I figured I was a lifer at the factory when I worked there till 2010. Made good money and kept my nose clean.
That year, I was informed a duty was no longer my responsibility. I was asked to comply on it yet again, even though my super said I didn't have to. When I responded with knowledge of the above, even complying and doing what I was told I didn't have to, I was then escorted shortly thereafter and slammed with being insubordinate, sent home, and fired the next day. I was on someone's list I bet.
3 months looking, a 1.5 yrs stint at another plant, and then getting in on the ground floor of a distribution plant where i have now worked longer than that rudely interrupted previous position. Be 9 yrs in March.
Things happen for a reason, and I'm very well suited where I am now.
Best of luck to you all!
Life will sure kick you in the teeth sometimes. But most everyone on this board is quite resourceful and skilled in some way. It's evident in nearly every thread. I'm hopeful you'll land on your feet soon!
So...my wife & I worked at the same TV station years ago. I had been there 17 years, she was the noon & 5 o'clock anchor. Sinclair bought the station in 2001 and said everyone's jobs were safe. 18 months later, we were both part of a purge of mid-salary employees. They did it 2 weeks before Christmas! I was actually called in while on vacation, about to start a basement remodel. We had 3 kids, all under 10 at the time. It took a while, but we both ended up in much better places, making better money - much better money in my wife's case!
Yeah, economic circumstances in 2008 necessitated a career change for my wife. At the time, it was just a job change for me due to mutual layoffs. She could not find work in the architectural field but someone at a construction supply firm remembered her (as does pretty much everyone who has met Mrs. JR) and landed her a job as an office manager. Seven years later, she left that company and started her new career at AARP where she rocks a very nice income, amazing benefits, and a corporate culture to die for. She is a million miles away from what she spent years in college learning. Life is strange sometimes, how so many of us are nowhere near where we thought we would be.
When I was toiling away in my second stint in college pursuing a Project Management degree - construction was nowhere on my radar, yet here I am. I am not even sure what to think yet - I had lunch with my boss yesterday and we had "the talk". This talk was about succession planning and how and when to transfer the franchise to me. We spend a lot of time talking about mapping things out on a one, three, and five year basis as we have both suffered quite a bit in the past from unbridled top-line focused growth. He likes that.
Anyways - to all my MAC brothers currently struggling with understanding their futures: my heart and thoughts are with you and always keep up the good fight. You are worth it, and you owe it to yourselves to never settle and never stop reaching.
I had a factory job for nearly 20 years which coupled with a lot of lifting as a farm kid and construction jobs left me with a degenerative disk disease diagnosis. As continued heavy lifting would not result in any permanent nerve damage and just pain, management decided to return me to normal duties in the maintenance department. One weekend I was working alone on some hydraulics that had bolts with torque specs in the 100's of pounds I decided I'd had enough. I gave them 3 days notice and left. I had an AA in electronics which included some computer coursework, had taught myself to run a personal computer, and had experience programing at my factory job. It took 3 months to convince someone to hire me working with computers. I had two jobs that were short lived due to economic circumstances of the employer that were out of my control. I then landed at a community college running a network and handling all the classroom tech on one of the satellite campuses where I retired. I'm so glad I left the factory.
Best of luck to those of you making career changes. It's scary stuff but can be an opportunity to do something better.
I guess I too am a million miles from where I thought I'd be. I'm now in retail distribution instead of manufacturing and production, and nowhere near the automotive field either. I went to school thinking BSME, and likely automotive design- boy was I wrong- in both where I thought I should be then and what I thought I'd like to do. 18 years old is not a good age to determine the rest of your life's bread-winning.
Thing is- I'm also very glad I made the jump to a non-production/manufacturing facility, as well as that of being in a current position of essential work. I like being 'kind of a big deal', and providing goods for the public's maintaining. I also like being appreciated and the knowledge that my superiors know I am good at my job.
Now if I could just get the others that I'm leading to water to drink it and do their part, my job will be that much easier to manage. People not caring about their career or even their place in society or how to operate within it seems to be my biggest grievance point. Simply sitting in a spot and 'making do' or 'doing the bare minimum' is not enough to ensure success in your occupation.
