A lot of us Baby Boomers want more than to simply coast into retirement. However, a lot of us can't afford to retire for numerous reasons. According to the Insured Retirement Institute website, 45% of us have zero savings. That means there will be a lot more of us working for a lot longer than we may really want to be.
For me, I want to keep busy and be productive and I'm just not ready to sit and watch the world go by. Thank God, I have my health and I can be productive. So, how do we Boomers handle this workplace and working for so many years. I've been doing what I do for 38 years and I still enjoy it but it tends to lose its spark some days. But I'm not financially ready to retire so I must continue working and bringing in a paycheck. I am not alone.
MY STORY - THE SHORT VERSION
I recently accepted an offer from one company ready to go to work on a Monday. The HR department approved me, made me an offer that I accepted, and I had a signed contract ready to go. The Wednesday before I was to report to work, the contract house called me and said the Company had a rule that said if you left as a direct employee, you could not come back as a contractor. In my case, a VP decided, at the last minute, that he/she would not approve me coming back. I was devastated. I had already given my notice and left the Company I was with at the time. Man, did I suddenly feel like the rug was jerked out from under me. My self-esteem and feelings of self-worth took a nose dive. I thought, Wow, what am I going to do now? I may not be able to find employment. All these negative thoughts started flooding my mind. Will an employer want to hire an old man like me? I'm going to end up desolate and out on the streets. I was surprised at the negative crap that kept coming into my brain. Wow!
So, after reflecting on what had happened for a couple of weeks, I began to realize the situation was really out of my control and that I just needed to pick myself up, dust off, and start the job hunting process again. Has anyone ever experienced this or am I the only Baby Boomer out there that has?
There are 76.4 million of us boomers in the USA so I doubt that I'm the only one. If you read this, please tell me what you think.
For me, I want to keep busy and be productive and I'm just not ready to sit and watch the world go by. Thank God, I have my health and I can be productive. So, how do we Boomers handle this workplace and working for so many years. I've been doing what I do for 38 years and I still enjoy it but it tends to lose its spark some days. But I'm not financially ready to retire so I must continue working and bringing in a paycheck. I am not alone.
MY STORY - THE SHORT VERSION
I recently accepted an offer from one company ready to go to work on a Monday. The HR department approved me, made me an offer that I accepted, and I had a signed contract ready to go. The Wednesday before I was to report to work, the contract house called me and said the Company had a rule that said if you left as a direct employee, you could not come back as a contractor. In my case, a VP decided, at the last minute, that he/she would not approve me coming back. I was devastated. I had already given my notice and left the Company I was with at the time. Man, did I suddenly feel like the rug was jerked out from under me. My self-esteem and feelings of self-worth took a nose dive. I thought, Wow, what am I going to do now? I may not be able to find employment. All these negative thoughts started flooding my mind. Will an employer want to hire an old man like me? I'm going to end up desolate and out on the streets. I was surprised at the negative crap that kept coming into my brain. Wow!
So, after reflecting on what had happened for a couple of weeks, I began to realize the situation was really out of my control and that I just needed to pick myself up, dust off, and start the job hunting process again. Has anyone ever experienced this or am I the only Baby Boomer out there that has?
There are 76.4 million of us boomers in the USA so I doubt that I'm the only one. If you read this, please tell me what you think.
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