The Personally Discovered Joys of Being Unemployed

[dannyboys]

What a bum

Lol, I have worked for 42 straight years until I slipped TWO discs in my back.

IF you think that makes me a bum, you are a moron.

There's no such thing as a "slipped disc". 'Discs' are pinched when the vertebrates are misaligned. Discs can herniate caused by an injury. Herniated discs can often by chemically injected with an enzyme which softens the disk's exterior allowing the fluid in the disk to reshape itself. Discs can be removed and the vertebrates fused together.'
If you at your age given your 'extensive' knowledge about how to use a computer and who claims to be suffering from an ailment that doesn't exist, you are so stupid, it's little wonder you're unemployed and broke.
Do You Have A Slipped Disk? - Rebuild Your Back

 

[dannyboys]

What a bum

Lol, I have worked for 42 straight years until I slipped TWO discs in my back.

IF you think that makes me a bum, you are a moron.

Wait, I thought your company downsized or something.

Now he's just making it up as he goes along.

 

[NoNukes]

Hang in there, most of us have been through some tough times like this. Try to enjoy your time off if you can.

I am trying to think of this as a business opportunity; to get my own business going.

Though I have never liked how so-called conservatives have reflexively responded with 'Get a job' type nonsense to various folks in trouble, it is particularly jarring when you know damned well your self that you have done everything you can do to do exactly that and they still respond with that kind of thoughtless ignorance.

But God is just and one day they will have their turn at discovering how things are when the corporate economy has no use for them as well. But of course, we all know it cant happen to them, lol.

It is likely one of the chief reasons suicide is so high among elderly white males.

Elderly White Men Afflicted by High Suicide Rates
While suicide is the 11th leading cause of death in the United States, with 11 suicide deaths per 100,000 Americans, white men over the age of 65 commit suicide at almost triple that overall rate.These men are also eight times more likely to kill themselves than are women of the same age group, and have almost twice the rate of all other groups of male contemporaries.

I have dealt with my particular demons and they can have a few rounds for themselves when it comes their time. It is difficult to find a new purpose and self confidence in life when you have been raised to believe that your job and income reflect your value to your family and society. I didnt realize how deeply that had been driven into me until a couple of months ago as no job offers or even requests for interviews came in.

Check out the market business. It is a way of setting up your own business, and you are around some interesting people.

 

[dannyboys]

Socialism is to blame, no future in it....

That is hysterical.

'Socialism is at fault' has become a one note symphony for ideologues on the right.

God you really are an idiot!
In your wildest Utopian dreams do you REALLY believe if you had been living in a Socialist country for the last forty years YOU would have gotten anywhere near a ******* 286?
The ONLY reason you were able to make money to support yourself sitting like a blob in front of a computer screen is because you have been living in a Capitalist society.
Ya I bet you would have REALLY got ahead living in ******* Russia or Cuba. Wise up asshole.
Turn your 286 off and go find any job you can. You 'claim' your (cough) "slipped disks" are no longer (cough) "slipped" anymore right? Then ******* head down to McDonalds and fill out an application.
Don't forget to get your 'man-bun' straight first.

 

[JimBowie1958]

Check out the market business. It is a way of setting up your own business, and you are around some interesting people.

What is the 'market business'? You talking about marketing various items on Ebay, etc?

 

[Rustic]

Socialism is to blame, no future in it....

That is hysterical.

'Socialism is at fault' has become a one note symphony for ideologues on the right.

 

[NoNukes]

Check out the market business. It is a way of setting up your own business, and you are around some interesting people.

What is the 'market business'? You talking about marketing various items on Ebay, etc?

arkets such as farmer's markets where all kinds of products are sold.

 

[Auld Phart]

You've got 20+ years experience with computers, and you can't find a job?


Check with Best Buy, other stores that sell computers. Your knowledge in the field would put you on the floor with no problem.

Don't want that?

Start your own company, computer repair, analyst, etc..

