Dchiefransom

Sounds like age discrimination.

Red Baron

management calls it 'lack of runway' and/or future potential

rodrigaj

Age discrimination is a fact of life throughout our society. It's built into the marketing of products, in our employment prospects (even though it is "supposedly" illegal), in our health care cost and in our social mores.

People, that is young people, will be in for a very rough ride. One of the things that I love about education (I teach juniors and seniors in high school) is that it allows a birds eye view into the future. What is see is a very rough ride. The sense of entitlement that these kids have, without having done anything to deserve it, is astounding.

Paul Braithwait

My sympathies to all concerned as I have the AX hanging over me at the moment. I am on a "Fixed Term" contract with my employer in the UK. It is renewed on an annual basis but there is always the chance that it won't be - which I understand. My new contract arrived just before Christmas and was for six months instead of the normal 12. I had received no warning of this change and had had an informal chat with the boss a couple of weeks earlier where the indication was I was OK with nothing to worry about. Went to see him again and he mumbled phrases like "current financial climate" and "will know more come April". Several of us over 50 have received the same treatment - draw your own conclusions.

Although I knew that this could happen (and have made financial provision for it) it is a blow when you realise that you are no longer valued. I left school at 16 and have worked ever since (often 6 and 7 days a week to build my career in radio) so at 58 years of age I wouldn't mind easing off a bit. However, since being told of my six month contract life has suddenly gone on hold. Spending will be cut back and no long term plans (ie more than 6 months) can be made. What paper qualifications I have are not worth anything these days where you need a degree to sweep the streets!

I wouldn't mind a part time job to provide a bit of pocket money and allow me the time to spend with my 4 year old grandson. The problem is, I don't know whether I will have a job in 6 months time or not because my contract may be extended. You cannot really relax and enjoy life in a situation like that.

I am reminded of a line from a Harry Chapin song called WOLD. It was about a radio presenter and the line said, "They said that they liked the young sound when they let me go." My late mother always said to me when she was ill, "Never grow old son, never grow old." 58 is not old and there are more of us around now than there are youngsters. Experience is no longer valued because we live in a disposable society where nothing remains the same and there is always something new. Look where it has gotten us; Credit Crunch, finance failing, unemployment rising, values dissappearing. I fear for my grandson and wonder what kind of world he will inherit. I just pray that God grants me the years to be part of his life and help him grow so that when he is my age he will be able to look back at the times we spent together with joy. I never knew my grandparents and my dad died when I was 12 so I intend to be around for as long as I can to pass on what wisdom I have to the little chap. That will be the best job ever! Cheers.

oldride

Another sad reality for people who have lost their job is that finding another job is going to be very difficult... especially over 50. In the past when layoffs happened there was almost always jobs to be had even if it was a lesser job. But that has changed as unemployment increases and few if any companies are hiring there are no jobs to be had. 2009 does not look good for finding a job.

wrk101

"Lack of Runway", what a term.

Anyone 50+ working in the private sector in middle management better be prepared for job loss. Avoid debt, don't assume you will be able to make the bucks (or more) of your current position to age 65. And have an emergency fund (4 to 6 months). I am always amazed to hear of people at 65 that still have a mortgage, and still owe money on vehicles. The lifestyle you maintain in your 30s and 40s can haunt you in your 50s and 60s.

I went through the same change in 2007.

fghhunter

THANKS TO EVERYONE FOR THE SUPPORT AND WORDS OF ENCOURAGEMENT!

I told my wife that I think the worst part of all this is there is no dignity in being let go. It is very degrading, a very dehumanizing way that companies treat their committed, dutiful and sometimes longtime employees.
There is no compassion, no support, no easing one into the situation as a retiring employee would receive. You have the feeling of being cut in two and are left to fend for yourself and figure it out on your own.
I said to my wife it's much like traveling on a train to your destination, your retirement. You're coming down hill and can see your retirement ahead in the distance when all of a sudden the conductor walks up to you and says "please come with me". He walks you to the last car of the train, back to the rear platform and there sits all your baggage, and you wonder "what the heck". He says, "this is it, you're getting off here" and tells you to jump.
Well I'm off that train and I can still sleep good at night and my conscience doesn't bother me a bit and I know we're going to be OK.

John E

I have been contemplating moving from industry to education, perhaps with a little consulting on the side, and the economic downturn may force me to get off my @$$ and do so. My employer of the past 6 years shut down at the end of the year, so I am "between jobs" for the first time in my career. (I have been laid off twice before, but in each case I had a new, arguably better, job lined up within a week or two.) The problem in California is that the state budget is completely shot and no one is hiring. I have been teaching one or two classes per year at UCSD Extension for the past 15 years, and last quarter I got the opportunity to teach an upper division undergrad course on the main campus. I did one semester of student teaching at Santa Monica High School and got rave ratings from my supervising teacher, but that was 35 years ago, while I was working on my MS.

I would love to break into the ed biz, but the nearest thing I can find right now is volunteer work with a FIRST robotics competition group at the high school from which my elder son graduated. The upside is that I am having fun working with the students and networking with two of my son's favorite teachers and with a few local industry guys.

rodrigaj

Networking and volunteering is good. Believe it or not, once you get certified it is extremely difficult to get a job teaching in a good school district. One thinks that schools would want people with life experiences but that is not so. They are very close minded.

