# Early retirement, not by choice



## thesedays (Feb 25, 2011)

Earlier this year, I decided to leave a career I was in for 18 years, because the field is mutating into something I don't recognize, and my last job nearly killed me (literally). I am coming to a realization that my degree makes me almost entirely otherwise unemployable, so what do I do? I was in a field that people rarely leave voluntarily, and in addition is becoming oversaturated for the first time in recorded history and most places are only hiring new graduates anyway.

I was with a group of women last night, most of them somewhat older than me, and it was really depressing to hear them talk about employment prospects.

I was a pharmacist for 18 years, and honestly don't know what else I want to do. Whenever employers see that on my resume, they let me know in no uncertain terms that the interview is over and they would appreciate it if I did not come back again. :stars:


----------



## sisterpine (May 9, 2004)

I have run into the same type of problem. I find a cover letter explaining in a positive way how I came to be looking for something different was very helpful. They always think you will go back to the other profession because the money is better...they don't see that it was trying to kill you. Caution- do NOT use any negative terms when talking or writing about your previous profession or they will just think you are temporarily angry with your old employer.


----------



## thesedays (Feb 25, 2011)

A 15-pound weight loss in 3 weeks is pretty good evidence that the job was trying to kill me. I have nothing bad to say about the employer; they treated me very well but I left after 6 months when I came to this realization.

Prior to that, in early 2010 I was let go from a hospital where I had worked for almost 7 years, quite likely with falsified disciplinary reports despite always having had above average job reviews. I found out later that this place got rid of all the people at the top of the pay scale who were at low risk for suing, and also know now that they did me a bigger favor than I could ever have imagined. Among other things, it is no longer a safe place for patients, which is the most important thing. In the ensuing 14 months, the only job I could get was at a call center that I realized after a week was nothing but a boiler room, and an attorney I know who practices in that town said it's much worse than I could have ever imagined. 

I know things are tough right now, but now I have these two huge gaps in my work history that are really difficult to explain. How do I explain that those gaps are because I'm essentially unemployable? I'm just grateful for that high income that I had, because I do have savings but that won't last forever, and what if I get sick? I do have insurance but I'm buying it myself.


----------



## sisterpine (May 9, 2004)

My older sister (32) has been a RN for 40 years. She recently resigned her position at one of the local catholic hospitals after 14 years because she felt the company and the head nurse in particular was treating her badly. Long story short...that was a month ago and she thought she could just do agency work. She is not able to work more than 2 - 12 shifts in a row because of arthritis in her knees etc. She is finding it difficult to make ends meet and is very worried about her future. I told her it is better to be poor and retired than stressed to death and suicidal. She does not yet agree.

I found myself in a very similar position two years ago and quit a job that was wrecking my mental health. Was unable to get unemployment because I was not honest with my boss about why I was quitting. This past year I was granted SSDI which likely saved my butt. I can get medical care at the VA, but my life has drastically changed. I am not bored, I am not rich, I am not lonely, I am not stressed by those work issues. I think I will live longer having made this decision but who knows. I don't know how old you are, I am 60 and I know age does make a difference. Can you think of any way to create a job for yourself?


----------



## thesedays (Feb 25, 2011)

I'm 48, single, no kids, no chronic health problems either but I know how rapidly that can change. I have started a little book resale business but am not making any money yet. Here's a thread about it.

http://www.homesteadingtoday.com/co...ng-booth-indoor-flea-market-antique-mall.html


----------



## ldc (Oct 11, 2006)

thesedays, I was laid off from teaching at 48, unexpectedly, in 2003. My field has almost disappeared since that time. Until 2008, I did my old job p-t at other places. That ended too. I also cleaned one house a week, cut grass, tutored kids and adults, read thesis, etc. Got a half-time job at Public Library in 2007; all the other joblets have floated away, am broke, still paying hospitalization Blue cross only, and am 9 years older. Original job lost 66% of my pension in 2001, that never came back, and in 07, they sold it to a company in another country. It took me a year, and I finally got much of it back, tho not all. Went thru the Att. General's office, but they didn't know what to do. I do have chronic health problems. The real problem is that I can't save anything to retire someday, and have been using savings for health care (besides being a tightwad!). It's a very difficult situation that many are finding ourselves in. Even with lying about my education level a few years ago, I couldn't get a job stocking shelves in a store....sure, there's some agism in this picture, along with a changed economy. Hope you make $ with books! All the best!


----------



## thesedays (Feb 25, 2011)

Several months after I got canned, I got a letter from my old hospital informing me that I am entitled to a pension of about $250 a month once I turn 65. (Can't recall the exact amount off the top of my head.) You better believe that letter is locked in my fireproof safe!

