Over 60 crowd....let's be honest

Heard a story today about 700 people waiting in line to apply for 35 jobs. Some were in line 2 hours before the office opened. 9% local unemployment.

Think back, how long did you stand in line for your first real job?

How many real adult jobs did you have in a lifetime? different employers?

How much time did you spend honing your resume'?

How many in-depth interviews did you have before you were hired?

How many times did the company shut down, leave town, and leave you stranded and out of work?

Just curious.

I've only filled out 1 job application for a horse farm, other farm dident ask me for that, and a hvac place I worked at for 6 weeks dident have one either. I'm self employed, and never did a résumé. I hope I never have to.

Guess times were easier when I was young in the 50's. After mowin grass for a lady with her push mower I moped the floor at Virginisa grill for a year then worked for Ovaltine for my sophomore year, got a job deliverin Pizzas for the remainder of high school then started working in concrete and excavating. Been paying taxes and contributing to SS since3 I was 13.

I have had only one job in my life where I worked for someone else. I drove a truck spreading chicken litter the summer I graduated from high school. Worked for myself since 1971. Been a farmer, owned 2 motels, now I own a real estate business. Still have the farms, but rent all of them to other people except one. Have some cows. Going to sell the business this year and play with the cows. Been a good ride. Be safe.

I doubt that looking for a job today is any harder than it ever was. We just had no option, no long term unemployment. I had an opportunity one time to draw un-employment for 2 weeks, didn't bother. When I didn't have a job, I dedicated full time to finding one. I'm in the over 70 crowd and I will assure there are a lot of worse economic times gone by.

Filled out one for my first job after graduating as a Mechanical Engineer in 1964. Never did another. Worked for the same company through 4 owners. I let my accomplishments do the talking, and was never disappointed, retired as executive vice-president 45 years later.

When I'se 16, my neighbor hired me to 'run' the pit/trench silo end of the operation while it was being filled (my dad was cutting the silage); made $3.00 a day for 3 or 4....10 hour days. Only off-the-farm job I ever had.

Never stood in line for any employment. Electronics engineers were in demand so I was able to find good jobs. Was laid off once in 35 years.

Worked for 4 different employers.

In depth interviews, two

One company did leave town, but after I had moved on to the fourth employer.

At 53 been at current place 14 yrs. Longest in 1 place. Next longest was 10 yrs. Got 1 job while sitting on a wall at 4 corners in home town, local farmer needed summer help putting up hay asked if I wanted a job.

I graduated from high school in 1967. In 1967, you could trip and fall down in the street and someone would run up and offer you a job.

When I go out of the Army in 58 I went to every car dealership within 50 miles in every direction I could think of. Planned on being auto mechanic with my training and experience on trucks. Never stood in a line. Did check in and fill out papers at employment office. They never contacted me. Friend of my father in law said local IH dealer was looking for help. Went down there. Set up a time to come in for interview and took the job on trial basis. Worked for them 33 years, new ownership bought out place, worked four years for them. Didn't like the way they did business, Deere dealer called me one night, worked for him four years and retired. Never made up any kind of a resume. By the way, that word (RESUME)means going back to what you were doing like after coffee break.

Sorry edd, I am not over 60, disregard my post.

When that word is used in this context, it's pronounced "rez um may", not "re zoom".

I grew up on a farm, went to cornell, had a job waiting at home when I graduated. worked for dad for 9 years, then bought my own farm 34 years ago. I have never gone through the resume, employment, layoff, ect system. my wife says I should try the retirement thing, though.

I have had only 4 jobs in my life and the last one lasted 38 years.I never stood in line or filled out an application. Every job I got I talked to owener direct.

