Concerns about unemployment/underemployment

Hi,

I am very concerned about my employment situation. I have not had a full-time job in a while, but I have worked as a consultant. I have not been able to contribute to a 401K for a while but have contributed some money to an IRA. I am concerned that I will not be able to retire and will be working forever. I am underemployed right now.

I have worked in the financial industry in NYC for most of my career. I have had some ok job experiences, but the people I have worked for have not been great. I have interviews but then nothing happens and I don't get hired.

Is anyone else having these issues??

I haven't had a permanent job in over ten years. I was getting a lot on contract work for the first few years which is great because it pays a lot more than regular employment. Things started to dry-up about 2008 and I haven't made any money for over two years. I'm now 60 years old and who's going to hire some one my age.

I am much younger than you and I have serious concerns

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Some companies and industries even have espoused a culture that you are either young and aggressively ambitious or you are older and "successful". There is no room for older and steady or just good at a certain job.

If you are the latter and in one of those work environments, I think your only option is to get out and start again where your skills and experience will be valued. I don't think that this is anything new, perhaps it has become worse, I don't know, I don't work in that type of area.

As my Grandfather used to say, "If you are going to have a woman, why not have a beautiful one who wants to fuck you."

Unfortunately, tanstaafl, there are a lot of people in your situation. Underemployment is chronic in North America - full-time jobs are getting replaced with part-time jobs with no benefits and no pension plans - and there's a generation of people who rack up so much debt in their 20s and 30s just to get an education and buy a house or condo that they don't have the chance to save enough for retirement. It's one of those enormous, looming problems that many people just look the other way from, but as more and more of us start thinking about retirement the anxiety is growing.

I feel for you, man. I just don't think the corporate world is designed to foster quality of life, unfortunately.

My underemployment is not in my regular industry, the financial industry. I make a lot less money there and I get health insurane at my underemployed job.

For the people in NYC, do you know any good career counselors or coaches? I am in need of some help.