quote:

Originally posted by chellim1:
I wonder if demographics have anything to do with it? There's a pretty big wave of boomers at retirement age.

I've wondered the exact same thing. My son is in his early 30's and is in a skilled position as a DBA. The American population 7 years and younger isn't exactly killing it education wise and I see a much smaller minority of Americans that can do the STEM thing well. Add in foreign competition and it gets way more iffy on not being replaced in later years. Unfortunately (or fortunately) I'll have moved on to know the answer to that question.

DBA ???

quote:

Originally posted by ZSMICHAEL:
DBA ???

. Usually that’s Database Administrator. Tubes and wires and stuff.

Given the context, I’ll guess Database Analyst.

My son is doing a FLVS DBA for Spanish II right now (Florida Virtual School Discussion Based Assessment).

Neither are DBA, doing business as.

Thanks. I work in a totally different field.

My bad on DBA. Too used to the term. I guess everybody doesn't know what a DBA is Database Administrators have a bunch to do with database read write update of small, medium, and large databases. Sorry to distract from the thread.

Yep! Once you get a certain age, ageism steps in.

I was forced to retire from a Fortune 500 company in 2001, holding a $60/hr salary. I have an advanced degree and thought it would help me get another job. Nothing materialized due to my "advanced age" of 51.

I took a job at a local gun shop for $12/hr and became assistant manager for $13/hr in 3 months.
While working there, I was offered a job (one of the customers) as Inside Sales for $35K/yr plus commission. Worked my way up to Mfg. Manager (50K) until I got laid off again.

Then, I got a job as an armed security guard. So far, so good! It pays $30/hr, and I'm old enough to get a pension and SSA.

If younger people do not prepare for the future, they will be working till death!

My brother was offered a promotion along with a move or no job. He moved, but had difficulty in selling his previous home and his wife gave up a good professional job to go with him. He got another pay raise and then without warning, got laid off in favor of a minority replacement, just short of being vested in his retirement. He was in his late 50's and could not find a similar position. He took a 2nd shift job in a tire factory and came home filthy and couldn't wash it off. He kept applying for hundreds of positions. His wife left him and took the kids with her. He sold the house and followed his ex to Texas. He got a job he wanted, but was let go after a year. He got a job at a community college, but the govt grant dried up and as did the job.

I helped him when necessary, but the lack of finding a job destroyed his sense of respect for himself. Believe me if you are in your 50's, you will not get interviews and you won't even get rejection letters. You and your skills are not wanted or even considered.

He is now in his early 70's and working at a Home Depot selling appliances. I gave him my daughter's 15 year old SUV to replace a 30 year old truck. He lives in a shack, but has friends. He won't come home because he is ashamed of his situation.

When I am gone, he will get hopefully enough money to last him.

I saw how hard these past 20 years have been on him. It destroys your sense of worth.

After reading some of these stories I would like to offer some info in a field where I do not think age matters.

Let me offer a vocation that pays well, is in high demand and only requires a 2 year degree - a Process Analyzer Technician. Yes, you will most likely have to live near a chemical plant or refinery, but you can make $25-$30 starting and well experienced techs can make close to $60 an hour without overtime. This is in the Houston area, other areas may pay differently. There are numerous plants in this area so pay is competitive. I never cared to live in the Houston area, but there is job security here and that is why I moved here. I started in the industry in the mid 90’s and even during economic downturns (like 2008 and covid) I still had steady work.

If you have a degree in engineering or as a chemist you can move into an analyzer engineer position. I am not certain of exact pay ranges, but it pays well. I do know that the PhD I interviewed was asking 200k salary and that was about 4-5 years ago.

The industry is short both techs and engineers and it is not a job that is going away. With new technology it will be needed even more in the future. Due to a large part of the work force retiring, there is a shortage in the industry.