Got my first job from the company that dug the basement for my parents new home . I was there to watch and i guess get in the way . So they started having me get stuff out of the one truck and bring it to them . They were shocked when the one guy said bring me the pipe level when he was placing the first pipe for the sewer line and i went to the truck and found it and took it to him . Started with the company at the ripe old age of 13 , Mowing grass sweeping moping dusting the offices sweeping in the shop . By fifteen i was welding up idler' and rollers and helping the mechanic's work on the equipment and on Saturdays my boss and i were out in the field behind the shop and i was learning how to run equipment, i already knew how to run a crawler as i ran them at my uncles farm as that is what they farmed with back in the fiftys. At sixteen i was a operating engineer with my own company truck .I not only ran the equipment but also did the wrench twisting and welding in the field. Till uncle Sam called . while i was ducking bullets there was a union split and i did not know about it and they only gave two months to transfer your book . That happened during the TET offensive I was a little busy at that time . Came home to find that i could not go back to work with them . So i fell into a job at a Chrysler Plymouth dealership as a mechanic . Back then a JOB was not hard to find as people were calling the house wanting you to come to work for them . You would run into someone new and almost the first words out of there mouth was Ya want a JOB.

I know, but it still doesn't change my way of looking at it.

Not over 60 but pushing it closely. Most job I got I got an interview and was either hired on the spot of did not get it. One I did not get I asked questions and found out I had scored to high on the test they gave me as in 98% asked why I did not get the job and they said they wanted people smart enough to do the job but not so smart as to ask question when told to do things. That was with At&t the telephone company. When I took the test for the Navy I was told I could go any where and do any thing I wanted since my score was so high. But yet my High school grades where not that high

It would be hard to say which was my first "real" job. So I will let you decide:

1) Worked 3 PM-11 PM bagging feed at the local feed mill while in school. Did not wait at all. The owner advertised the job in the paper. None of the adult guys would last more than a week. My family was having money issues. I heard the feed store owner complaining when Grand Dad picked up some feed. I was fourteen at the time. I asked the mill owner for the job. He told me I was too young. I told him I would show up and do the bagging. If I could not do it I would quit asking. I ran from school and started at 3:15 at 11:00 I had bagged 22 ton of feed in fifty pound bags by myself. HE said that was better than most of the men he hired. He could not put me on the normal pay roll as I was too young. So he paid me by the ton to bag the feed. I got $2 a ton. I worked every day after school.(I worked for Grand Dad Sat) I was bagging 120 ton a week by the time I graduated high school. That was good money then. He tried to put me on normal payroll after I turn sixteen. I told him I would not take the pay cut. He agreed that it cost him more to have the hourly guys bag the feed as they did not work at it as hard. So I stayed on by the ton until the day before I went to the service.

2) Two weeks after Graduation I stepped of the bus at Army boot camp. I was only 17 then. I would not turn 18 until Aug. So that would be my "first" job after I turned 18.

Now for the rest.

A) How many jobs have you had???: I have worked at 23 different places in my life. This is after I got out of the service. Plus I have always farmed too.

B)How much time honing your resume: I never have applied to anywhere that needed a resume for what I was applying for.

C) How many interviews did you have?? Usually one per job. Either I got it or they turned me down. I never have worked at any place that had large personal departments. So no one needing to make a "job" for themselves.

D) How many times did the company shut down??? I have worked at four places that closed. I usually had another job before they closed.

Here is my take on unemployment. The reason there are unemployed people is that too many people will not get their hands dirty or break a sweat. I have had jobs that SUCKED!!!! and they sure where not a career. They just put food on the table.

People want a 100K job that they only have to work 40 hours to get. Plus some company to kiss their butt to work there. THAT is the main issue. It is not training or education. It is the attitude many have toward work.

I will bet you that I can have a "job" of some kind in less than 48 hours if I wanted it. It might be welding, driving a truck, or even digging a ditch but I could provide for my needs in less than two days. Remember I started out handling 800-1200 50 pound bags of feed everyday. So most anything else would not be that hard.

See many unemployed Mexicans??? Not too many. They have to work or else.

So drop the unemployment back to maybe 4-5 weeks and make the Government handouts be worked for. You would see unemployment drop like a Rock.

The level that people get for "free" from the government is ridiculous. A man married with kids can draw $425 unemployment per week for up to 99 weeks. Then add in food stamps, heat vouchers, rent subsidies, etc. That adds up to more than many of them made before they became unemployed.

The fellows that lost the 80-100K jobs have to start over at a lower wage it is just the facts of life. I have seen the length of unemployment is shorter for the higher wage earners. They are motivated more than the low wage earners.