Or get in with an established company doing that kind of work.

they pay minimum wage, maybe a dollar more.

and?

how could you even ask that question with a straight face?

Easily.

It's bringing in money he's not getting, and he can do that instead of whining on a message board about his hard luck til he comes up with something better.

 

[Auld Phart]

You've got 20+ years experience with computers, and you can't find a job?


Check with Best Buy, other stores that sell computers. Your knowledge in the field would put you on the floor with no problem.

Don't want that?

Start your own company, computer repair, analyst, etc..

Or get in with an established company doing that kind of work.

they pay minimum wage, maybe a dollar more.

and?

how could you even ask that question with a straight face?

because it is not him.

It WAS me, when I left the service, and took a job as a janitor to supplement my retirement.

Stop whining

 

[Auld Phart]

To the GOP from over 50 white males everywhere in the USA, lol

Been there, done that, took a job far below my qualifications.

 

[iamwhatiseem]

So you just want the importation of cheap labor to stop taking jobs away from legal Americans right?
You need to go talk to Obama. That 'cheap labor' is being allowed by Obama to take away millions of jobs from hard working construction workers. Obama has turned his back on illegal immigration for 100% political reasons in order to further his Socialist agenda.

Again Peanuts.
Again - not that there should not be anything to curb the problem - and it is a problem...but in comparison to jobs lost by corporate mergers and off shoring jobs?...peanuts.
An estimated 8 million illegal aliens have jobs, most paying minimum wage or LESS.
In contrast, according to Associated Press, over $15 BILLION dollars in wages per year have been sent overseas, nearly all were high paid manufacturing.

Just sayin...unless you work part-time jobs working minimum wages or less...an illegal alien didn't take your job.

Yes lots of formerly secure good paying jobs in the manufacturing and tech industries have let the US forever.
That's a big problem that IMO is never going to be reversed.
The other very serious issue is that many millions of low to middle income jobs in the US are done by people who will never get any further education wise or skill wise than they are now. 100% of these jobs can be done by illegals who are willing to work for less than half of what the legal employee is earning. That is flat out wrong.
The employers who get involved with this bullshit ought to be very heavily fined.
This phone call is happening thousands of times a day now across the country: Legal carpet layer: "Hello. Hi Mr. Lee. So you're telling me you don't have any work this week? But you'll call me next week? That's too bad. Goodbye".
Mr. Lee just picked up three illegals off the street corner to lay the carpets in the dentist's office. Mr. Lee sold the dentists some used 'like-new' carpet he bought for **** all. Mr. Lee is getting paid cash. Mr. Lee is paying the illegals cash. The legal carpet layer who has been working hard for Mr. Lee for three years doesn't have money to buy food for his kids.
This scenario plays out tens of thousands of times a day.
Is it any wonder the legal carpet layer is going to vote for Trump?
Which political party is attempting to stop illegals from entering the country and taking away the legal carpet layer's job?
Which political party is turning it's back on enforcing the existing laws for 100% political reasons?
Which party doesn't want an effective wall built? Why wouldn't they want a wall to be built to help enforce existing laws?
We can do literally nothing to stop globalization from sending skilled jobs to other countries.
But we can do something about what's happening to the unskilled/low skilled jobs here at home that are being literally stolen by people who have broken the law to get here and are taking away our jobs.

Illegal immigration taking 8,000,0000 jobs (this is an estimate only according to the government, it is impossible to truly know) that are nearly all part-time below minimum wages is a problem. I would never say that it isn't.
But I would rather people in this country talk about the REAL problems. And corporatism is at minimum 10 times the problem illegal immigration is. At least 10 times.
But only maybe 5 peolpe on this entire forum ever talk about it.
That is ******* insane.

 

[dannyboys]

So you just want the importation of cheap labor to stop taking jobs away from legal Americans right?
You need to go talk to Obama. That 'cheap labor' is being allowed by Obama to take away millions of jobs from hard working construction workers. Obama has turned his back on illegal immigration for 100% political reasons in order to further his Socialist agenda.

