I can speak on behalf of the 1995-99 kids... everyone's pretty fucked lol. I have a good job and a house and im in the absolute minority in my age... 99% of us are stuck renting, stuck in low wage jobs, barely scraping by, miserable and depressed.
Even me with a good job (right at the 6 figure mark) I have very little disposable income despite not having a family. Just this year im finally able to direct some towards "savings" (savings in quotes because I just invest into stocks or crypto... no interest in sitting on a pile of fiat)
I am - massively. I prepared for 6 months, but with all the fed jobs being cut, the H1B Visas, companies being afraid to offer remote positions, and other market factors I haven't found anything in my field since I was caught up in a mass-layoff late last year. I'm trying to find something local but everything local is stuff like stocking shelves, loading trucks, or standing all day. With my back and neck issues and nerve damage I can't do that stuff. I have worked remotely for well over a decade. Now the opportunities are drying up.
If I could move to Dallas or Houston I could probably get a job, but I can't sell my house and find another with a remotely close interest rate (2.25%), and nothing is selling this time of year anyway. Driving to either place is impossible - one is ~2 hours one way and the other is ~4 hours one way.
I have partial VA disability benefits but the case is still open with a long way to go before they realize and acknowledge the damage I have. It never ceases to amaze me how they send me for x-rays when they know damn well the nerve damage and neuropathy require CT scans/MRIs/EMG tests. It's maddening - my medical records catalogue everything I submitted for and some stuff was initially denied due to "no evidence". I submitted in November 2024...
I will be taking courses through the VA to get me some needed IT certifications but orientation isn't until the 29th. Hopefully that eventually helps. Until then I'm dealing with recruiters constantly ghosting me, 5-10 Indian recruiters (usually from the same company) contacting me for jobs I'm not qualified for and even sending them to me directly on Linked-In but using someone else's first name. I've even had to blacklist a few of them when they sent me someone else's information. They are a scourge.
Oh - I'm a Gen Xer. That makes it all the more fun trying to get back into my field when nearly every interview I get is with much younger people. I've had 3 with interviewers my age, and 2 of them were ready to hire me but both companies stopped hiring when they got worried about the tariffs earlier in the year. Both were US companies (one was even local) with international offices and were worried about parts sourcing. That will lift eventually, but probably not until the end of their fiscal year.
Honest question
How many yall struggling?
I'm doing fine.
I started preparing in 2008 for this. Thought it would happen differently back then amd sooner. But we are well positioned.
Great I ask because of curiosity. I'm worried about younger Americans.
I can speak on behalf of the 1995-99 kids... everyone's pretty fucked lol. I have a good job and a house and im in the absolute minority in my age... 99% of us are stuck renting, stuck in low wage jobs, barely scraping by, miserable and depressed.
Even me with a good job (right at the 6 figure mark) I have very little disposable income despite not having a family. Just this year im finally able to direct some towards "savings" (savings in quotes because I just invest into stocks or crypto... no interest in sitting on a pile of fiat)
Dont let 401ks slip its free money if your employer matches
I am - massively. I prepared for 6 months, but with all the fed jobs being cut, the H1B Visas, companies being afraid to offer remote positions, and other market factors I haven't found anything in my field since I was caught up in a mass-layoff late last year. I'm trying to find something local but everything local is stuff like stocking shelves, loading trucks, or standing all day. With my back and neck issues and nerve damage I can't do that stuff. I have worked remotely for well over a decade. Now the opportunities are drying up.
If I could move to Dallas or Houston I could probably get a job, but I can't sell my house and find another with a remotely close interest rate (2.25%), and nothing is selling this time of year anyway. Driving to either place is impossible - one is ~2 hours one way and the other is ~4 hours one way.
I have partial VA disability benefits but the case is still open with a long way to go before they realize and acknowledge the damage I have. It never ceases to amaze me how they send me for x-rays when they know damn well the nerve damage and neuropathy require CT scans/MRIs/EMG tests. It's maddening - my medical records catalogue everything I submitted for and some stuff was initially denied due to "no evidence". I submitted in November 2024...
I will be taking courses through the VA to get me some needed IT certifications but orientation isn't until the 29th. Hopefully that eventually helps. Until then I'm dealing with recruiters constantly ghosting me, 5-10 Indian recruiters (usually from the same company) contacting me for jobs I'm not qualified for and even sending them to me directly on Linked-In but using someone else's first name. I've even had to blacklist a few of them when they sent me someone else's information. They are a scourge.
Oh - I'm a Gen Xer. That makes it all the more fun trying to get back into my field when nearly every interview I get is with much younger people. I've had 3 with interviewers my age, and 2 of them were ready to hire me but both companies stopped hiring when they got worried about the tariffs earlier in the year. Both were US companies (one was even local) with international offices and were worried about parts sourcing. That will lift eventually, but probably not until the end of their fiscal year.