I guess it would depend somewhat on what kind of work one was seeking. As for me, if I were looking for a job that 700 other people were qualified to do, I'd be looking for a different line of work. Or if I didn't want to change my field of endeavor, I'd be looking someplace else where there weren't 700 other people vieing for the same job.

Personally, I think one would have to be pretty naive to try to compete in that particular market.

At least, that's the way this old man sees it.

Tom in TN

JD, I know you have a lot of talents, but I envy your typing skills the most. It would take me a week to type that much. Edd

Story on the local TV news last night was talking about new businesses that couldn"t find enough qualified workers to staff its manufacturing facility and fill supervisor positions. This is in an area trying to recover from 30%, yes 30% unemployment. I hired someone to help around my farm as I"ve become medically disabled. The hired man brought his "future" son in-law to help him get started. In the course of their first day they managed to put a Kubota compact and 50 HP ford farm tractor out of commission and almost ruined my pick-up truck"s seat by placing a battery upside down on the seat!!

Resume h_ll! I just wish these idiots could think much less write a resume. If schools focused more on teaching people to think and that A leads to B which leads to C instead of formatting resumes people could hire someone without having to worry about their equipment being ruined or someone yelling workmans" comp with the first splinter they get while setting fence posts. No, I never had a resume until I after I received a masters degree in architecture. Before this people knew my work and that I could do the job! Resumes are nice but I don"t need a 8.5" X 11" piece of paper covering up the fact that a polecat stinks. When kids were taught how to work and workmanship there was no need for a list of tall tales. Before resumes one could assume that most people possessed a basic skill set that could be applied in most situations.

When I finished high school in 1957, I didn't know what a resume was. Most companies around here,you just filled out a job application,and they would talk to you and decide if you were acceptable. Two weeks after finishing school, I was hired third shift,(11:00 PM to 7:00 AM) by a cotton mill, (made denim cloth). I worked there for almost a year before being hired by Sears Mail Order plant in Greensboro,NC. Worked shipping and receiving seven years, transferred to the "small engine shop" and repaired lawn and garden equipment for next 22 years.The shop was phased out and worked for three years inspecting returned goods. I took an early retirement offer about three years before they closed the plant.Drew unemployment for a while. then drove an F-700 flatbed dump for a commercial drywall company for a year, was laid off due to a slump in business, few more months of unemployment, then was hired behind the parts counter at the local Ford dealer where I eventually made assistant parts manager. Seven years and a new owner later, I moved to another Ford dealer as parts manager. Couldn't do anything to please that bunch,so at the age of 64, I retired one Friday afternoon about three o'clock. After having a "serious discussion" with one of the bosses, (the business was run by three family members and each one thought they were THE BOSS") I simply returned to my office stuffed a few personal things in a sack and left without saying a word. Next morning I dropped off my uniforms in the office and threw fifty cents on the girls (family member) desk and said four words, "Mail me my check." I have been trying to catch up on all that stuff around the house ever since!

I'll be 62 this month. Only had 2 off farm jobs and still working the second one now. Was very lucky I didn't get laid off on 08. We lost 1/4 of our work force and haven't hire back yet. When we do need help it's no problem to get several hundred applications for 2 or 3 jobs. Back in 2002 to 2007 we lost 2,200 jobs in a 40 mile radius. None of those jobs or plants are open today. 2 of them have been torn down, one has been bought to start a winery and will be several years before it will start and only need 12 people to operate. The rest are empty. Equipment sold for scrap.

Lots of folks that lost those jobs are on SS now and the younger ones many moved to other towns and cities to get a job. Hard for a man that makes $10 per hr. to make a living and raise his family proper now and that's what most new jobs pay in this area if you can get one that's open. I know folks that worked hard and lost their homes and everything they owned because they couldn't find work or a job they could support their family with. BTW Virginia is a right to work state and only one of those textile mills were union. And they didn't make but about a dollar an hour more than the rest that were non union.

We do see some light now. China has had to raise wages and add high shipping to the cost and we can now make some of those products cheaper than they can. Hope this trend continues. NC. has had several plant to open up the last 2 years. It's slow go but it's a start.