Again Peanuts.
Again - not that there should not be anything to curb the problem - and it is a problem...but in comparison to jobs lost by corporate mergers and off shoring jobs?...peanuts.
An estimated 8 million illegal aliens have jobs, most paying minimum wage or LESS.
In contrast, according to Associated Press, over $15 BILLION dollars in wages per year have been sent overseas, nearly all were high paid manufacturing.

Just sayin...unless you work part-time jobs working minimum wages or less...an illegal alien didn't take your job.

Yes lots of formerly secure good paying jobs in the manufacturing and tech industries have left the US forever.
That's a big problem that IMO is never going to be reversed.
The other very serious issue is that many millions of low to middle income jobs in the US are done by people who will never get any further education wise or skill wise than they are now. 100% of these jobs can be done by illegals who are willing to work for less than half of what the legal employee is earning. That is flat out wrong.
The employers who get involved with this bullshit ought to be very heavily fined.
This phone call is happening thousands of times a day now across the country: Legal carpet layer: "Hello. Hi Mr. Lee. So you're telling me you don't have any work this week? But you'll call me next week? That's too bad. Goodbye".
Mr. Lee just picked up three illegals off the street corner to lay the carpets in the dentist's office. Mr. Lee sold the dentists some used 'like-new' carpet he bought for **** all. Mr. Lee is getting paid cash. Mr. Lee is paying the illegals cash. The legal carpet layer who has been working hard for Mr. Lee for three years doesn't have money to buy food for his kids.
This scenario plays out tens of thousands of times a day.
Is it any wonder the legal carpet layer is going to vote for Trump?
Which political party is attempting to stop illegals from entering the country and taking away the legal carpet layer's job?
Which political party is turning it's back on enforcing the existing laws for 100% political reasons?
Which party doesn't want an effective wall built? Why wouldn't they want a wall to be built to help enforce existing laws?
We can do literally nothing to stop globalization from sending skilled jobs to other countries.
But we can do something about what's happening to the unskilled/low skilled jobs here at home that are being literally stolen by people who have broken the law to get here and are taking away our jobs.

Illegal immigration taking 8,000,0000 jobs (this is an estimate only according to the government, it is impossible to truly know) that are nearly all part-time below minimum wages is a problem. I would never say that it isn't.
But I would rather people in this country talk about the REAL problems. And corporatism is at minimum 10 times the problem illegal immigration is. At least 10 times.
But only maybe 5 peolpe on this entire forum ever talk about it.
That is ******* insane.

That's 8 million jobs that illegals are taking, but do not deserve, from legal US citizens is far more than just a 'problem' to 8 million legal citizens. Remember too. Those 8 million jobs affect many more than 8 million people. How many of these 8 million have dependents who rely on someone in the family having a job? With this fact in mind the 8 million can easily be 16 million.
You are focusing more on the loss of skilled jobs lost to globalization.
I don't know how you can possibly quantify corporatism as "ten times worse" than the staggering epidemic of illegals taking the jobs from legal US workers.
The big bad corporations who were sending skilled jobs offshore is almost at an end anyway.
Very soon the Chinese and India won't have any need to 'steal' US technology which let's face it is what they only wanted in the first place.
Those countries now have the all the plans to build all the super sophisticated high-tech gadgets. Virtually every high-tech 'Western' consultant engineer that Boeing sent to China has already come home already.
The mess we have left to deal with here and now is what to do with illegals who are affecting possibly more than 16 million legal citizens of the US. Many of them children who must go hungry because dad got laid off from his carpet laying job because Mr. Lee hired illegals at half price to lay carpets.
Which party wants to end this disaster?
Which party is encouraging illegals AKA future LIB voters to come to the county? GOLD STAR!

