I've been working nonstop since I was 15. Now I'm 45 and haven't worked since April. Is the market really this hard, or is Indeed just terrible?

I've basically been working my whole life, and my last few jobs were real careers. I was an employee and then a business owner for 17 years, and I had around 10-14 employees in the restaurant/bar industry. I left a job in state corrections after 9 years because some family circumstances came up with my aging parents, and I needed to change my path.

I've been applying for jobs on Indeed here in California and getting nowhere. What I've noticed is that if I see a job posted there, then go directly to the company's own website and apply, at least my chances of getting an interview are better. But after the interview it's either complete silence, or the polite email saying, "We've decided to move forward with other candidates."

I also applied to a private for-profit nursing program because I'm trying to get into a stable career that I might be able to use to increase my retirement income and work in as my last career. I'm not trying to be picky, I'm just trying to find something stable and logical long-term.

Am I crazy, doing something wrong, or just not understanding how bad the job market is right now? Or is the problem me? I always hear that employers can't find qualified people, but I can't even get an entry-level job after 6 months.

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u/Due-Mango3478 — 2 days ago

The job market isn't looking for the most qualified person. It's looking for the easiest person to manage.

unfortunately

u/Due-Mango3478 — 9 days ago

I Got Laid Off This Morning My role was officially eliminated, effective immediately this morning, after 5 years at the company.

The weirdest part is that I filed an official report against a coworker for harassment after putting up with it for 5 years, and that was at the beginning of the month. Then 9 days later, suddenly my role no longer exists.

They gave me 3 good severance options to choose from, so I'm trying to look at it as an opportunity to start over and move on. But I still can't shake the feeling of disappointment that nothing was really dealt with. I genuinely loved my job and the company, and I'll miss the people I built relationships with there.

I don't even know why I'm writing this here. But I feel broken and very alone right now lol

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u/Due-Mango3478 — 9 days ago