[Coco] Re: Out of work.

[Richard E. Crislip]

Hello James

> John, I don't know where you are located or whether relocation is an  
> option, but the following are all recent posts in the Cleveland OH  
> area.  My former employer was bought out and our division sold to a  
> company which dismantled it without having to find replacement  
> positions for us.  I've been on my own since April 2005, still  
> looking for a full-time staff position (bennies ARE important!).   
> Several things I've found : (1) age works against you -- when you are  
> almost 60, few employers want to invest in ANY kind of retaining, and  
> (2) it doesn't really matter what you know or how well you know it,  
> WHO you know will get you the job, so have a top-notch list of  
> references.
>
> It also helps if you can relocate to where the demand is physically  
> located.  If I wanted to move from Ohio to Arizona, California, or  
> Florida, my prospects would increase several hundred percent.  The  
> number of underemployed or unemployed appraisers in this area is  
> astounding; management companies are getting away with paying  
> appraisers $125 for a full interior/exterior exam analysis, for which  
> they charge the banks (and consequently the borrowers) $300-$500.
>
> Warning to everybody else : if you have a good job now, ask your  
> immediate supervisor for a letter of recommendation.  It will do two  
> things.  It will be good insurance for the day when the axe falls  
> (unless, as in my case, the whole company gets dismantled).  It will  
> also make the supervisor re-assess you, your skills, and your  
> importance to the company.  That can be scary, but it can also be  
> scary for them if you are doing an A-1 job and are not easily  
> CURRENTLY replaceable.  I capped that, because everyone is  
> replaceable, it's just a matter of when.

First I want to tell you that I know your situation all too well. Except in
my situation, the company decided to reduce the number of gray-heads. I
think I was in that situation the day we had dinner at Wendy's in Norton. I
know that I am not being too uplifting when I say this, but I still do not
have a full time job since my departure form FirstEnergy Oct 2003. Almost
three years ago. Damn... time flies. Since then I have been adjunct teaching
MS-Office classes at Brown Mackie College until they realized that I do not
posess a bachelors degree. I am now a computer lab assistant. My employement
runs month to month. My programming associates degree from Akron U.
and 40 years in the computing field were not good enough for teaching 8-/. So if you do
not have family attachements in this area, I'd say don't let the door knob
touch your posterior on your way outta here because all that you mentioned
about age discrimination and the sorry economic situation in this area is so true.
I have family here so I am stuck. I am
currently finishing up my studies towards a bachelors degree at Malone
College in the hopes something a little more perminate will occur at Brown
Mackie. If not, I will be more salable to other technical colleges. Unforch,
Ohio and probably most of the other states in this nation have bought into
the crap that one can not possibly be a good teacher without a master
degree. I am getting sick and tired of being a day late and a dollar short
8-/. Anyway good hunting to you too.

Regards
-- 
Cruising on AutoPilot                   |
        With an Amiga           ---o-o-O-o-o---  and a CoCo