 

[Never3ndr]

You linked me articles instead of answering the questions I asked you regarding what YOU HAVE DONE in order to remain relevant in today's constantly shifting technology industry. .....
Again, the most likely answer here is that you have failed yourself.

The links answered your questions that deserve being answered.

As to the rest of your condescending bullshit, shove it where the sun dont shine, moron.

Sure, you are asking why there aren't more 50+ year olds in the software engineering field. Well, if you are 50+ you graduated college in the late 70's or 80's. You and I both know that there were not many colleges that offered those programs back then, and the ones that did were just beginning their programs often only offering a couple courses and maybe a minor. The simple answer is that that generation didn't choose that as their career path and that career path wasn't even widely available. Even now computer science is only like 2-3% of degrees attained and it is a highly sought after field. If you are actually a software engineer the math should be easy for you...I have no clue why this is such a mystery. Now, I am not saying that there isn't discrimination, a lot of the up and coming tech look for the newest and brightest...however, that isn't to say that they will grossly look over an obviously qualified applicant either.

The question remains, are you qualified or have you sat upon your laurels waiting for a job to fall into your lap? This is why I'm asking you what you have done to remain relevant. I've moved into the business field and I'm simply asking you questions I'd ask any candidate. What do you offer? What is your portfolio? What have you produced? What can you show me? You have showed me nothing which, to me, makes me look elsewhere. I'm going to look for that hungry guy that is producing content and really wants to be in the field. There are people producing everything from mobile applications to homebrew video games to digital 3D shorts in their spare time...what are you doing? Those are the only questions that YOU need to answer...and not for me...for yourself. Instead of getting bitter and blaming the world for your problems you should take responsibility for yourself. You live in America, one of the greatest nations in the world. You have one of the highest marketable skills in our modern society. You have a wealth of experience that only a small minority of people in your field can match. Yet you are crying on internet forums that you cannot find a job. Yeah, get real man.

 

[JimBowie1958]

Sure, you are asking why there aren't more 50+ year olds in the software engineering field. Well, if you are 50+ you graduated college in the late 70's or 80's. You and I both know that there were not many colleges that offered those programs back then, and the ones that did were just beginning their programs often only offering a couple courses and maybe a minor. The simple answer is that that generation didn't choose that as their career path and that career path wasn't even widely available. Even now computer science is only like 2-3% of degrees attained and it is a highly sought after field. If you are actually a software engineer the math should be easy for you...I have no clue why this is such a mystery. Now, I am not saying that there isn't discrimination, a lot of the up and coming tech look for the newest and brightest...however, that isn't to say that they will grossly look over an obviously qualified applicant either.

The question remains, are you qualified or have you sat upon your laurels waiting for a job to fall into your lap? This is why I'm asking you what you have done to remain relevant. I've moved into the business field and I'm simply asking you questions I'd ask any candidate. What do you offer? What is your portfolio? What have you produced? What can you show me? You have showed me nothing which, to me, makes me look elsewhere. I'm going to look for that hungry guy that is producing content and really wants to be in the field. There are people producing everything from mobile applications to homebrew video games to digital 3D shorts in their spare time...what are you doing? Those are the only questions that YOU need to answer...and not for me...for yourself. Instead of getting bitter and blaming the world for your problems you should take responsibility for yourself. You live in America, one of the greatest nations in the world. You have one of the highest marketable skills in our modern society. You have a wealth of experience that only a small minority of people in your field can match. Yet you are crying on internet forums that you cannot find a job. Yeah, get real man.

Says the man who obviously does not know what he is talking about.

Who are you trying to convince? I know what work I have doen to get a job, all the things I have compromised on to be able to get a job.

But still you simply ignore the fact that only 2% of COMPUTER PROGRAMMERS are over the age of 50 and that was a strong field when I was working, so it isnt just not many people my age went into software engineering or were lost due to attrition, dude.

But we do get to see the standard 'conservatarian' response - 'starve lazy bum!'

