Posts Tagged ‘Retirement funds’

I’m Caught in a Job/No-Job Trap

June 20th, 2011

The Job Market is miserable and so am I
For a change I had nothing to do with my current debacle. I am usually the culprit when it comes to the making a mess of things, but in this case I am the sacrifice. I am an engineer, university degree and all that. I had a successful career, working in various design offices and managing my own engineering practice for some years. When the recession hammer dropped, I was in my late fifties, so I checked all my retirement funds and savings and decided to take a break. I could afford it and anyway, I reasoned, recessions don’t last forever. So I fished, sailed and golfed for a few years and then decided that I wanted to get back to work.

Unemployment market
I knew all about the unemployment situation. I saw that the headline number that comes out every month was 9.1 percent in May. It measures how many people are out of work and looking for a job, but as yet did not include me. There is also the U-6, which is technically the broadest measure of unemployment. It includes people who are underemployed and people who have stopped looking; perhaps they’ve decided to go back to school or they’ve just given up their quest for work. That rate is 15.8 percent.

The Hollywood WorkSource Center
I went down to the Hollywood WorkSource Center to see what was available. Yes, there were jobs for engineers, so I went for an interview. “Site supervisor and that new office building going up in Westwood. My honest opinion, you’re a little old for that sort of thing. It’s on the 20th floor already and has another 16 to go. Still interested?” I smiled thanks and left in a hurry.

Ace Personnel
I called at Ace the next day and filled in forms and stood in a line to get a number to stand in a line. When I finally sat down in front of the interviewer I was offered a draftsman’s job in some small town engineering department way out in the sticks. Computerized drafting hasn’t reached there yet. I smiled thanks and left in a hurry.
I took a 3 day rest after this interview to make sure I still wanted to go back to work.

The money situation
My finances are not as healthy as they were a few years ago but I figure if I take it easy and maybe give up playing golf, I can still afford not to work. The game of golf is inordinately expensive and I’m a poor player, enjoying the camaraderie more than the game.

One more try
This time I went into a placement office that specializes in the construction industry. I was greeted warmly, offered coffee and then offered a job in a steel reinforcement factory checking the goods that have been manufactured to engineering specifications to ensure that the goods are exactly as specified. I smiled thanks and left in a hurry.

Beware you fish
Tomorrow I will be back on the lake in my dingy. Beware you fish!

Tags: Finances, Job market, Pensions, Retirement funds, unemployment
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