It is rare to not see a job posting for an analyzer tech in my location. Anyone willing to get the degree could move into this field. I have been trying to find a tech with a minimum of 5 years of experience and have been unable to for the last year. I have worked with techs in their mid 70’s and they had no problem finding work. I know one guy that was in his 60’s and needed a cane to walk, yet he still had a job due to his experience.

All jobs in the plants pay well, Operators, electricians, instrument techs, welders, machinists. Some Operators I work with are making in the mid 50’s an hour and work 200 or more hours a year of overtime.

quote:

Originally posted by TBH:

I recently had a conversation with my two boys on them saving for their children’s college. They were complaining about struggling with building up their retirement.
I suggested instead of saving for education, focus on pounding retirement savings until the kids go to college. Then focus on helping them pay down their debt. They were offended that I thought they would put themselves before their kids.

Financial aid calculations ignore retirement savings. They do not count as assets. But regular savings or 529 accounts DO count as assets.

That means that their kids are likely to get much more financial aid (hopefully grants, scholarships, etc rather than loans) if the parents save for retirement rather than put the same into education savings.

If the parents are in good financial shape when the kids go to college they can choose to assist at that time.

Also, there is no reason not to make the kids be financially responsible with college. While the private college experience is a real nice thing, the truth is they can get as much benefit from state schools without the huge price tag.

Thank you all for this thread and your input.

I harp on one of the "younguns" at work about every couple of weeks, trying to impress upon her the benefit of saving early. "Don't be where I am when you're my age -- be ready to retire when you're my age!"

I've sent her a link to this thread, hoping she'll read it over the weekend.

quote:

My bad on DBA. Too used to the term. I guess everybody doesn't know what a DBA is Database Administrators have a bunch to do with database read write update of small, medium, and large databases. Sorry to distract from the thread

^^^^^^^^^^
Thank you for the response. I work in Heath Care and had never seen the acroynm.

Ageism is definitely real. Even to the woke, the DEI, blah, ageism remains so our society is like a loaded gun. Instead of bullets, it’s hypocrites.

I’ve been through the layoffs in the corporate environment. Ch.11, offshoring, H1B Visas, buyouts, relocation. It’s a nightmare. Your age shouldn’t matter one iota. You can either do the job or you can’t. I’m not looking forward to this as I’ve seen big layoffs at my employers. If you were a white male aged 55 or older, you’re first up to get the boot. It’s fucking shameful.

quote:

Originally posted by Prefontaine:
Ageism is definitely real.

Yes, it is. A good friend of mine (and longtime coworker) got laid off last fall. He's immensely qualified, and well-suited to employers in our area. I've lost track of how many times he's been turned down, even by organizations (and teams) he's worked for in the past. Why? It very much looks like it's because he's 63.

quote:

Originally posted by sreding:
Maybe its the GenX in me, but I know for a fact that SS isn't going to be there when I retire (even though I've paid into the system for 50 odd years) and when that's gone - guess what the government is coming after next? All those sweet retirement accounts that they 'let' you have with various income tax schemes.

I see this all the time and scratch my head. SS is a payroll tax. As long as people are working, SS taxes are being paid. Perhaps the benefits will be diminished, full retirement age may be raised, tax rates can be raised, the income limit can be increased, but some form of SS will still be there. Money will alwsy flow in.

However, I'm right there with you regarding the .gov coming after my 401k.

Yes I'm seeing age targeting and discriminating type language and behavior as well, from the same groups of people promoting equal opportunity, respect, DEI, the whole nine yards. Any opportunity to eject older employees is advanced, no matter the skill level. It's hypocritical to the max and bothers me.

quote:

Originally posted by 95flhr:


Corporate America doesn’t want older workers, face it we cost them too much.
We don’t work for low wages, most of us have health issues, and we don’t put up with the BS that is being force fed employees today.

Truer words have never been spoken.

Been fortunate to have done my own thing for a while now and don't see how I could work in the current environment anyway.
Luckily don't have to and have no health issues but yes the BS being fed employees > I could not take.