Again, go **** yourself.

 

[Fang]

None ofthem are positive, but only the kind of joys like the joy of discovering that your spare tire is as flat as your new flat on a cold rainy night on the interstate.

I have had the joy of learning how irrelevant I am. Apparently our society does not need 58 year old software engineers with 20+ years of experience if the corrporations can have 23 year old 'geniuses' right out of Hyderabad for half the pay.

I have had the joy of discovering that my cat is losing his little kitty cat mind.

I have had the joy of learning that my conservative friends think I am being lazy because I cannot magically force software companies to hire me.

I have had the joy of learning that 'cabin fever' is not just a movie plot device.

But there are some real good things so far.

My wife and I have learned what is really needed as we slashed our budget of every item and expense we can do without. This is how consumer economies are destroyed.

We have also learned that we could consolidate much of our debt and reduce our monthly bills.

I have learned how to tell myself 'no', to everything from stopping on the way home to grab a bite at a local restaurant after chasing down items on a Honey-Do list to getting that new computer that is so fast. Again, not good for the economy, but it can no longer be helped.

I have also seen a glimpse of our 'jobless economy' in the not too distant future, and it sucks. Royally sucks. I have not been so angry in all my life and let me tell you Republicans something you can take to the bank; the voter rage that is coming if your party continues to push Free Trade idiocy is going to be like a Tsunami.

Sanders is only the ocean receding, not the real wave, trust me on this.

Sounds like you suck as a software engineer. Otherwise, someone in IT would hire you. Not to mention, CUT IN PAY mean anything to you??? Why do you assume you should make more than a 23 year old? Do you need to be in IT? Sales? Wait tables? Fast Food? Your conservative friends are quite correct you lazy POS.

 

[iamwhatiseem]

Sure, you are asking why there aren't more 50+ year olds in the software engineering field. Well, if you are 50+ you graduated college in the late 70's or 80's. You and I both know that there were not many colleges that offered those programs back then, and the ones that did were just beginning their programs often only offering a couple courses and maybe a minor. The simple answer is that that generation didn't choose that as their career path and that career path wasn't even widely available. Even now computer science is only like 2-3% of degrees attained and it is a highly sought after field. If you are actually a software engineer the math should be easy for you...I have no clue why this is such a mystery. Now, I am not saying that there isn't discrimination, a lot of the up and coming tech look for the newest and brightest...however, that isn't to say that they will grossly look over an obviously qualified applicant either.

The question remains, are you qualified or have you sat upon your laurels waiting for a job to fall into your lap? This is why I'm asking you what you have done to remain relevant. I've moved into the business field and I'm simply asking you questions I'd ask any candidate. What do you offer? What is your portfolio? What have you produced? What can you show me? You have showed me nothing which, to me, makes me look elsewhere. I'm going to look for that hungry guy that is producing content and really wants to be in the field. There are people producing everything from mobile applications to homebrew video games to digital 3D shorts in their spare time...what are you doing? Those are the only questions that YOU need to answer...and not for me...for yourself. Instead of getting bitter and blaming the world for your problems you should take responsibility for yourself. You live in America, one of the greatest nations in the world. You have one of the highest marketable skills in our modern society. You have a wealth of experience that only a small minority of people in your field can match. Yet you are crying on internet forums that you cannot find a job. Yeah, get real man.

Says the man who obviously does not know what he is talking about.

Who are you trying to convince? I know what work I have doen to get a job, all the things I have compromised on to be able to get a job.

But still you simply ignore the fact that only 2% of COMPUTER PROGRAMMERS are over the age of 50 and that was a strong field when I was working, so it isnt just not many people my age went into software engineering or were lost due to attrition, dude.

But we do get to see the standard 'conservatarian' response - 'starve lazy bum!'

Again, go **** yourself.

