Down, Not Out: Surreal Unemployment At 55

For Steve Dittmann, 55, unemployment has been surreal:

"It's like there's two worlds out there: People who are still working, who are still living the same lives they always had, and I feel like I'm on the other side of a Plexiglass wall looking in," said Dittmann, who lives in Kansas. "I know I'm not unique. It's like you can't get back into that world. It's very strange."

Dittmann wrote the Huffington Post to say he'd lost his job when the business he and his wife owned, which sold "high-end plantation shutters," shut down last fall. For 30 years, Dittmann said, he'd lived an upper middle class lifestyle. He worked in advertising before buying the business in 2007, right before "the economy went to Hell" and the business "dropped off the face of the earth."

Now, Dittmann said, he and his wife, Stephanie, are coasting on dwindling savings and Stephanie's earnings from a part-time accounting job. They said they hadn't made a mortgage payment since February. If they lose the house to foreclosure, they might move in with Stephanie's parents, who they said have offered to take them in.

It's been impossible to land a job. "I probably responded to 200 or 300 ads and I've had one call back."

Then Dittmann said something that the HuffPost has heard from a lot of people:

"I think part of it is my age," he said. "I can't prove that but I think that's probably true. I was a business owner before. If you can hire someone in their 40s versus someone in their 50s, the person in their 40s is going to stay with you longer, and the person in their 50s is going to be more expensive because of health insurance. Everybody I've talked to that's in their 50s, looking for a job, they're getting nowhere."

It's true: Workers 45 and older comprise a disproportionate share of the long-term unemployed. But Dittmann is not feeling sorry for himself.

"In the past few months I've learned to appreciate how lucky I've been up to this point in my life, having lived an upper middle class professional lifestyle for the past 30 years," he wrote in an email. "I'm sorry to say I took it all for granted. I didn't over-extend myself, no mini-mansions, no expensive vacations, none of that... but we've always lived comfortably, without financial concerns. And even today, I'm still better off than probably 85 percent of the people on this planet, so everything is truly relative.

"Still, I can't believe I'm where I'm at today... I'm truly numb. I'm not even mad about my situation, because I'm not sure who or what to be mad at. Keeping my sanity is a priority, and I'm just thankful that we have no children to worry about."

HuffPost readers: Are you doubling up with friends or family to save money? Tell us about it -- email [e-mail].

Comments

[Artemis34]

Could you imagine "blind" interviews?

http://blog.womenforhire.com/2009/03/could-you-imagine-blind-interv.html

"Before blind auditions became common in the [19]70s, just 10% of new hires at major U.S. orchestras were women. The theory was that women weren't very good musicians. But labor unions protested the hiring process and pushed for blind auditions where musicians would try out behind a curtain so appearance and gender were concealed.

In studying personnel from 11 major orchestras, Harvard economist Claudia Goldin and Princeton’s Cecelia Rouse found that 29% of females and 20% of males advanced to the final round in blind auditions. When auditions were not blind, only 19% of women advanced compared to 23% of men.

Even though sex discrimination is hard to measure, those stats speak volumes. Fortunately, since the 80s, about half the news hires at the New York Philharmonic, 40% at the San Francisco Symphony and more than a third in Boston and Chicago have been women.

It got us wondering, what would the workplace look like right now if all interviews were done "blind" -- where recruiters and hiring managers had no idea of your gender, age, or looks?"

[KingBatguano]

People are being too passive about it all . There should be general strikes and people protesting out in the Streets . Blogging won't help . Support Ron Pauls' audit of the Federal Reserve.
The Republicans and Democrats have been laundering money out of Social Security and into the Corporations and Banks for years. $ 750,000,000,000 to Bail Out the Banks and our Senior Citizens go begging ? To Hell , I say .

[Artemis34]

You may want to check out this film for a non-partisan view of government spending and misuse of the social security surplus:

http://www.iousathemovie.com/

[DANOSC]

I know how you feel Steve. It is as if all of a sudden, you have become invisible. When you have years of still valid education, experience, knowledge and you've trained and retrained yourself and gained additional knowledge and skill, you still are invisible to the 30 and 35 year olds who are in decision making positions. It is surreal. That's the best word to describe the feeling--surreal.

[frappe]

Well said, Mr. Dittman. I share your concerns and your feelings. We are not alone, after all.

Wishing you and your wife the very best.

[plumnelly]

Same here, good luck and wish you and your family the best.

[realitybase]

I dunno. I think the key is to reinvent yourself every decade or so and not stay in the same industry. I'm 55 and got the job I've wanted for 30 years and a pension -- I'm not lighting the world on fire, but I can meet my responsibilities.

[Babs07]

You are right about reinventing every decade or so. You are lucky to have held your job for 30 years...almost unheard of anymore. Consider yourself fortunate.