I'm semi-retired now and work as a volunteer at the RAAF (Royal Australian Air Force) Museum, but I'd hate to be looking for another job at my age.
In Oz, anyone over 50 has a really hard time getting an interview, let alone a good job, whatever their skills. Not sure what it's like in the US but the age discrimination here is really serious. This is despite workers over 50 having higher loyalty to their employer and valuable experience.
Age discrimination is a very real thing - and is one of the reasons I emphasize soft skills development with my team. At the least, if they gain some basic computer proficiency, and learn several aspects of supporting a given department (purchasing, planning, etc) they can generate a career path that will allow them a better chance to stay in a given field when their bodies are no longer able to do the actual work any longer. In my previous line of work (industrial maintenance) the work is just generally too demanding for people in the 50's and older. I advised my team if they want to avoid working as a Walmart greeter as their final job before retirement, they have to learn how to do something else. Whether that is gunning for my chair, or learning supporting roles, or taking the initiative up-front and take night courses for an entirely new career. Unfortunately, during a career change your prior experience is usually not applicable towards a new career - so from an income perspective it can be pretty shocking. I was lucky in that respect, I took a fairly small paycut (13%) so the career change impact was nominal. When we bought our house, for example, we targeted a mortgage payment of 12% of our combined income. Screw that 1/3 shit lol.
Mrs. JR works for AARP; I am privy to some information about aging in the workforce here in the US and it isn't pretty. When we hit 50 or so here, it is best to already have the job you want - the hire rate for 50+ in most fields is pretty low, not only due to the age factor directly but also because there is always a 22 year old willing to work for less money. Save and buy a business or learn a new set of skills that will maintain your relevance in the workforce or go to Walmart. Ageism occurs in even the most progressive areas of the country - it is brutal in a state like South Dakota.
Funny story about Walmart greeting - my grandfather was a greeter for about two months. He was fired. As a lifelong nutrition and exercise enthusiast coupled with being a long haul trucker for decades (long haulers often unlearn filtering mechanisms) he just couldn't resist chewing people out when they were pushing a cart full of junk food out of the store with a line of kids in tow.
Funny story about Walmart greeting - my grandfather was a greeter for about two months. He was fired. As a lifelong nutrition and exercise enthusiast coupled with being a long haul trucker for decades (long haulers often unlearn filtering mechanisms) he just couldn't resist chewing people out when they were pushing a cart full of junk food out of the store with a line of kids in tow.
I'm just over 50 and fully realize my marketability (is that even a real word?) has really tanked... If I ever get laid off from this job I'll probably end up driving a school bus. Not that there is anything wrong with that sans pay.
Before you think about being a bus driver, you should check out Bob Newhart's bus driver school sketch: to see if you've got what it takes.
On a more serious note, governments and companies here pay lip service to 'valuing older workers' but in practice this is just window-dressing BS. Unemployment and under-employment in people over 50 here is a serious problem.
@GeoffMillar said:
Before you think about being a bus driver, you should check out Bob Newhart's bus driver school sketch: to see if you've got what it takes.
On a more serious note, governments and companies here pay lip service to 'valuing older workers' but in practice this is just window-dressing BS. Unemployment and under-employment in people over 50 here is a serious problem.
Geoff
I just watched that very skit just last night! And the one where the cop finds a shell (unexploded military) on the beach... Bob Newhart was a funny guy.
Bob Newhart, Carol Bernett, Tim Conway, Dick Van Dyke, Harvey Korman... now those were some totally awesome, hilarious comedians . There are some more recent comedians that are pretty funny but they always have to go too raunchy and use excessive profanity. Example... George Carlin. It doesn't have to be rated R to be funny. End of rant...
We always have pizza & Stand Up on Friday nights. Even the youngest comes home for dinner. He's 21 now & it's the only time we see him anymore. We really like Dry Bar Comedy on YouTube. No foul language and not a single comedian has mentioned masturbation.
Doesn't have to be foul to be funny. Filthy =/= funny. Also doesn't have to be spoken to be funny. Tim Conway, Charlie Chaplin, and Teller (of Pen and Teller) as examples. Tim was dirty at times, but you had to watch him to get it.
Dennis Miller and George Carlin are/were also pretty bright comedians, dirty or not.