Just mentioning, I was a systems tech/systems manager from 1998-2001. I very much enjoyed it. I have pretty severe ADD, so having the laser attention ability that ADD'rs have - I was very good at it.
I love solving problems, and writing programs to make people's job easier/more productive.
But I decided to leave the field, even back then I could see that this kind of work was being outsourced as well as we knew even then that corporate-wide systems over the net was going to take over local servers, and thus our jobs.

 

[EverCurious]

Almost all my geek friends who graduated in the early 90's are wealthy and don't really need to work anymore. A few of them are finishing their time to get retirement funds.

Still there is something to be said for staying on top of the times. In the past year I taught myself HTML5 and CSS3 to stay on top of things (the animation stuff we can do today is wicked cool.) I'm a text based coder so I can run circles around all the "young" coders who use WYSIWYG software to design websites. There is a huge swath of businesses who want or need a very customized product site; WYSIWIG software doesn't cut it. This is actually a big part of the oddball small business jobs I do when I want a little play money. I made an overall average of like $1k a month from about when I graduated HS until 2010 when I shut my business down, doing nothing more than playing with web development (something I happen to greatly enjoy.) I never accepted more than $500 for a project, but $20-$40 a month for hosting a maintenance of customer sites can add up pretty quick - specially when I can pump out like 2 or 3 fully customized sites a month...

 

[JimBowie1958]

Sounds like you suck as a software engineer. Otherwise, someone in IT would hire you. Not to mention, CUT IN PAY mean anything to you??? Why do you assume you should make more than a 23 year old? Do you need to be in IT? Sales? Wait tables? Fast Food? Your conservative friends are quite correct you lazy POS.

Do you have any clue what a dick you just made yourself out to be?

Any at all? I am almost 60 years old, in another couple of years and only 0.5% of all software engineers are over 60.

Did you read any of the several posts I put up on age discrimination in the software industry?

Did you read about my having just come off of disability, another big black mark for HR drones.

And your final conclusion is that I am being lazy, lol.


You are just another example of a Conservatarian self absorbed shit4brains whose entire values system is nothing more than a complex way of telling the world go to hell you dont give a shit.

roflmao

 

[Tom Horn]

I'm lucky not to look my age.....I did everything I could think of to destroy my looks, (cigs, beer, fast food and fast women) but my genes won out. I've kept the weight off, kept my clothes and hair in a modern style and incorporate the latest lingo in my conversations. Nobody wants to hire an old man so you have to show them you still got some snap and look the part. And no manager wants a know-it-all-not how we did it back in the 90's kind of guy. So in the initial interview you have to portray yourself as competent in the basics and still eager to learn new ways. First impressions are pretty much everything in a first interview because you have to get past them to talk to the real decision-makers.

 

[Fang]

Sounds like you suck as a software engineer. Otherwise, someone in IT would hire you. Not to mention, CUT IN PAY mean anything to you??? Why do you assume you should make more than a 23 year old? Do you need to be in IT? Sales? Wait tables? Fast Food? Your conservative friends are quite correct you lazy POS.

Do you have any clue what a dick you just made yourself out to be?

Any at all? I am almost 60 years old, in another couple of years and only 0.5% of all software engineers are over 60.

Did you read any of the several posts I put up on age discrimination in the software industry?

Did you read about my having just come off of disability, another big black mark for HR drones.

And your final conclusion is that I am being lazy, lol.


You are just another example of a Conservatarian self absorbed shit4brains whose entire values system is nothing more than a complex way of telling the world go to hell you dont give a shit.

roflmao

I have a degree in Computer Science and have been working in IT for over 25 years. I have no issue holding a job and neither do the people close to retirement in my company - or any company I've been a part of. Don't make excuses for your own short comings. Good IT professionals who KEEP UP WITH TECHNOLOGY and simply solve business problems with little management overhead are in demand regardless of age. There may even be a time when you might have accept less money. It's part of the business. You're just as much a lazy ass as the OP. OP should not have made his employment issues a Republican problem. Perhaps I may have had more sympathy.