Anyway Else Finding it Really Hard to Get a Job?

debtslave2024

@Grumpy_chap Thanks for the ideas, I will be honest I am not really the “senior type.” As for degrees, I will be honest they are just a bit of paper (often useless.) When I went to Uni, someone in the toilets had written on each sheet of toilet paper “degree, please take one.” They really hit the nail on the head!

As I get older, I will be honest I do not think I can keep up with the “super dynamic” job market of 2024. Ideally, I would like to be self employed, as I no longer believe that I can achieve any sense of security, by relying on others for a living.

Marcon

debtslave2024 said:

@Grumpy_chap Thanks for the ideas, I will be honest I am not really the “senior type.” As for degrees, I will be honest they are just a bit of paper (often useless.) When I went to Uni, someone in the toilets had written on each sheet of toilet paper “degree, please take one.” They really hit the nail on the head!

As I get older, I will be honest I do not think I can keep up with the “super dynamic” job market of 2024. Ideally, I would like to be self employed, as I no longer believe that I can achieve any sense of security, by relying on others for a living.

What's stopping you? That's not meant as an aggressive challenge or veiled criticism; it's a simple question. Have you ever sat down with that traditional pen and paper and written out the pros and cons of doing so? You clearly aren't averse to getting your hands dirty (probably literally as well as metaphorically), so that's going to broaden the possibilities.

Have a look at sites such as
 https://www.gov.uk/browse/business/setting-up
or
 https://www.startuploans.co.uk/support-and-guidance/business-guidance/finance/get-small-business-government-grant

which might be helpful. Ditto

https://www.peopleperhour.com
or 
https://www.fiverr.com/

Brie

I know for myself that sometimes I needed to leave my qualifications off my cv as they are not pertinent to the jobs I applied for.  And I'm happy with that.  But if you want something that aligns with your study and employment background it can be more difficult.  

As one ages sometimes one needs to leave off earlier roles so age appears less of an issue.  I started doing this when I was applying mid 50s because no matter how the recruitment is supposed to work legally I know it will be easier if it's not so obvious I'm approaching my 60s.  Well I'm now past state retirement age and still working but that's more to networking than anything else, having been made redundant at 64 and having mentioned it to some of my contacts who said "oh my, we might have something for you!".  

TELLIT01

Lomast said:

The obvious question is if you have a masters degree why are you applying for unskilled warehouse work?

Surely the equally obvious answer to the question is not being able to find employment in their area of expertise.

Spendless

Yes, i find exactly the issues youve talked about when job hunting. Local job market plays a part in availability of jobs and wages. Often unrealistic expectations in how long everything takes because no one senior has looked at the job in depth for years plus they believe youre 'easily replaceable'  
My suggestion try some temping roles see if that leads to anything. 

TELLIT01

I had worked in IT Support for over 30 years but when made redundant in my early 50s found it impossible to find a job in that field.

comeandgo

Would there be any opportunity to do voluntary work in anything you’d like to take further?  I found this helped me.

debtslave2024

@comeandgo I am afraid I simply do not have time to do unpaid work. I have to devote all my flagging energy into trying to turn my finances around. Currently trying to focus my thought on only 2 areas today using the Pomodoro technique (short bursts of activity e.g. 25 mins to the sound of a clicking timer.) It helps me compartmentalise things, and be very focussed.

Marcon

TELLIT01 said:

Lomast said:

The obvious question is if you have a masters degree why are you applying for unskilled warehouse work?

Surely the equally obvious answer to the question is not being able to find employment in their area of expertise.

Just because something is 'obvious' doesn't mean it's accurate/applicable...

MattMattMattUK

debtslave2024 said:

@ Grumpy_chap Thanks for the ideas, I will be honest I am not really the “senior type.” As for degrees, I will be honest they are just a bit of paper (often useless.) When I went to Uni, someone in the toilets had written on each sheet of toilet paper “degree, please take one.” They really hit the nail on the head!

As I get older, I will be honest I do not think I can keep up with the “super dynamic” job market of 2024. Ideally, I would like to be self employed, as I no longer believe that I can achieve any sense of security, by relying on others for a living.

Many people say they would like to be self-employed, with little to no understanding of what is actually involved. Yes, in theory you are your own boss, but the reality is most of the time you are beholden to the needs of your clients. You will also have to rely on clients so you are still relying on others for a living. 

Now it can bring freedom and flexibility, or it can involve a near ceaseless grind, especially for the first few years when winning and retaining enough clients to be able to pay the bills is important. I have run my own business for a decade now after previously being employed. For the first year I worked 60-80 hours a week trying to win enough clients, for the second year I worked 60-80 hours a week to retain the clients I had one and to win enough to keep growing forward, in the third year I worked 60-80 hours a week to keep everything stable and maintain a steady growth, it was only year four onwards that I was able to work 40-60 hours a week and take things a bit easier and really start to feel comfortable. Then in year six the government locked us down, Brexit happened and I had to deal with a total car crash for two years that still has lingering effects now and although things are comfortable again I am still earning substantially less than I was before the government destroyed the economy. 

Being self-employed also requires a lot of discipline, both in terms of the work itself, but boring stuff like invoicing, accounts, websites, potentially social media etc. 

I am not saying you should rule it out, but make sure you go into it with your eyes fully open. In the good times I am far happier running my own business, but in bad times, the lockdowns, losing a whole chunk of clients because of Brexit, at those points I really questioned whether it was really worth it.