I have not watched much of "Ah-Sneeze's" stand-up, for the same reason I don't watch Richard Pryor, or other's as I know the content will be rife with obscenities. You can be funny without being foul. I love Jim Gaffigan, Steven Wright, Louis Black, and even Jeff Foxworthy and Bill Engvall have been hilarious. Larry the Cable Guy was good too in a different sort of way. Ron White had a few memorable moments from 'Tater Salad' and 'Coupins', but otherwise was too drunk to be funny. All of the above have a few jokes now and then that are foul, but they don't dwell there.
Case in point- I hated the movie "Me, Myself, and Irene". That's not humor.
@PWRRYD said:
Bob Newhart, Carol Bernett, Tim Conway, Dick Van Dyke, Harvey Korman... now those were some totally awesome, hilarious comedians .
Don't forget 'Get Smart', one of the absolute classic TV comedies. The quality dipped a bit in the final series, but that still made it better than 90% of what else was around. Not just catchphrases, but great writing and characters, satire, great acting (apart from Fang) and timeless humour, unlike shows which rely on knowledge of current events to be funny.
@jr@mac said:
Yeah, economic circumstances in 2008 necessitated a career change for my wife. At the time, it was just a job change for me due to mutual layoffs. She could not find work in the architectural field but someone at a construction supply firm remembered her (as does pretty much everyone who has met Mrs. JR) and landed her a job as an office manager. Seven years later, she left that company and started her new career at AARP where she rocks a very nice income, amazing benefits, and a corporate culture to die for. She is a million miles away from what she spent years in college learning. Life is strange sometimes, how so many of us are nowhere near where we thought we would be.
When I was toiling away in my second stint in college pursuing a Project Management degree - construction was nowhere on my radar, yet here I am. I am not even sure what to think yet - I had lunch with my boss yesterday and we had "the talk". This talk was about succession planning and how and when to transfer the franchise to me. We spend a lot of time talking about mapping things out on a one, three, and five year basis as we have both suffered quite a bit in the past from unbridled top-line focused growth. He likes that.
Anyways - to all my MAC brothers currently struggling with understanding their futures: my heart and thoughts are with you and always keep up the good fight. You are worth it, and you owe it to yourselves to never settle and never stop reaching.
I remember seeing him when he was an opening act for Trace Adkins and his set was tough to sit through. He just couldn't sing on key and the mix was just a loud mess. He hasn't gotten much better from what I've seen on the award shows.
Comments
Oh man, so sorry to hear that Mike.
Ditto on the last 3 points.
Life can suck.
I figured I was a lifer at the factory when I worked there till 2010. Made good money and kept my nose clean.
That year, I was informed a duty was no longer my responsibility. I was asked to comply on it yet again, even though my super said I didn't have to. When I responded with knowledge of the above, even complying and doing what I was told I didn't have to, I was then escorted shortly thereafter and slammed with being insubordinate, sent home, and fired the next day. I was on someone's list I bet.
3 months looking, a 1.5 yrs stint at another plant, and then getting in on the ground floor of a distribution plant where i have now worked longer than that rudely interrupted previous position. Be 9 yrs in March.
Things happen for a reason, and I'm very well suited where I am now.
Best of luck to you all!
InDIYana Event Website
Life will sure kick you in the teeth sometimes. But most everyone on this board is quite resourceful and skilled in some way. It's evident in nearly every thread. I'm hopeful you'll land on your feet soon!
So...my wife & I worked at the same TV station years ago. I had been there 17 years, she was the noon & 5 o'clock anchor. Sinclair bought the station in 2001 and said everyone's jobs were safe. 18 months later, we were both part of a purge of mid-salary employees. They did it 2 weeks before Christmas! I was actually called in while on vacation, about to start a basement remodel. We had 3 kids, all under 10 at the time. It took a while, but we both ended up in much better places, making better money - much better money in my wife's case!
Yeah, economic circumstances in 2008 necessitated a career change for my wife. At the time, it was just a job change for me due to mutual layoffs. She could not find work in the architectural field but someone at a construction supply firm remembered her (as does pretty much everyone who has met Mrs. JR) and landed her a job as an office manager. Seven years later, she left that company and started her new career at AARP where she rocks a very nice income, amazing benefits, and a corporate culture to die for. She is a million miles away from what she spent years in college learning. Life is strange sometimes, how so many of us are nowhere near where we thought we would be.
