest country in the history of the world, and you've got some nerve moaning about any of it. If you aren't working at Best Buy scrubbing malware out of ignorant user's PCs for the Geek Squad you should count yourself lucky, and so should those who are doing that, and so should those working checkout there, or new door at Starbucks making shots.

Graditude, people. If you live without it, you would be miserable even if money grew on trees.