I had to settle for working in a poor school district for my first 5 years. Once that was done, I had no problems finding a better job at a better district. I was an insider, with experience and an in-demand certification. The market was wide open to me.

Still, working for the poor school district beat electrical engineering...the travel, the stress. I now earn less than half the pay, but have twice the fun.

Jean Beetham Smith 

I can really relate to that analogy. I retired last June because I was spending a week every month in Wisconsin caring for 92 YO Mom. My husband (62) has been laid off. Now he is being denied unemployment because it is claimed he is receiving a pension, which he is not. How do you prove you are not receiving a pension? We are reasonably sure we will get it straightened out before we run out of our first line of savings, but it does feel like a train wreck with unemployment at exactly the time we are facing big expenses, getting Mom through her last years. Fortunately, we now have more time to spend with our new grandson.

rideon7

Somewhere along the line you'll need a teaching certificate. You can go back to school to get one (takes a year or two) or your state/school district may issue emergency certification if you can prove experience in a high-demand field (math, science, some languages). Even with an emergency cert., you'll want to get your regular cert. sooner or later to give yourself credibility (and most states have a time limit for when that needs to be done).

You could also start by substitute teaching, although subbing can be tough because fresh faces are sometimes seen as fresh meat by some classes. All the subs I talk to know which schools to go to and which to avoid; likewise with the classes. Through subbing you'll soon find if teaching is really what you want to do, and you'll get some experience on the front lines, not to mention getting paid.

Velo Dog

Got me a year ago, at age 62 with 29 years of service that included several national awards. As in your case, probably coincidence that nearly everyone who was let go was making fairly big money, while the replacements were right out of college, earning $29,000 a year. I did get a fairly generous buyout--two weeks pay and full benefits for every year with the company--and the people who turned it down and tried to stay were cut loose a few months later.
I lucked into a new job doing a radio talk show (I was a newspaper columnist, fairly well-known in the community). Pay's much less, but I work two hours a day, have a good time doing it and we had some money put away to get us through the collapse if the Bushconomy recovers within a couple of years. It's tough when it happens, though--hope things work out for you.

fthomas

If you would take the time to research EEOC and case law you might discover that a reduction in force of people over the age of 57 places the company at great risk for a law suit for age discrimination! I'm not an attorney, but I have been reading articles at the Irvine Chamber of Commerce on "Right Sizing" and the risks that the company you were working for took. From what you say they have left themselves open for an EEOC complaint and civil action in my opinion.

howsteepisit

To the OP - I have been there lived that. What I can tell you is that searching to employment can be really disheartening, so do not get discouraged. Everybody who goes through a job search gets somewhat beaten down by the process. Most of networking unless you have a list of folks at target employers are just lots of other unemployed folks.

Now for a bit of a rant: Current hypocrisy by companies is astounding- We cannot find qualified employees means we cannot find people who are possess the exact experience with no more than 5 years total experience, We are worried about losing our companies experience base means we sure wish we could electronically get our older employees brains downloaded so we we don't have to pay them.
So on and so on. Bottom line is once you hit 50 or so its very difficult to find work as you are over-experienced for most everything, but not experienced enough for anything.

oldride

Unfortunately this is very true.

To those questioning age discrimination. It is easy for a company to get around that. For example my situation. When I was downsized the company offered me a package, one year full pay with benefits and my pension. But I had to sign an agreement not to sue. If I didn't agree I would have been let go anyway and if I then sued I figure they would have evenutally found a reason to fire me.

If a person is fired (at least in my state) they can not receive unemployment compensation. So I received the package and eventually 6 months of unemployment benefits. I felt that it was best for me to accept it.

Job hunting over age 50...not so good.

ErnieAZ

Yeah, I'm part of the same club. Laid-off three times in the 12 years between 1992 and 2004. The last lay-off saw my job outsourced to India and I retired at age 57 (seems to be a magic number from the posts I've seen). I suffered through the indignation of helping train my replacements, or helping conversions in company take-overs. The carrot was an attractive severance package. I've pretty much moved on, but I look around at what's happening to so many people and have to wonder where this is all headed. I'm waiting now for the other shoe to drop, to be cheated out of Social Security benefits. I'm hearing the "drums beating" about there is no way Social Security can continue in its present form.

Artkansas 

Relatively lucky there. I am still trying to collect the pay they owe me for the last two months I worked for my last employer. They are moving all the company assets to Indonesia. I've been out of work 4 months now, and despite contacting the top labor lawyer in the state, I'm no closer to getting my money. I did have a 3 month cushion of money, but the first 2/3 of it went to surviving while I was still working.

Thankfully, being debt free, living in a small apartment and being car-free are standing me in good stead and I can survive on unemployment. But that will last only so long. 50+ is a pain.

lubers

Applied for three jobs the last two days and had two rejection notices sent already, like howsteepisit put it, bottom line is once you hit 50 or so its very difficult to find work as you are over-experienced for most everything, but not experienced enough for anything. Every job I applied for was well in my job experience but here's the response I've been getting : We have given careful thought and consideration to your application. At this point, we have decided to move in the direction of other candidates. My wife's been giving me static about not going out to find a job or go back to school, at 55 I really have no desire to go back to school.