When I was toiling away in my second stint in college pursuing a Project Management degree - construction was nowhere on my radar, yet here I am. I am not even sure what to think yet - I had lunch with my boss yesterday and we had "the talk". This talk was about succession planning and how and when to transfer the franchise to me. We spend a lot of time talking about mapping things out on a one, three, and five year basis as we have both suffered quite a bit in the past from unbridled top-line focused growth. He likes that.
Anyways - to all my MAC brothers currently struggling with understanding their futures: my heart and thoughts are with you and always keep up the good fight. You are worth it, and you owe it to yourselves to never settle and never stop reaching.
we are hiring https://www.indeed.com/cmp/Memc-LLC/jobs
I had a factory job for nearly 20 years which coupled with a lot of lifting as a farm kid and construction jobs left me with a degenerative disk disease diagnosis. As continued heavy lifting would not result in any permanent nerve damage and just pain, management decided to return me to normal duties in the maintenance department. One weekend I was working alone on some hydraulics that had bolts with torque specs in the 100's of pounds I decided I'd had enough. I gave them 3 days notice and left. I had an AA in electronics which included some computer coursework, had taught myself to run a personal computer, and had experience programing at my factory job. It took 3 months to convince someone to hire me working with computers. I had two jobs that were short lived due to economic circumstances of the employer that were out of my control. I then landed at a community college running a network and handling all the classroom tech on one of the satellite campuses where I retired. I'm so glad I left the factory.
Best of luck to those of you making career changes. It's scary stuff but can be an opportunity to do something better.
Ron
I guess I too am a million miles from where I thought I'd be. I'm now in retail distribution instead of manufacturing and production, and nowhere near the automotive field either. I went to school thinking BSME, and likely automotive design- boy was I wrong- in both where I thought I should be then and what I thought I'd like to do. 18 years old is not a good age to determine the rest of your life's bread-winning.
Thing is- I'm also very glad I made the jump to a non-production/manufacturing facility, as well as that of being in a current position of essential work. I like being 'kind of a big deal', and providing goods for the public's maintaining. I also like being appreciated and the knowledge that my superiors know I am good at my job.
Now if I could just get the others that I'm leading to water to drink it and do their part, my job will be that much easier to manage. People not caring about their career or even their place in society or how to operate within it seems to be my biggest grievance point. Simply sitting in a spot and 'making do' or 'doing the bare minimum' is not enough to ensure success in your occupation.
InDIYana Event Website
I'm semi-retired now and work as a volunteer at the RAAF (Royal Australian Air Force) Museum, but I'd hate to be looking for another job at my age.
In Oz, anyone over 50 has a really hard time getting an interview, let alone a good job, whatever their skills. Not sure what it's like in the US but the age discrimination here is really serious. This is despite workers over 50 having higher loyalty to their employer and valuable experience.
Geoff
In the US the law 'protects' those over 40, however 'in practice' we are in up the same creek (as in without a paddle)
Age discrimination is a very real thing - and is one of the reasons I emphasize soft skills development with my team. At the least, if they gain some basic computer proficiency, and learn several aspects of supporting a given department (purchasing, planning, etc) they can generate a career path that will allow them a better chance to stay in a given field when their bodies are no longer able to do the actual work any longer. In my previous line of work (industrial maintenance) the work is just generally too demanding for people in the 50's and older. I advised my team if they want to avoid working as a Walmart greeter as their final job before retirement, they have to learn how to do something else. Whether that is gunning for my chair, or learning supporting roles, or taking the initiative up-front and take night courses for an entirely new career. Unfortunately, during a career change your prior experience is usually not applicable towards a new career - so from an income perspective it can be pretty shocking. I was lucky in that respect, I took a fairly small paycut (13%) so the career change impact was nominal. When we bought our house, for example, we targeted a mortgage payment of 12% of our combined income. Screw that 1/3 shit lol.
