Ok; this is getting a bit redundant...

I'm out of work again

I am officially unemployed as of tomorrow.
My current employer has decided that I am no longer needed due to a number of circumstances; seasonal market downturn for our product; a customer that returned a $100,000 kitchen and an idiot son that I had the misfortune of working under

The message is quite clear; woodworking is my hobby and will never pay the bills!

The problem is that every other skill set or smidgeon of knowledge I have; has been usurped by young people from other countries willing to work for MacDonald wages! I still need a healthy income and none of my experience, knowledge or skills are in demand at the tender young age of 63.

If I was single it wouldn't be a problem; I would just sell out and move into a nice studio suite apartment and live off the equity my home has built.
Unfortunately; I'm not single and have dependants that have no concept of scaling back the expenditures to match the income(or lack of it).

Why oh why didn't the rapture happen; there would have been at least three empty houses on my street that I could have moved into

Sorry for the downer but I'm still reeling from the sudden change in emplyment since it was only a few weeks ago I was given a raise and put on the payroll as a permanent employee

Does being laid off from the regular payroll (employee and permanent are mutually exclusive) mean that you are eligible for unemployment insurance compensation?

Bob in Lake Havasu

Sorry to read about this, Archie. Best of luck to you, and I wish there was some work I could throw your way!

BTW... how does someone return a kitchen?

Cab
1990 325i(s)
2004 325XiT

Yes, I can collect unemployment insurance since I wasn't fired or didn't quit. It doesn't really pay all that much though

Thanks Cab.

Basically, you take out the kitchen sink; throw it away then uninstall all the cabinets; load them in a truck and ship them back to the shop.
The main loading area is now filled with cabinets that are not much good to anyone

Quote
Archeo-peteriX
Thanks Cab.

Basically, you take out the kitchen sink; throw it away then uninstall all the cabinets; load them in a truck and ship them back to the shop.
The main loading area is now filled with cabinets that are not much good to anyone

I'm so sorry to hear this Archie, you don't deserve this, again!

A lot of people are on such tight ropes lately. Our town is going through some big cuts after the last town officials messed things up...

It'll take you a few days to regroup and start to move forward, again.... don't let it throw you, Buddy

Quote
Archeo-peteriX
Thanks Cab.

Basically, you take out the kitchen sink; throw it away then uninstall all the cabinets; load them in a truck and ship them back to the shop.
The main loading area is now filled with cabinets that are not much good to anyone

If the kitchen was ordered and built specifically to the customer, he should have to pay something or complain when the kitchen was being assembled, not let it be complete and then "undo" everything... But that's your employer problem, yours is much worse perhaps.

The value of "work" is at an all time low, due to the competition from India and China, or emerging economies.
I recall you were doing something else before, more technological, can't you take some training course and revert to previous work?
At your age, looking for a job sucks, can't you start some business on your own?

Best of luck, I'm counting on you to come out on top again!

The problem with the kitchen was that the customer paid for all plywood construction and discovered some particle board sections when it was being installed. This was an error by the company owner who made up the material cut lists; he forgot to make sure all parts were made from plywood

Not my problem

Most of the manufacturing related jobs in the high tech electronics industry have gone off-shore. The few that are left don't pay an awful lot more than labouring jobs due in most part to the influx of foreign students who graduate university then work for Mac Donalds wages.

Ageism is also alive and well here; younger business owners and hiring employers don't want older people...they view them as to expensive, not up to date or simply too old.

For sure, the outlook is bleek but I'll survive somehow

I've seen a lot of that lately. I won't insult you with all the stiff upper lip stuff, quite frankly, this sucks. Production cabinet making is a different set of skills than woodworking per se. Out here they have CNC machines. A computer operator puts the dimensions in and the robots grab the sheets of MDF and away they go.

63 is the new 43. Peter, you still have a lot left and a lot to offer. The key is to figure out how to apply all your talents.

I often times wonder what I would do in the same predicament. What could I do that would be "outside of the box"?

hang in their buddy;

alan

I guess I should look at the Community side a little more often. I just saw this today.

Sorry to see this happen again, Peter. I know what you're up against. I've been out of work a few time over the last few years too. What you say about ageism is true. I did a lot of work on my resume to try to make it as hard as I could for anybody to figure out my age from it (53). All employers seem to want a young person with the skills and experience of a seasoned veteran, willing to work for intern pay.

I hope you find a satisfying job that pays well soon.

John

Thanks for the sentiments John.

I have picked up or it picked me up; a short contract and feelers are starting to come back. I know it will never be the way it was but hope is ever eternal

To be honest; even though the wood working business doesn't pay very well and that it is a dog-eat-dog market; I really do enjoy the work better than the high tech stuff.
Now if I could just find a woodworking position that gave me the same respect and latitude as the high tech sector..I would be i heaven

Peter, have you gotten in touch with cabinet makers/woodworkers in your area? A good lead would be the local plywood supply house where all the cabinet guys buy their raw material.

alan

I can vouch for the ageism effect. Before I was 40 I would get a job offer from almost any interview I went on and it was not difficult to get an interview. I tried to change jobs when I was 42 thinking it would be easy to move to something interesting. I had a hard time getting interviews and no offers. Eventually did get a headhunter to find me a job in a related field but beyond that, every job I have had since 42 has been networking with people I knew to get the interview and recommendation.

