At least not advertised publicly. It's dismal. Every time I apply, the only things that happen are getting an automated "thanks for your application" email (sometimes) - or, more often, I get barraged with obvious scams for a couple of days. The system is broken. I'm done. I don't even WANT a goddamned job anyway. I want income, and the chance to do something challenging and meaningful, and you know what? There are lots of ways to get that in life. Fuck jobs. Also the whole application process is basically HAZING. A protracted humiliation ritual. "What's your BIGGEST WEAKNESS?" --> "That I don't have the patience for these kind of bullshit, bad faith questions. Good luck finding somebody to fit in your hole."

@Jason Weiland - I didn't want to ask this in LI. So I cam here to see how I (we) can help spark the momentum. I have days like that and havinv someone to think and brainstorm with helps me pick up momentum.

I have been reading some very depressing things about the job market these days. It sounds like a lot of people are stuck — we just keep sending out resumes and job applications to no avail. It makes me feel like asking: Does one need to forge a relationship with an employer in advance to get a job? I do not know for sure, but it feels like the situation is desperate for so many of us - so please be patient with me as I try to suggest a creative solution. Now, notice I did not say “network” to get a job. By ‘forging a relationship,’ I am thinking of something different than what I usually think of as networking. When I think of networking, I usually think of a whole lot of people, often most of them jobseekers, meeting at a mixer of some kind and exchanging business cards. And, I suspect that most of them forget who they met minutes later. By 'forging a relationship', I think we would have to look to what my kid did to get their first job. I know, it may sound weird for grown adults to be learning job strategies from a child— but please hear me out. What my kid did is: First, they took sailing lessons for several summers at the sailing club at our local pond. They became skilled at sailing, forged a relationship with the sailing club, and proved that they had skills. They leveraged their relationship and reputation with the club to obtain a job as a sailing instructor there. I understand that they initially faced rejection. However, they did not take ‘no’ for an answer and just kept asking until they were accepted for a job. I wonder: could we extrapolate a job-seeking strategy from my kid’s experience? Don’t just send out resumes. #1. Find an employer you like and become active with them. Maybe take classes or some kind of other activities with them. #2. Learn skills relevant to that employer. #3. Prove your skills and worth to that employer. #4. Forge a relationship with the people at that employer who can actually give you a job. #5. Apply for a job and keep making your case until you (hopefully) get from ‘no’ to ‘yes’.

I am 52, and like many of you, I’m in the middle of a career reset. I spent a long time in web development and writing, and more recently moved into health and clinical content, which taught me to slow down and be careful with words. There is experience behind me, but I need to rethink how I work and what I build next. I joined this group because I didn’t want to do that alone. I am glad to be here, and I am happy to share what I know about writing or communication!

We've grown a lot in the last few days and I'm seeing a bunch of new faces in here. First: thank you for being here. This community exists because the traditional job market failed us. All of us. And we decided to stop waiting for permission and start building our own way forward. Here's how to get the most out of this group: Jump into existing threads. Someone's asking about freelancing? Share what worked for you. Someone's venting about getting ghosted after an interview? Tell them they're not alone. Start your own threads. Ask questions. Share your wins. Share your struggles. This isn't a place for fake positivity. It's a place for real talk about what it actually takes to survive when you're over 40 and the system doesn't want you. Introduce yourself if you haven't already. Tell us where you are. What you're working on. What you're struggling with. We're all in different places but we're all fighting the same fight. A few things about me: I'm in the USA right now (usually in the Philippines). Flew here last week because my mom was dying. She's doing better now, but we're staying for a bit. I'm still working. Still writing. Still hustling. Because that's what we do. Life doesn't stop. The bills don't stop. So we keep going. I'm building this community because I spent months feeling alone in this struggle. Sending out 450 applications and getting nothing. Wondering if I was the problem. Wondering if I was the only one. Turns out I wasn't. Neither are you. So get involved. Leave comments. Start conversations. Help each other. Share what's working. Share what's not. This community is what we make it. And the more we show up for each other, the stronger we all get. Let's build something here. —Jason