I am over 60 and have only had two real jobs. First one was right out of college, talked to the owner at a local automotive machine shop and was offered a job. Worked there 25 years. Then seen an ad for a maintenance machinist at a local manufacturing plant filled out a application and went on an interview and was hired. Still there almost 16 years now. I've been very fortunate To have jobs that I've enjoyed.
Gary

cant remember when i didnt have a job plus farmed even in high school back then you said farm kid you better have lunch packed because you wernt going home. the worse is today a lot of people are against older workers but if you want somebody to show up and work thats the best choice.
had lost jobs to china factories closing bad managment etc.
as far as unemployment got hurt at work 6 months off i am handling the farm work ok but the said i got hurt on the farm but i was able to get unemployment.
there is a saying some guys are afraid to look for work they might find it.the best i did 1 full time 2 part time and farmed all at one time

I turned 68 November last. I had two jobs, between getting out of the Army and retiring. Was going to apply at a different place one time, but couldn't list my last three employers so they would not take my application. LOL

I am only 58, but retired. 3 jobs. Neighbor needed someone to sew bags on a combine, I was 12. Worked there off and on for over 20 years. I also worked at the local auction yard on Wednesdays auction and Saturday farm sales for 20 years. All while I farmed on my own. Had to quit farming for health reasons, after 25 years. After 2 years getting my health back, the city approached me about going to work in the water department. I retired from the city as water supervisor after 16 years. Never filled out any paperwork, just went to work....James

I"m about two weeks from being 46. I worked in a grocery store in high school as a bagger. Went from there to a 6 year hitch in the Navy. From there I applied and got on in a fab shop doing MIG welding building truck bodies for just over 2 years. Went from there to a heavy equipment repair shop for a significant raise, but only stayed for about 90 days because the boss was a real PITA. From there is was on to an industrial maintenance position in a hot dip galvanizing plant, again for a decent raise, and stayed there for over a year. Was asked to go, and left there with my boss, and several other guys, for another maintenance position with a new company, again for an increase in pay and better benefits. Stayed there for just over 90 days until it became clear the idiots that owned the place didn"t have a clue....long story short,, got fed up and quit there one Sunday morning with nothing else lined up because things just got that bad....Applied, and interviewed for another maintenance position with a concrete company on Tuesday and started on Thursday after passing the pee test. Stayed there, and really enjoyed the work, the management, and the environment in general for a little over 2 years. Finally left there when Dad"s business picked up to the point he needed help. Been working either with Dad, or on my own for going on 16 years now.

To my knowledge the only position I actually had any real competition for was the one with the concrete company. Everwhere else I was pretty much offered the position because of the varied knowledge base I have, and the variety of skills I brought to the table. Thankfully I still rely on those traits to keep myself in business and the customers calling.

I'll be 64 this month.
I left school at 17. had 9 jobs, 4 overseas in my home country,5 here in Canada, the longest i stayed by the same outfit was 5 years, i usually moved on when i learned all i could there or i felt i started belonging to the furniture.
Shortest and Last job lasted only 2 months( the guy was a A-hole) before starting farming full time at 38 although i did do mechanical/welding/machining repair jobs out of my farm shop for many years. I quit the latter about 6 years ago(I never had schooling or held a ticket or licence for any trade)
I never filled out a resume or a job application, i've never been unemployed longer than 1 day, I never had a problem finding work cause plenty times people tried to lure me away from the present job by offering a job at their company, got a few times a raise just to make me stay.
Money was never a reason for moving on but an interesting job was.
I just run a bunch of bison now and take it easy

Never waited in line, they always came and ask me.

Van Heusen came to town to set up a new garment factory. They asked the lady at the bank if she knew anyone that needed a job. She told that I did and called me. I worked for them 38 years until they went overseas.

Man you and I and most likely everyone on here can tell the story that, "WORK and get your BUTT off the sofa"!!!! I was raised on a farm and didn't have it that bad but I saw that you needed to put yourself in gear. The government has pusified this country sooooo much there is no way we will pull out of this tail spin. I want to cry as I see how far a once great nation is being destroyed. WHY ? Jeffcat

(quoted from post at 20:10:56 02/01/14) Heard a story today about 700 people waiting in line to apply for 35 jobs. Some were in line 2 hours before the office opened. 9% local unemployment.

