[Sca-cooks] OT "Senior Citizen Jobs" at 52

[James Davis]

Suey, this is something I'm facing, as well.  At 56, I've been in a  
job for the last four years in which I made less than I made in the  
mid-90s.  Because I'm relocating to Kentucky, I gave that job up last  
week, and I'm scared.  I can cobble together some income with a half- 
time gig and freelance work, but the three interviews I've been on  
have all gone to younger people with less experience.

I had interviewed for the position of editor of the "Cooking Light"  
website, and got through three interviews, but . . . nope.  I figured,  
with my background in food, the fact that I've become so much more  
healthy in the last three years (dropped from 303 to 221), and having  
been a web editor for the second largest solely-online retailer in the  
country, I was a shoo-in.  No such luck.  It was even in my old  
hometown of Birmingham, Alabama, and I'd have been happily close to  
family.

Over the years, I've had two retirement plans collapse on me -- one  
from a non-profit organization back in the 80s, whose CEO decided they  
couldn't afford all these retirees, and another from an HMO in the  
90s, who basically screwed my 401(k) by forcing all my contributions  
into company stock then drove down the price of that stock to almost  
nothing (this is illegal now, thanks to Ken Lay and Enron, but wasn't  
illegal in 1998), so all I'll have is Social Security and VA  
compensation.

At least medically, I'm lucky to have access to Veterans  
Administration care.  I haven't had great luck with their surgical  
skills, but their chronic care has been top-notch. They cover all my  
medications, too, and even dental and vision care.  Of course, I had  
to screw up my back something awful in the military to qualify.

I don't know what the answer is.  With so few jobs to go around at  
all, we "seniors" are getting the short end of the stick.

Jared Blaydeaux
currently in Caid, but headed to the Midrealm tomorrow (Berea, Kentucky)


On Nov 18, 2010, at 4:13 PM, Suey wrote:

>    My sister and her husband took early retirement in the 1990's  
> from IBM. It was great. They not only received a nice pension but  
> they established a private company. Now so many years later my  
> roommte from the university thought she had gone for the gold mine  
> of $700 a month from Social Security but have nothing in the bank  
> from the companies for which she worked all those years. Her husband  
> is in the same boat. They are looking for jobs like mad but a resume  
> saying one is 52 does not seem to be acceptable. They are water over  
> the dam.
>    The more one thinks about it the more serious this gets. Do these  
> people have insurance policies? What will medicare cover for them  
> from now on?
>    In Chile some insurance companies will not accept applicants over  
> 55. Others discontinue their help when you are over 90.
>    For Stefan's case in particular and other dear friends, I think  
> this is a very serious matter which needs your input. In general  
> people do not pay for culture. How can we sell our culture to make a  
> living?
> Suey
>
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