re: Am finding out the hard way no one wants to hire a 37 yr guy for anything.

Oil field service company's
Plant service company's
Maritime

Google then knock on doors.

I don't hire off the interweb. I'm going to look you in the eye & shake your hand. Not double click a mouse to employment.

There are tons of contractors. Say you want to work in the electrical field, apply at electrical contractors as a helper. Same as pipe fitting, boiler maker, etc. however, the BEST field to go in IMO has already been mentioned... Plumber. I work in a plant as a welder and I'm really thinking about becoming a plumber. We have 1 in the plant. He makes foreman pay and he barely does anything. Dude has it made.
There are a lot of jobs to be had in the plants. Start as a firewatch, watch the welders you're fire watching for and ask them to teach you. That's what I did. Build scaffolds or even be an apprentice scaffold builder. Scaffold building really sucks, it's dangerous and they don't make much but it's money and if you're desperate you'll at least apply. There are some REALLY REALLY dumb people that build scaffolds. If you're fat however I take back that advice.

Don't be picky, if you need a job that bad take a position that really sucks IF there's a possibility of moving up. And if you get a job as a helper, don't be lazy or miss work. Nobody likes that guy that's always missing or doesn't do anything. The ones that work hard, move up.

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which brings up something else: if you're looking for something "new" to do in the long term, learning C++ and other programing languages is a good idea.

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Actually i have an associates in IT computer networking. That was a whole different story or explanation. Basically i met a piece of arse a long time ago. And never actually did anything with that degree. Cause i chased after her, married her and the whole nine yards. And now, even though i am no longer with her. I can't get into the door doing that either, because of the no experience thing. I do however want to go back and get my certs like A+, Net+ etc. But alas i need money to take those cert test. Hence i need a temp job doing a menial position. After that i can go back and get my certs, and try again in that field. But that was my fault in a way. Cause i spent my time in the past chasing a piece of arse. Rather than advancing my career.

Get on with state government. Any job. They aren't as likely to discriminate based on your age. Work your way up. Or better yet, bide your time waiting for better openings in other agencies/departments.

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You are a couple of years younger than me so I'm right there with you. I was in your situation about 8 years ago and I made a determined effort to get into the state government. I don't know how Louisiana state government employment is compared to Alabama state government bit in Alabama you have to test (ACT type test) for each position. When you pass the test you are put on a register and if high enough you get interviewed. I initially took a state job I didn't think I would ever take just to get into the system. I then pursued a department and position more commensurate to my education and experience and have been in the position over 6 years.

My point is that state government is an area a lot of people overlook that has some very stable careers with incredibly good retirement plans. You won't get rich but then again you won't get rich with a lot of jobs. I'd strongly suggest looking into state government especially if you have a college degree. The good jobs usually require a degree and you are ahead of the game if you have one.

P.S. Your nostalgia thread is

Hang in there and good luck.

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Thanks! Yeah i may look into a state or federal job. Never really thought of doing that. I am skinny as a toothpick. So i don't think i would do good at manual labor.

Thanks about the nostalgia thread. I think it got anchored again though.

This is what I did. I didn't have any age discrimination issues. I just didn't know what the heck I wanted to do out of college and was miserable in the insurance industry (claims analyst). I left that job and had similar trouble like the OP landing on my feet. My problem had more to do with not having any clue what direction I wanted to go. I made a decision to get into the state govt system and bide my time and it eventually paid off. Don't be afraid to start off in a position you consider beneath you. You need to get in the system and then work your way into what you really want.

P.S. Sounds like you have some computer programming skills which is a great asset if you're looking for a state job. You could be an IT guy for a state agency and clean up.

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Trucking dude, seriously.

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I truck. It's awesome. I don't have to give two shits about anything anyone ever says to me.

The problem with trucking is getting the work lined up. Anyone can get a CDL and make 100k/yr. trucking, but you need to have the work lined up. If you do, it's gravy, but that's a harder thing to find than you might think.

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At this point i could care less what it was.

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How much less could you care?









It took 4 pages for somebody to see this?