Been reluctant to retire as there would be no going back if the money does not go as far as I hoped.

Bob in Lake Havasu

Just saw this today, I am without words, damn Pete that sucks really big time, I don't know what to say.
We all know about the state of the world economy and all that blah blah blah, but that is little consolation or help to you right now.
I honestly do hope and pray that something comes your way soon.
You and your family are most definitely in my thoughts and prayers tonight, that I promise you.
be strong buddy, this too will pass, you can count on it.

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
E30'S AREN'T BUILT, THEY'RE CAUGHT IN THE WILD!!!



When in doubt, use full throttle,
it may not improve the situation, but it will end the suspence.

I read though this thread again...
Peter, how does a $100000 kitchen looks like?
Is the wood and furnitures market at a downturn where you live?
Over here, past the financial credit bubble, people can't buy new homes so easily as before, so they have ot either rent or remodel current home. Turns out remodeling kitchens is as good a business as it ever been or better.
If someone orders a $100000 kitchen (even if he/she "returns" it when thinking it over), the market can't be that bad!

Good luck peter, whatever you decide to do!

The market is good right now but the competition is incredibly tough.

Hi Stan,

As it turned out; I got a contract job in my old field. The day I was given my notice, I came home to find a phone message waiting...wanting to know about my availability. Needless to say, I was available.

It's only supposed to be a two week job but it will likely take a lot longer than that and there are already two more projects that they wnat me to do when I'm finished the first one!

Probably not long term but at least it beats Unemployment Insurance

Peter

Quote
Archeo-peteriX
Hi Stan,

As it turned out; I got a contract job in my old field. The day I was given my notice, I came home to find a phone message waiting...wanting to know about my availability. Needless to say, I was available.

It's only supposed to be a two week job but it will likely take a lot longer than that and there are already two more projects that they wnat me to do when I'm finished the first one!

Probably not long term but at least it beats Unemployment Insurance

Peter

It's a start Archie

It's temporary at best but the money is very good.

I think I prefer woodworking; in spite of the working conditions

Quote
Archeo-peteriX
It's temporary at best but the money is very good.

I think I prefer woodworking; in spite of the working conditions

Good luck for that project, and the ones to follow!
And don't think the knowledge and skill you have are easy to beat by someone younger that just left university.
They want you to believe that, but you have to be self-confident and never fear the comparison.

I don't really have problems with my age in my field. The problem is that most of the work disappeared at the end of 2008 with the US banking collapse.
Perhaps it is coming back and if it is, I fully expect to be getting calls.

It is different in the woodworking industry though; they want young people who they can train to do things their way. Most of the employers in that industry are a lot younger than I am and whenever I did manage to get an interview; I could see the looks on their faces as soon as I walked into the room( not another old guy ) and with that the interviews were very short.

There will still be some woodworking projects on the side

Quote
Archeo-peteriX
I don't really have problems with my age in my field. The problem is that most of the work disappeared at the end of 2008 with the US banking collapse.
Perhaps it is coming back and if it is, I fully expect to be getting calls.

It is different in the woodworking industry though; they want young people who they can train to do things their way. Most of the employers in that industry are a lot younger than I am and whenever I did manage to get an interview; I could see the looks on their faces as soon as I walked into the room( not another old guy ) and with that the interviews were very short.

There will still be some woodworking projects on the side

I've always loved working with wood, weather it's restoring a 300 year old farm house (talk about custom fitting!) or building a bench or table. I fantasize about building a boat some day... Whatever you're building the feel of wood is hard to match, and not that difficult to get started in building for a beginner.... I recommend it, even a bird house can be great fun, then you get to watch the loony birds but that's another story

Good Luck Peter, I know it's tough out there. Thank goodness I still have a few people who think I'm still relevant

Quote
rkj
Thank goodness I still have a few people who think I'm still relevant

Like me

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------
1989 - E30 - M20 - Manual. Approximately 270,000 miles
2000 - E46 - M52TUB28 - Manual. Approximately 110,000 miles

Quote
Earendil

Quote
rkj
Thank goodness I still have a few people who think I'm still relevant

Like me

Thanks Tyler

That must have hurt. I see you now have a couple of temporary projects, which is good to fill the gaps. Just an idea, wouldn't it be possible for you do have some side-job (don't know how to say properly), something you can do outside of your projects, which could fill in the gap when a project is finished and looking for something else?

Sadly, at my age; all future jobs will be side jobs. Companies are simply not hiring older workers and especially not those with my skill sets.

My biggest problem is not income but outgo...my wife simply cannot rationalize expenditures based on income