After 41 years in the industry and 10 years at this hospital, they cleaned out all of the current therapists (making $37/hour) and replaced them with new therapists making considerably less… no jobs for a 61+ year old worker… too expensive, they say…

I have a Ph.D. which I obtained in 2006. At that time I was working part-time for California State University Northridge. The CSU system tends to hire part-timers instead of hiring full-timers, so I took a full-time tenure track position in Wisconsin. Well, that was a mistake. Four years later my contract was not renewed due to my “not being a good fit.” Go figure, I was the only Chicana (Native American/European ancestry) at that institution, so of course I wouldn’t be a good fit! I moved back to CA and 6 months later found a position at a non-profit. On June 30 I was laid off due to lack of funding. I have a packed resume, but it seems I’m probably over qualified and maybe a bit too old for people to hire me; I’m 60. In a nut shell that is my story.

I have always had trouble finding working long before the recession. But this time it seems worse, I had been working for two years at a job I hated, when I was abruptly fired. I was actually happy at first to be let go from that job.
I also thought it would only take me two or three months at the most to find a new employer…Well, now its been almost close to three years and I am still looking for full time work. The only thing that seems to be out there for Americans is part time work.
So, I spend my days sending out lots of resumes with my husband nagging me about if I have finally found a job, yet. I even thought about joining the military. If I can\’t find work very soon I might not have a choice but the enlist.

I have been working since 2000 and its been really hard to even keep a job. Ive been ill for many, many years but I struggled through and finally found a job that allowed me to attend school. I worked as a school bus driver for 2 years and went to school full time. I earned a degree in video production and landed an entry level position at a local production house. But I started to get really sick and I was diagnosed with a pituitary tumor (basically a brain tumor) and had to take a leave of absence. When my 6mo was up, I went back to work, knowing I wasn’t physically ready to go back. Before I could even clock in, I was fired. So I’m fighting for disability, and fighting against my work for compensation for all this. And thanks to labor law in Texas, until a judge rules I can’t do anything about it.

I was fired from my job nov 30th, 2009, I applied to many different places upwards of 200 applications, I had one interview which didn’t get me anywhere, I then went door to door selling Uverse, working for commissions, and no one was buying, and I need to have hip replacement surgery so I was in excrutiting pain while doing this. After months of nothing, I decided I would go back to school for something in the medical field,(Medical Billing and Coding) I have maintained a 4.0 GPA in the accelerated program, my teachers nominated me for the National Technical Honor Society, I graduate in 2 days. I have been applying for many more jobs while in school, did volunteer for one company that said they might hire after 30 days and because I was too far from my graduation date, they wouldnt hire me.. but decided this after giving them 30 days free labor. While unemployed Iwent to all the required classes for the DOL, got a Gold GA Work Ready Certificate b/c I was told that employers are looking for that.. YEA OKAY!! My unemployment ran out 3 wks ago.. I have money to pay this months rent I have 2 car pymts left and the bank wont work with meso I may lose my vehicle after paying for 6 yrs.. on time, and now when I need them they turn their backs on me.. which unfuriates me b/c the gov’t bailed their arses out.. I have no idea what I will do for a place to live. I am just glad I dont have little kids. Because of my hip I cant work the jobs that they are hiring for, and the ones i can do with my degree all want yrs of experience.. Our gov’t has to make the companies that outsourced our jobs bring back the jobs to the USA, or be fined heavily. I would rather have a job than be looking for one. I prefer to work than being idle sitting home.. your self esteem takes a dive… to all you fellow unemployed people, God bless you and I hope you all find a job, and be strong.. WE WILL HAVE OUR BLESSINGS!!!!

Our nightmare started on September 5th 2010. My husband Harlan was a controller-CFO for an oil company in Houston. He went to work, and at the end of the day they told him his job was being out sourced to Mexico. He has a business Finance Degree, and a Degree in accounting. He will have his Masters in less than 6 months in Global Management and International Accounting. He also has 20 years of experience in Manufacturing, and Chemical field. He has had a few temporary jobs, but not permanent. We have never been in this situation, and we are angry at these companies that will not hire. He went to a job fair today and they told him that companies liked to hire people that were already employed.How do they expect the economy to get better if they will not hire. We are in our mid 40s and it is not how we expected our lives to be at this age.