[MikeDu]

Unfortunately 'reinvention' lately mostly involves truck drivers training to be computer technicians while computer technicians train to be truck drivers. The fallback 'survival' job used to be factory work. But our economic leaders in their wisdom saw fit to export all the survival jobs overseas. I joked ten years ago that at the rate we were going everybody would eventually get by by mowing eachother's lawns for spare change. Its not a joke anymore.

[BronxBorn]

'reinvention' lately mostly involves truck drivers training to be computer technicians while computer technicians train to be truck drivers."
MikeDu.

I could not have said it better.
Thanks

[AZBunny]

realitybase: My husband and I worked for the same employer but held different job titles. BOTH of us attended classes to keep current. My hubby often refers to me as the smartest person he knows, YET he has managed to stay working while I was forced out 15 years ago and been underemployed ever since, which BTW gives ME no reason to stay working at a job with no upward mobility, little pay and less benefits.

I don't understand your statement: you say to reinvent yourself every decade or so and not stay in the same industry and then say you're 55 and got the job I've wanted for 30 years and a pension.

How did you do both?

[chipsaunders]

I predict this country is going to be a third world country in years to come.
Things are not looking good.
My old age retirement is a snow bank and a bottle of vodka.

[Adartist777]

Hey, pass that bottle and try some of this.

[valerief]

Let's hope there's still snow by the time retirement comes around. What with global warming and all…

[MichaelJ2006]

Wow! I'm 62, living in CA, raised in WI, and when I need to go, a snow bank and a bunch of Leinenkugel's will be my route too.

Good luck to both of us.

[Adartist777]

You know, with all of this talent here on this blog, it's ashame we can't all get together to form our own business. Of course we all probably live far away from one another, but it's still a cool idea.

[Babs07]

I agree with you...all of this talent going to waste!

[BronxBorn]

Our manufacturing base was literally unbolted from their base and crated and shipped out to anywhere that paid less to mentioned unbolted and shipped machines of American Manufacturing.
It is as simple as that.
Nobody talks about it.

[linfull68]

Yeap. My husband was a tool and die maker for over 30 years. Got laid off in Jan. We are in MI. THERE ARE NO JOBS. I am truly frightened beyond belief for this country. I work part time. We are much more fortunate than others because we have always lived well below our means. I was lucky (and smart) enough to pay off my house at 35 after a big down payment, 15 year mortgage and double and triple the payments when times were good. No credit card debt. No big vacays. People use to laugh at my house (2 br, 1 bath, 1,025 sq ft, no basement) wondering how I could live in such a small house. Now those same people are having their homes forclosed on. I'm scared because what money we did save for our son's college is starting to circle the drain. It's just damn not fair. We played by the rules. No huge house. No credit cards. No living beyond our means. I am pissed off. Our whole system is screwed. It's not a republican or a democrate thing. It is just pure unadulterated greed that got us here.

[chipsaunders]

We should march on Washington, a multimillion person march.
We need unemployment and mortgage relief. We need to have out sourcing reviewed.
If every job is out sourced who is going to buy the stuff these corporations want to sell.

[ErnestineBass]

"If every job is outsourced who is going to buy the stuff these corporations want to sell?"

I've been asking that same question for YEARS.

American companies (along with the investment class) are far more interested in short term profits than in long term growth. One he// of a business model.

[guy12002us]

I'm 52. Had to close what was once a successful business 6 years ago. Since then - its up and down and hand to mouth. Sold our home, traded down in vehicles, took some really crappy jobs, NO ONE wants to hire someone in their late 40's early 50's who has been self employed or had total charge of their own thing for any kind of salaried job sufficient to support a family. After being ripped off in commissions by more than one large and what I thought were reputable companies, I finally landed in my current gig as an independent 3rd party recruiter. 100% commission, no benefits, but at least I have some control over what I'm doing and they only get a chance to not pay me one time. Being in your 50's without a net and 2 teenage kids at home is scary, but it is what it is. My biggest complaint is health care - right now my wife has good coverage at work, but we did the private health insurance thing for years - and it is beyond broken. I guarantee anyone saying private insurance is the way to go has never had it or if they have it has never had to use it.

[Connolly1916]

...or is a young and very stupid Republican.

[BronxBorn]

Budda - Bing poster, budda-bing.

[Areyoukiddingg]

Hey Guy,

You're not alone. No one wants to hire a person 50+; it's discrimination pure and simple. Problem is, those of us who have developed our own small businesses are screwed now since business just is not happening. Unless you're selling load modifications or bad credit service, there's just not much activity. It pisses me off that the fed can hand over $9 Trillion to the banks (I guess that's who got it, they refuse to say), meantime small business guys like us are dipping into money set aside for retirement (and paying a penalty for withdrawls). How 'bout some low interest, no-strings loans to tide us over??