Think back, how long did you stand in line for your first real job?

How many real adult jobs did you have in a lifetime? different employers?

How much time did you spend honing your resume'?

How many in-depth interviews did you have before you were hired?

How many times did the company shut down, leave town, and leave you stranded and out of work?

Just curious.

Click to expand...

EDD, didn't stand in line for the job but sure stood in line a lot after I was "hired" : :shock: US Army 74-96. A lotta, lotta lines. :lol: sense "retiring" I've worked a few jobs then started farming. Never did have to stand in a line for a job.

But on the other hand I remember watching the news during the Carter/Regan recession about a company that advertised 40 positions hand had over 2000 applications.

Rick

I'm 59, so I miss the cutoof by a little

1) About 5 minutes. Never really had to resume for any job.
2) About 8
3) Not much at all. I did do a resume, but never really needed it.
4) Never more than 1 interview.
5) I quit Chrysler when the plant was shutting down. I went out and got a job at GM a week later. Guys that stayed at that Chrysler plant until they got laid off 3 months later, didn't get called back for 2 years or more.

It's a different world now. When I hired into GM, they employed over 500K hourly folks. Now it's less than 50K. There are just not the opportunities for young folks now. Every place I worked has been closed up, and some of them torn down. Local Wallmart opened up about 5 years ago. They had 3000 people applying for less than 300 part time jobs.

In the early 60's I worked for the neighbor helping harvest beans. Since Dad stopped farming about that time. I applied to a factory that made circuit boards. Got called almost the next day, Short interview, can you start in a few days. Navy 64-68 Start next month, no choice. After the Navy,Another circuit board shop.A friend I knew at my first job told me of a opening at his new place. I did a lunch interview, and went to work in two weeks. Another circuit board factory. I worked in the maintenance shop in all those jobs. Was there 36 years. Started my mowing business while working there on the night shift. The rest is history. I have a friend that hasen't had a good job in years. Stan

I called on an ad in the newspaper the day after I graduated from high school and was asked to come in for an interview to work for a hotel. It lasted about 5 minutes and I got hired for that summer. At the end of summer I left for college.

The next spring, I was asked by our local fire chief if I wanted to work as summer help as a fire fighter. I accepted and worked the next two summers in that position. Then the fire district decided that they would hire 2 guys to work full time 5 days a week to fill in when most of the volunteers were at work themselves. I was asked if I wanted the job, and since I was short on money for college, I took the job. I fully expected that I would get drafted during that year, but they didn"t get up to my draft lottery number. So I worked in that job for a year, but found it to be really boring. We mostly just sat in the fire station and read, played cards or watched TV. Not the life I wanted, so the following fall, I went back to college. I then worked as a summer fire fighter the next two summers.

By this time I was a senior in college. A friend of mine urged me to take the civil service exam to be a deputy sheriff, as he believed that the county would hire quite a few new men for Expo 74.
Apparently I did very well on the exam, because I was near the top of the civil service list, with no veteran preference points. I was called in for an interview, which lasted several hours. Then I was subjected to a very comprehensive physical examination at a doctor"s office. On another day, after being asked every question I could think of and a whole bunch of questions I never would have imagined, I took and passed a polygraph examination. After all this, I was called to work a couple of months later. At first, I was put in a training car with a coach who taught me the basics, tested my progress and who made a recommendation as to whether or not I should be retained. I then attended a 4 week mini academy, as there was not time or space for our group to attend the full academy before we were needed to bolster up the numbers during the World"s Fair. I worked through that year in Patrol and was finally sent to the full academy the next spring. It was hard work and very competitive, but I made it through, as well as passing my probation.

I worked in Patrol for 5 years and then got a civil service promotion to Detective. I worked various assignments over the years and really enjoyed the various investigations I worked. I stayed 19 years as a detective.

The last few years I worked investigations, I started being more and more afflicted with what was finally diagnosed as Meniere"s Disease. I became functionally deaf in my left ear, my ears rang loudly all the time, and worst of all, I started having episodes of vertigo. The vertigo episodes seemed to come at the worst possible times, when I was under unusual stress, and seemed to come more often. At first the department came up with a job that mostly kept me at my desk, but after a year or so, I decided that it was time to put in for a disability retirement, since I could no longer be reliable and might get myself or my partner hurt when I was unable to act due to the vertigo.