I also sent my 5-year pin to one of those "cash for gold" places, and they called me to say they could only give me $5, and did I want the money or the piece back? Hello, why do you think I sent it to them in the first place? :spinsmiley:


----------



## rxkeith (Apr 13, 2009)

my wife and i are both pharmacists. 

we also don't like some of the changes in the profession. my wife is pursuing a new career path. she is training to be an anat baniel method of feldenkreis practitioner. too hard to explain, you'll have to look it up. i work as a casual/ on call for a couple places. we know a pharmacist who works from home believe it or not. he lives in michigan, and works midnights covering four hospitals in virginia/west virginia. all you need is high speed internet, be licensed in those states, and learn a different computer system for each hospital. my job is tolerable because i am off more than i work, and i like the people i work with.

not sure what else i would do for a living. our profession went from job openings everywhere name your price, to nothing available. support staff has been cut across the industry, and the job is harder than it needs to be. nutritional health care is a possibility. too many people taking drugs for preventable medical conditions, and it is getting worse. its time to attack the problem from a different direction. 

for the nurses out there, would private duty nursing be an option? my sister in law is a nurse. she works for a home nursing agency. she sees people all the time who need more care than the amount of time she is allowed to give. it tears her up to see people like that, and she is a really good nurse. 
problem equals opportunity. 



keith


----------



## Big Dave (Feb 5, 2006)

List your books on the barter board. I bought two today.


----------



## thesedays (Feb 25, 2011)

In addition (and rxkeith knows this) schools are graduating way more people than there are openings for, in part because they're getting lots of tuition money from those extra students who may be in school for 7 or 8 years. Some of them are even doing fellowships and residencies just so they will have a job!

Until 3 or 4 years ago, I would have encouraged anyone who's interested to pursue it, but now, no way.


----------



## thesedays (Feb 25, 2011)

I should add that I quit the last job without notice. :stars: I honestly had no choice; like I said, that job was on the way to killing me, and if I had worked there one more day, I would have been a patient IN that hospital. It was a horrible thing to do to my co-workers, and myself for that matter, but there were no other options.

All the websites I've seen about doing this said that if the job is placing your physical or mental health in immediate and serious danger, it's OK to do this. I found out after I moved away that I could have gotten a letter from my doctor stating that this was a necessary thing and that I'm not just some flake who walks off jobs when things get hairy.

I'm actually not even sure I can get a temporary Christmas job. It stinks.


----------



## sisterpine (May 9, 2004)

It seems that creating your own job is a useful way to go. I do have a small business that I operate from home (making and selling stone cabinet knobs). I (now my daughter) get several thousand from this each year so that is doing well. I also (when I moved to AZ from MT after the divorce) asked my brother and adult daughter to live with me and contribute to the good of the family. The both do what they can and that is helpful though I believe I am still feeding my brother LOL- thank goodness he works hard around here. Do you have any relatives or friends that could live with you to help with expenses?


----------



## rxkeith (Apr 13, 2009)

i don't know how it is where you live, but one thing you might want to consider, within the profession if that is a possibility for you is work as a casual on call. in the retail setting, independent pharmacies, yeah, there are still some of them out there, often need shifts covered. you can get a list of the independent pharmacies in your area. tech help is often pretty good. you just need to show up, and make sure everything going out is correct. work is often more tolerable when its on your terms, and when you don't have all that day to day responsibility. or, you may think like my wife. she would be happy if she never had to do another shift behind the counter.
use your time off to get your mind right, and find that happy spot. maybe reinvent yourself. i have been through some peaks and valleys over the years too. i like where i am at now.

samurai saying, if you are knocked down seven times, get up eight.


keith


----------



## mnn2501 (Apr 2, 2008)

thesedays said:


> Earlier this year, I decided to leave a career I was in for 18 years, because the field is mutating into something I don't recognize........................
> I was a pharmacist for 18 years,


I have to ask, how is the pharmacy field changing?


----------



## thesedays (Feb 25, 2011)

mnn2501 said:


> I have to ask, how is the pharmacy field changing?


It's really hard to explain unless you're working in it. I will say that Obamacare has NOTHING to do with it. Rxkeith, you couldn't pay me enough to do retail pharmacy! I got out of it 10 years ago in large part because of the impending debut of Medicare Part D(isaster). When it was announced around 2001, there was a lot of publicity about how pharmacists were almost universally opposed to it, and lots of our customers would ask us why. One of my colleagues, who's been at this 20 years longer than I have and owned his own pharmacy for some years, always replied, "When that goes online, you will find out just how free it is." And he was oh-so-right.