[Merckx]

I've been self employed by whole life and due to an awful partnership fiasco last year just before the meltdown I am starting from scratch. I didn't even bother looking for a job. I am building a new business and so far so good. The challenge is doing it with no capital. It does make one think more.

[Adartist777]

It'll probably be a better business, because you're creating it yourself. You won't be beholden to disagreeable partners or investors. I'm about to embark on a similar journey myself. Good Luck! Now, if we can only get the health care, we'll be set.

[Diana]

May I ask what business you're starting with no capital? I've been thinking too about starting my own business, but frankly I'm lost as to what to do--though desperate to do something

[ThinkLiberal]

Self-employment is the only way to go, especially in this economy. I've always been self-employed or straight commission and and just can't imagine living MY LIFE any other way. Has it been tough? H3ll yeah. Having no health insurance is always in the back of my mind, but I would not ever sell myself for the nickels and dimes that someone else says I'm worth. The level of satisfaction that I get from taking a concept from scratch to successfully execution or closing a couple of big sales as an Independent, commission-only contarctor is absolutely priceless.

Now the internet has opened up whole new worlds of unlimited opportunities that have never existed before. There are just so many great opportunities on the net to make a super income, you only need to research and educate yourselves on how to actually leverage and use the technology to your advantage. Soaring above the dark clouds of this bad economy is not as difficult as you may think. The operative word here is THINK!

[Artemis34]

If we get a public option, self-employment and contract will be more viable for more people.

[Erdgeist]

This was all predicted by the economist Ravi Batra in 1996 in his book, _The Myth of Free Trade: The Pooring of America_. Read it and weep suckers. And never forget dear ones that the U.S. was a virtual closed economy until 1970. Yep, we provided our own GOODS AND SERVICES. No offshoring, no labor arbitraging, etc.

Yep, chalk it up to FREE TRADE and all the fictitious BS that went in to sell it when, contrary to the history of economics, free trade has always been a major disaster. It destroyed Great Britain in the 19th century. And it has destroyed this country. For anyone over 50 the graffito is on the wall, either become a leather tramp or a rubber tramp.

As for you dimwit economists who think you are smarter than I, answer this. "If we can produce our own goods and services what is the point of free trade?"

[KenKo]

You insult economists but start your commentary by relying on another economist's point of view? Which is it? Obviously you weren't paying attention in school because if you did, you would have recalled that the US was still reliant on other countries for resources to run its own economy, and in many cases to the detriment of those suppliers. Free trade agreements did what it promised, attempted to level the playing field. If being a closed economy was so good, Americans would not have stopped buying the Big Three cars the minute foreign makes were available because they preferred cars that worked and were reliable. Closed economies are a disaster, witness the Soviet bloc.

[Erdgeist]

Batra isn't a dimwit economist. Read carefully son. I said DIMWIT ECONOMISTS. I never said ALL ECONOMISTS.

Your information is total trash. The U.S. had been essentially a closed economy since Hamilton. It rose to the zenith of economic power under such an economy. No free trade.

[plumnelly]

And right now we have an economic disaster with millions of Americans laid off and elderly who played by the rules with destroyed 401k's and losing jobs to low wage no quaility or safety controls in place countries. Free trade is a bust, poison toothpaste, dog food, children's toys, poison dry wall , cheese graters filled with radiation, the list goes on and on. Being overly dependent on all of goods being imported is insane and not good for the environment in so many ways. Just the words FREE TRADE should have been a tip-off like Bernie Madoff schemes, if it sounded too good it usually is! The only people who have truly benefitted is the ceo's of the predatory global companies, period. The so called FREE TRADE was never sustainable, you have to have a balance and we haven't had a balance since Clinton gave away our jobs and sovernity to the likes of FREE TRADE and WTO. The FREE TRADERS won't be happy until all of our water and food will be totally controlled by the globalists, the instigators of FREE TRADE. Wake up , FREE TRADE was the groundwork for total control and undermining of the majority of the people.

[sodisenchanted]

Keep talking, Erdgeist. I'm still hopeful someone may listen.

[Erdgeist]

I shall. Free trade was used to con America. It really boils down to "labor arbitraging". This means why make furniture in Tennessee when you can make it in China and throw hundreds of Americans out of work. This idea taken writ large means take all good paying jobs and ship them abroad so we at home have slave wage service sector jobs at Wall-Mart who is NOW America's biggest employer.

[Kalie]

Free trade was to enrich the world so we could make EVEN more money!! Ha ha, the joke is on us!

[Artemis34]

Yes and "Nuclear power will be too cheap to meter!"

And "The Iraq war will pay for itself with oil."

And "Privatized and deregulated energy will be cheaper and more reliable."

You can pretty much bet that the opposite of what ever the conservatives and corporatist say will be true.