Mrs. JR works for AARP; I am privy to some information about aging in the workforce here in the US and it isn't pretty. When we hit 50 or so here, it is best to already have the job you want - the hire rate for 50+ in most fields is pretty low, not only due to the age factor directly but also because there is always a 22 year old willing to work for less money. Save and buy a business or learn a new set of skills that will maintain your relevance in the workforce or go to Walmart. Ageism occurs in even the most progressive areas of the country - it is brutal in a state like South Dakota.
Funny story about Walmart greeting - my grandfather was a greeter for about two months. He was fired. As a lifelong nutrition and exercise enthusiast coupled with being a long haul trucker for decades (long haulers often unlearn filtering mechanisms) he just couldn't resist chewing people out when they were pushing a cart full of junk food out of the store with a line of kids in tow.
LOL I enjoyed that
I'm just over 50 and fully realize my marketability (is that even a real word?) has really tanked... If I ever get laid off from this job I'll probably end up driving a school bus. Not that there is anything wrong with that sans pay.
Bus driver pay suks and if you ever run one off in the ditch ...
Before you think about being a bus driver, you should check out Bob Newhart's bus driver school sketch:
to see if you've got what it takes.
On a more serious note, governments and companies here pay lip service to 'valuing older workers' but in practice this is just window-dressing BS. Unemployment and under-employment in people over 50 here is a serious problem.
Geoff
Lol, JR! It's so true though....all the shit food people consume.
I just watched that very skit just last night! And the one where the cop finds a shell (unexploded military) on the beach... Bob Newhart was a funny guy.
TomZ
**ZARBO AUDIO ** https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCEZUyvobRaFQSTl6NdOwgxQ
Bob Newhart, Carol Bernett, Tim Conway, Dick Van Dyke, Harvey Korman... now those were some totally awesome, hilarious comedians . There are some more recent comedians that are pretty funny but they always have to go too raunchy and use excessive profanity. Example... George Carlin. It doesn't have to be rated R to be funny. End of rant...
My family and I still laugh and enjoy reruns of the Andy Griffith show. Great writing and acting.
We always have pizza & Stand Up on Friday nights. Even the youngest comes home for dinner. He's 21 now & it's the only time we see him anymore. We really like Dry Bar Comedy on YouTube. No foul language and not a single comedian has mentioned masturbation.
I like foul language.
Doesn't have to be foul to be funny. Filthy =/= funny. Also doesn't have to be spoken to be funny. Tim Conway, Charlie Chaplin, and Teller (of Pen and Teller) as examples. Tim was dirty at times, but you had to watch him to get it.
InDIYana Event Website
Dave Chappelle is the smartest comedian of our generation.
..which puts him in the running for smartest of all time.
Dennis Miller and George Carlin are/were also pretty bright comedians, dirty or not.
I have not watched much of "Ah-Sneeze's" stand-up, for the same reason I don't watch Richard Pryor, or other's as I know the content will be rife with obscenities. You can be funny without being foul. I love Jim Gaffigan, Steven Wright, Louis Black, and even Jeff Foxworthy and Bill Engvall have been hilarious. Larry the Cable Guy was good too in a different sort of way. Ron White had a few memorable moments from 'Tater Salad' and 'Coupins', but otherwise was too drunk to be funny. All of the above have a few jokes now and then that are foul, but they don't dwell there.
Case in point- I hated the movie "Me, Myself, and Irene". That's not humor.
InDIYana Event Website
Hmm, came to share my views on ageism, since I just quit my last shitty job and won't look for another.
Left wondering why people apparently don't recognize how many of the best new stand-up comics are black and/or female.
Don't forget 'Get Smart', one of the absolute classic TV comedies. The quality dipped a bit in the final series, but that still made it better than 90% of what else was around. Not just catchphrases, but great writing and characters, satire, great acting (apart from Fang) and timeless humour, unlike shows which rely on knowledge of current events to be funny.
Comedy is a great antidote for BS of all sorts.
Geoff
Ive heard she has a nice voice
Just popping in to say Jason Aldean is everything wrong with modern country. What a piece of shit.
Yuck- he's horrible!!! I don't like Jason Aldean at all.
InDIYana Event Website
I remember seeing him when he was an opening act for Trace Adkins and his set was tough to sit through. He just couldn't sing on key and the mix was just a loud mess. He hasn't gotten much better from what I've seen on the award shows.