Colleges of pharmacy, far too many of them nothing but diploma mills, are springing up like mushrooms and graduating way more people than there are job openings, and nowadays, many places won't even look at your application unless you've done a residency, which pretty much excludes anyone who's been out of school more than 5 years. Some people are even doing residencies just so they will have a job! It's absolutely insane.


----------



## Nevada (Sep 9, 2004)

thesedays said:


> Earlier this year, I decided to leave a career I was in for 18 years, because the field is mutating into something I don't recognize, and my last job nearly killed me (literally). I am coming to a realization that my degree makes me almost entirely otherwise unemployable, so what do I do?


If that's really the case, and I'll trust your judgment that it is, then you need to consider a career change. I was faced with the same situation in the early-1990's.

In my case I had been working as an engineer for over 2 decades, so I had a reputation where I could do some private consulting from time to time. That gave me some financial breathing room as I started a new career.

If I were you I would be looking to work for myself, from home if possible. You'll never be laid-off, you will have complete control over how successful you are, and you'll be your own boss. That's a good position to be in. 

Where I found a huge opening for self-employment at home was in computer server administration, operating my own servers to offer various services to individuals (web hosting, email, database, FTP, DNS, etc. on one server, and telephone services like PBX, VOIP, and long distance services on the other). There are a few technical breakthroughs that allow you to do that very inexpensively (<$10/month overhead + home internet connection, with no startup investment), if you're willing to learn how to configure and administrate a Linux server. It's not for everybody, but if you're willing to commit to total immersion until you understand it, Linux server administration is the least expensive business to start that I'm aware of. Some people take it one step farther and get various Linux server administration certifications so they can qualify for IT positions, but I've never been interested in going that route.

I much prefer working for myself. Now that I've started drawing a pension and Social Security I can work at my own pace, and that makes it all the more enjoyable. But I've been working for myself without a pension or SS to back me up for nearly 20 years now.


----------



## jwal10 (Jun 5, 2010)

BTDT. I needed the change and took early retirement when pushed too far. A person can be used up for only so long. I layed low and was still pushed to an early exit. I won....James


----------



## thesedays (Feb 25, 2011)

I'm licensed in 3 states and plan to keep them all. Who knows what might happen next week, month, year, or even decade?

I realize many of you are no fans of NPR, but several days ago, their program "Talk of the Nation" had an interview with a woman who wrote a book about exits, and how to know when it's time to do so. Most of the callers talked about relationships, but some did discuss careers and other life events.


----------



## Danaus29 (Sep 12, 2005)

You don't have to list all your degrees and certifications on applications or your resume. While you can be fired for saying you have qualifications that you really don't have there is no recourse for omitting information.

Good luck in the job search. It's tough out there.


----------



## ldc (Oct 11, 2006)

Danaus, here in LA, if you are applying for any public sector job, you can be fired later for omitting anything on the original application. At the parish/county and state level.


----------



## thesedays (Feb 25, 2011)

I need to stop Googling things like "I am unemployable" and "I can't get a job". It makes me all :Bawling: :stars: :hair gre: .


----------



## thesedays (Feb 25, 2011)

I recently met a man who's an aerospace engineer, but with the ending of the space shuttle program, the job prospects for someone like him are pretty thin. He decided to go to truck driving school, and is now an OTR semi driver, and he said that until his first day of class, he had no idea that a semi had 18 gears and two clutches. :yuck: He learned how to use them, however!

I have no desire to do that, so I think I'll just stick to my book resale business and see what happens with that. Honestly, I think I'd have better job prospects if I was an ex-convict. eep:


----------



## Pony (Jan 6, 2003)

Thesedays, I have a dear friend who is a pharmacist, and she has shared stories that are horrific. I applaud you for getting out to save yourself.

Don't have anything to offer pharmacists, but if you're a RN, there are many home-care agencies that could use your help. I work hospice (not as a nurse), and we are frequently looking for nurses - even on-call or p/t. I do love my company, and though the job can be emotional, it is very rewarding.


----------



## thesedays (Feb 25, 2011)

Yesterday, I was contacted by a temp agency, and before they can place me on any assignments, I would have to take a computer aptitude test that she estimated would last THREE HOURS. She also said that their agency has trouble finding people who want to work.

I'm not sure what to think about this, because I applied with them at least 6 months ago, and the facility itself totally creeped me out while I was there. Not sure whether I should proceed with this.


----------