So I retired, and have now been retired 15 years. I never tried to get another job, because I still have the same problems with the Meniere"s. Lately I have been losing the hearing in my right ear.

On my good days, I am not too bad off. I can usually drive just fine, as I can feel a vertigo episode coming on. But it sure hasn"t been the life I expected for the last half of my productive years. I thank God for the pension I get!

I walked into a parts department at a Ford car dealership to buy parts. Within the hour, I had a job working for them because I knew what a MAF was and how to diagnose it. I also gave them a reason to buy a nitrogen EVAP tester, as I knew how it worked. I worked there until they closed their doors.

I walked into a Mcdonald's in 1999 and told them I could "close."

I told them they couldn't afford to let me walk out the door.

I stayed there until I maxed out on pay. I started that night, worked 43 straight days, and had corporate involved in my resistance to take a day off.


A teacher of an autobody course hired me, because I was the only one who "got it."

I worked there until I was too much in demand.

I worked for myself from 1995 until 2007 when the twp said I was in violation of zoning. I told them to eat my sh-*t. they fined me $500 per day for almost a month. I went broke.


Then I started farming full time because farming is much easier than running a bodyshop, or working at Mcdonald's on a low crew night for 7 days a week.



Oh, I am not 60. I am the last one who can find a way to make money and hold a job and not complain. I am a complete jerk when it comes to work. I will tell you to shut up and quit whining and go lay down in a grave if you think the work is to hard.


If anyone challenged me, I paid them to come bale hay, and had them get things done. Then I told them pay day was in novemeber, not every 2 weeks.

No one ever challenged me after that. they shut up and put up, or they got out.



I give up, lately. I can't do that anymore, it isnot politically correct and you can't do that stuff anymore.

Oh well. Let them eat the trees they hug when nothing is there to support them.

There is plenty of opportunity for young people but the opportunity may be elsewhere from where they currently are. I come from a very poor and long time financially depressed area, I always had to leave home to make a living and so do my Sons and anyone else in our area who wants a living standard above scrape by. That is why people went West and why so many immigrants always have come to our shores. If I was 21 again and needed a job I would get on the internet and see what was going on where and somewher between Maine and California I would find work. Its actually easier now then it was 40 years ago.

I"m 60 years old, have had 5 or 6 different jobs, liked to move around a lot. Have mostly drove truck. Never had to stand in line for a job. could of had a job hauling crude oil 5 years ago they called Me. Could get a job in the oil fields any day I want one right now. North West Pa. Mostly drove concrete mixer.

I'm 74 & retired. Only had 4 real full time jobs. Started with a wholesale grocery firm the day after high school graduation, warehouse order filler & delivery driver. Left 3 yrs later for hitch in military. Stopped in on a social call when I got back, wanted to take a couple weeks off & look around. Few days later boss called, had one loaded & ready to go, driver suddenly got sick. How soon can I get there?
After another year took a week of vacation to look around for better pay, filled out a few applications,& went back to work. Got hired at one place & turned in my resignation. Another outfit a block down the street, with double the pay rate, called before I started the first one. The one that hired me was decent, said since I hadn't actually started, I should take the better paying opportunity. He had several more candidates to pick from.
Sixteen years later the freight business changed & I got laid off. Line at the employment office was out the door, so went around corner to school bus shop for coffee & visit. Boss said they were busy & short handed. Come back after lunch ready to pull wrenches. Mid afternoon he came out again, knew I had school license endorsement. Told me to ride along on route 23, then take that route next day. Worked shop & subbed on routes till end of school year.
Bounced around that summer, taking whatever would bring a paycheck.
By end of summer landed entry level at a larger bus outfit. Head office of a major company moved their executives & staff to downtown Minneapolis. Haul them to work & home again in a 6 bus convoy. This was low position on the board, only 160 miles a day, but several drivers were close to retiring & over road spots would open up soon. At end of year bus owner retired & shut down. Another company picked up the commuter contract & hired 6 of us to do the same job. Since we all had the same start date with the new company they drew numbers for seniority on the board. I got #1, only had 5 months with the former outfit. Guys with 15+ years with the closed up outfit drew #5 & #6. That caused a lot of conflict & I left after 10 months.
Got hired on at a larger bus outfit. Second in route miles to Greyhound, had scheduled routes, also charters, & package tours. Tour business was good duty, wear clean clothes, be with same people 10, 15, 20 days at a time, eat at good restaurants, stay in good hotels, see all the tourist type spots such as Niagara Falls, go up Pikes Peak, Yellowstone Park, etc. Done for the day at 5pm unless have to take the group to an evening event. (Grand Ole Opry, Broadway shows in New York, etc)
In early 90's travel business got hit by the recession. Started looking around. Found a good trucking outfit. Nice people, good equipment, clean freight, mostly drop loaded trailer & pick up an empty or drop empty & pick up preloaded trailer.
Stayed there until retirement.
Willie