The depression here in tennessee isnt as bad as Indianapolis Ind where i lost everything i owned.Way to go bush,war criminal,fool worst than any terrorist republicans are greedy,misinformed,morally self rightous and blind to the world of reaL WORKERS one day there time will come karma.Your karma is coming.

I have lost my last 3 jobs. To the average person, I would sound like a loser. I understand that. I worked as a director of operations, having the 30th best center out of 1200 in the KinderCare chain, nationwide. I worked long hours, spent less times with my OWN children, etc. I went on the our local school system for 13 years. I held 3 positions with them. Each one, led to a better one. Unfortunately, both of these positions had tones of ageism. I was unceremoniously dumped. Everything indicates that AGE or INCOME was the reason. After 4 months of unemployment after the school system, I took a position with a bank in a call center. OMG. I should have stayed unemployed. This was a nightmare. After over 3 years of the worst job I have ever held, I was displaced by a new bank that bought us out. I have been unemployed for over 17 1/2 months. I am currently a home/health worker. I have been doing this for 2 months. I work for my rent. I rented my home to my son after 26 years. I can at least keep my home this way. I enjoy helping my lady friend. It is different. I don’t do the proverbial 9-5 job. I care for everything else. This includes, raking seaweed out of the lake, cutting the grass, cleaning endlessly, dishes, laundry, medications, etc. I love it, however. My unemployment runs out on NY eve. Then what? I see myself living in a rural area as I rented my house, working at maybe, if I am lucky, Dollar General, Big Boys, etc. I don’t know why I went to college. But, I have a lot of varied experience. I am happier out here. The lady I care for is at least coherent at 89 years of age. I could go on forever. I feel let down by our country. I see more trouble on the horizon. We are going backwards. I don’t want to see prayer in school, women not able to receive basic health care at a Planned Parenthood, lack of birth control, abortions, etc. This is what was fought for the past 40+ years. I am resigning myself to a lovely $8.00/hour part time job working nights and weekends. How fun. Glad I went to college for all of this. Jeez.

I have had periods of unemployment in the last three years and am now working to reach out to and organize other unemployed people in the Rochester and Syracuse Region.

Prior to this recession I was a happy single mom, everything was falling into place. I was making good money, so good, I was about to place a bid on a house for myself and my little one. Until September 2008 it hit. I was laid off as a division coordinator at a chemical factory, on the up side, I was allowed to stay on until I found other work. October 2008, I started a new position as a Sales & Marketing Assistant for a Staffing Agency, all was well, so I thought. I was told by my immediate supervisor that I need not worry, she needed me, I was not going to be laid off. Well she lied. Four months later, January 23, 2009 to be exact, I was laid off again. Right then and there I knew my dreams of owning my own home would never happen.

In the two and a half years that I have been unemployed I have sent/applied to thousands of job opportunities that I thought I qualified for. I have even applied to those I was overqualified for thinking I would have a chance to land something, anything! Out of the thousands of applications I’ve applied to; I have maybe received about 2 dozen interviews, if that. I have registered with every staffing agency in my local area, I use to have faith in the staffing agencies. I now do not. I have not received any assistance from them what’s so ever. Multiple phone calls and requests for temporary work have failed. I’ve given up on the corporate world, my dreams of becoming a Sales & Marketing Assistant again I’ve lost. I’ve tried every direction, fast food, retail, you name it and I’m still not having any luck in landing a job, not even a minimum wage job.

I’m a very hard worker, who has the ability to adjust to changing environments and who has wore many hats in each position she has held. All I wish and dream on a daily basis it to work again. ALL I WANT IS A JOB. I’m tired of rejection. I’m tired of struggling to find the next dollar to put food on the table. I’m tired of sending resumes out to employers who in turn send no feedback. I’m tired of our government and their lack of commitment to the US citizens. I worked really hard to get where I was 2.5 years ago, it’s hard enough knowing that I have to start from the bottom again, but I’m willing to take that chance if given a chance.