[Merckx]

Free trade did not cause this meltdown. A housing bubble that had to end, Security's and bonds based on overinflated mortgages as well as other poor unregulated banking practices including leveraging money with a 35 to 1 ratio, an unending war on borrowed money, and to add fuel to the fire, soaring fuel prices in 2008.
To be sure, if we didn't have a continuously huge trade deficit, poor personal and national savings and debt issues we would have been in a better position to ride this out.
I'm not totally sold on Free Trade, but to blame this meltdown on Free Trade is inaccurate.

[Erdgeist]

It is not inaccurate. Problems really began to get worse with Reagan. I would advise that you to read Batra's book. I have more sources. I would also mention the problem with phantom GDP and under employment. Things are going to get a lot worse. I am foreseeing 15% unemployment for the west-coast. Until we stop corporations from labor arbitraging, expect low GDP and high unemployment and lots of underemployment.

[plumnelly]

It was an mportant contributing factor along with the housing bubble that has created the perfect economic storm.

[MichaelJ2006]

Right on.

But Ravi also says that after a few years of pain (which I don't think we've really started yet) it'll be a New Golden Age. Isn't there some kind of Chinese saying about opportunity being the twin sister of misfortune (or something like that).

We're going to go thru some heavy, hopefully ultimately positive, phases the next few years. Hopefully the passing of a single payer (I'm not giving up) health plan will be the beginning.

We just have to hang on!

[coolhandhand]

I agree. We were and still are wealthy enough to create a socciety based on human dignity. The wealthy and powerful enlisted the help of a growing middle class to poop poop any notions of using the wealth of all for all. I bet socialism, does not look so bad when you finally see capitalism for what it is - greed masquarding as a virtue.

[cinemaven]

My husband just turned 50 and was laid off in December(auto industry). He's fortunate to have been accepted into a program that will send him to school for two years to learn nursing.

We knew it was coming so we paid our car and credit cards off but we get about 1/4 of what was coming in before so things are tight. I freelance- writer/web designer and I've had a number of jobs come in that have helped to tide us over but we have a son who's 16 who'll be heading for college so it's a worry.

I find that I have an advantage as an almost 50 year old woman that a lot of my business is done online because e-mail doesn't allow for the kind of ageism that a face-to-face meeting does. I've allowed my hair to turn it's natural grey but if I were heading out on interviews now, I'd be dying it in short order.

For us, the strangest part is the two world phenomenon. Friends who are uneffected by this problem just don't get it. My husband's friends couldn't believe he wasn't getting a golf membership this year and keep calling to get him to go out to courses that cost $60-$100 in green fees. One friend got upset because he feels like my husband is avoiding him and when told that green fees isn't on our budget, he explained that we should apply for another credit card!!!

[bluevase]

Yes, people don't understand. When my daughter was unemployed (she has since gotten a job, she's young), she tried to explain to relatives that she would have trouble visiting them because she had no car (they live out in the suburbs). The relative said, "Oh, you can lease a car for only $350 a month." As if that was a resonable thing for an unemployed person to do.

[cinemaven]

It would be funny if it weren't for the fact that the people saying those things are so horribly unprepared for anything that might happen to them. Today's live in the moment and charge it attitudes are the very thing that sink someone who loses their job. I'm so glad we planned ahead and I'm so happy your daughter's working life is back on track :)

[ObiW]

Have someone redo your resume because that in and of itself could be the problem. Try this
lbbtraining.comraining.com

They'll redo your resume for only $8.82. I was surprised at how little it took to redo the ole resume and give it new look. I highly recommend it!!

[ORpolitico]

For $8.82, I would bet the resume revisions are being done by Chinese workers.

[Artemis34]

I like:

http://www.careerperfect.com/

for resume and cover letter writing service.

Although you will spend few hundred, I think it is well worth it.

[chipsaunders]

Maybe the Iranians have the right idea. Maybe all who have lost their jobs and hoses should pitch a tent in Washington, like they did in the 30's. Protest, make our so called statesmen and women feel some of the pain. If enough people lose there jobs and means to be a part of society then our country is going to become a third world country. Don't these idiots in Washington understand this?

You can't keep out sourcing every job in this country. Who's going to buy the stuff?

Civil disobedience may be the only answer left. How about a multimillion person march on Washington.

[ekoorb]

Employer-based health insurance is a jobs tax. Older workers are at a disadvantage.

[Artemis34]

I'm not even sure that it is true that older workers cost more.

First of all, business should do a cost-benefit analysis.

What good does a cheap employee do if they deliver nothing or worse alienate the customer and lose business for you?

Experienced employees deliver far more value than they "cost."

And also we're having few pregnancies, few "extreme" sporting accidents, and have mostly learned to lay off the booze and drugs.