I'll be honest: I've had one job since I got out of college almost 35 years ago. I had quite a few jobs before then, mostly farming and construction, but my career since college has been a single employer. In 1979, engineers were in huge demand by aerospace and petroleum companies; if you had a degree you could get a job. I survived the aerospace downturn in the eighties, and eventually moved from engineering into IT, and from aerospace into automotive. I consider myself quite lucky that I was spared during the 2008 financial crisis; my colleagues all around me we tapped for early retirement and layoff while I didn't miss a day of work. Were it not for the government bailout of the auto industry, I'm sure I would have lost my job and might still be out of work today. Believe me, those of us in the auto industry are very grateful to the rest of the country for the bailout.

The job situation is so much different today: Although I had a very thorough background screening for a DoD security clearance, most employers today subject their prospective candidates to screenings at least as exhaustive as what I went through to get a Secret clearance. Drug tests, for example, were unheard of in the seventies. Today, one screwup and you'll never get a decent job.

Of the many jobs I've had up until retirement I was only hired one time from an application/resume. I was every other time hired and then told to fill out an application. TDF

Haven"t hit 60 yet, have worked quite a few jobs, and always tell youngsters to diversify. The more things you can do the less likely to be unemployed. Grew up in Dads sawmill so could run equipment, trucks, saws and fix them also. Went to college worked summers, mechanic(had inspection license), crusher operator, truck driver, cut and sold firewood, winters worked in skishop and taught skiing. Got BS degree in Electrical and Computer Engineering had interviews took job didn"t last two years, can"t take a redneck and shut him up in a cubicle. After that fell into carpentry quickly became lead man then foreman then had a disagreement with boss and was suddenly in business for myself. Been doing that for 26 years. Used to do carpentry and excavating now I"m a builder doing mostly commercial structures. Never waited in line for a job my reputation as a hard worker willing to take on responsibility has gotten me jobs and the ability to get them done has always made advancement possible.

got a job with my dad when i was 18 on a blacktop plant filled out the application at weeks end.still there after 37 yrs.maybe 5 more to go.
RICK

started out doing chores for neighbors worked every weekend plus lots of full weeks always had plenty of money even when my buddies didn"t. went in coast guard in 59 4 yrs. active. got out worked for a major chemical plant 35 yrs. maintince machinist. went to work for mechanical seal manufacturer as a service tech for 6 years retired again ranched for 30 years on the side

I have had a great many jobs but none of them lasted very long mostly because they expected me to work [4 letter word] and I did not care for that. I did put my 4 years in the USAF and got married and raised 5 kids all while doing very little work. I did get a college degree and that led to a non-working position that lasted until I got too lazy even for that and I retired [22 years ago] and have done mostly nothing since.

I guess you could say that I have had a very productive life but you would be lying. But the rest of you hard working people just keep doing the job and rest assured that I appreciate your efforts.

I am sure you have heard the old saying "if you like your job you will never work a day in your life". LOL

Worked on the farm growing up and had a variety of part time jobs while in high school and college then a couple jobs plus farming then worked at a concrete plant for 25 years and part time farming and then quit and went back to full time farming,most jobs I had no real interview just got offered the job while I was doing something else.Local parts store I deal with has been trying to hire me for the last 5 years to handle the tractor and machinery parts but I like the extremely fexible hrs I have now(LOL)

Paper route at 9. Cleaning a barber shop at 11. Full time at a pool company at 15 (after school and summers). After I graduated college, 1.5 years as a security guard, 8 years with an underground contractor and 27 years with a small city DPW until I retired 2 years ago at 58.

Over my life I've had a lot of different jobs, some I really had to work at getting, most I didn't. These are in addition to helping and later running my Dads gunshop, plowing snow, doing yard work, garden tilling and all those week end jobs we all had like stuffing insulation in a new house, laying carpet, roofing, putting septic systems, handyman stuff for older folks, probably some other stuff I've forgotten.

IIRC these are the jobs I've had-

Ski Patrolman- easy to get, no one else would work for those wages and I already had the volunteer background.

Lifeguard- a little more difficult because of training.

Body shop "go-get-er"- easy, just like helping Dad.

Caretaker/laborer at a large camp- easy, they came to me.

Marine- I think that one you can figure out.

Firewood cutter/driver-easy.

Auto body man- easy to get, self trained on my own cars and with help from future FIL.

Construction/paving/truck driving- easy to get, they came to me.

Yard Monkey/truss builder at a lumber yard- kinda hard to get, most boring job I ever had, hated it.

Chainsaw mech/dealer- easy to get, started with a relative, liked it a lot but didn't understand business.

State Trooper- incredibly difficult to get, took 6 years, had to score in the top 1/2 of 1% to even get called in for the backgrounds, physical, etc. Great job for the first 4 years or so, got pretty dull after that.

Farmer- my choice of how to make a living. Never boring really, always something new to do, always learning stuff.

Kids today in my area have a real hard time finding a good job. You either have to know someone or have Dad hand it to you. Everything else is pretty iffy.

Been working since I was ten. Got my first job when dad gave me a brake cylinder. Told me to clean it up

So the moral of these stories is work is not hard to find if you know how to do something... I've always found something to do even if it wasnt something I wanted to do. Moved halfway across the country for better opportunity a few years ago. Now if you know someone that wants to work and can pull wrenches, I could use 3 more.

First job I had was working on a neighbors dairy farm. Second was as a lineman for the phone company. They ran an ad in the local paper, and it was more than I was making at the dairy farm. Then, my Uncle got me for six years during 'Nam, and back to the phone company, where I retired. Never did have a resume'....

I am 63 have drawn pay from 3 different employers including uncle sam. 38 years at present job- wife recently retired- says I should try it out - maybe in a couple of years. Have had several people offer part time work when I do retire, it's an ag related job and most know I grew up on a farm and that's what I'd like to do in spring and fall drive a tractor again

Until I was 16-17, worked on the farm, cut grass, helped daddy work on anything automotive that I could lend a hand with. Worked off/on in '74/75 at Daddy's place of employment on logging equipment. Graduated H.S. in June '75, back on the farm until the winter, worked at a Honda motorcycle dealership from March '76 'til Feb. '77 and went to work at a friend of my daddy's Mack trucks service dealership until Feb. '01 with a 16 month break from Oct. '88-March '90. Left the Mack shop, went to an IH truck dealership for 11 1/2 years and now at a vehicle maintenance shop for a feed mill that makes hog feed for hogs that we raise for a major pork producer. Am 57 now and hope to be able to make it at least until 62-65 if my feet/legs/hands/ back don't give out first! The cold/snow we had the last two weeks sure doesn't help.

I should add this- Since I retired I've applied for a few jobs at places like Lowes, TSC, etc. Figured a little extra money would be nice. I never got so much as a call from any of them. I couldn't figure it out, I wasn't asking for extra money or anything, just wanted a few extra bucks and figured a guy with my experience and background would be a perfect fit in places like that. Nope. My wife has come up with the most sensible answer- I'm way over qualified. I don't know if that's it, but I know other guys my age with a lot of life experience that tell the same type of story.

Shoe shines, paper routes, was/wax cars, paint porches, scrape paint, cut grass, rake leaves, shovel snow. 71 years jobs com easy. Probably only 6 real jobs. Navy in 1965. GM apprentice at 26 years old. 32 more years as electrician and own business. Lord took care of me always. Trust in him. Tell the truth always. Do the right thing. Dave