[burnedoutlife]

In the past 6 years, I've gone through 12 jobs. I've done everything I can to stay employed, or at least not to end up homeless. I worked to obtain an engineering degree at a quality university on a scholarship and worked harder than I know anyone has, and yet I can't keep a job.

In the past 2.5 years alone, I've been laid off 6 times. Once, I was laid off on the day I went into a surgery. Now I'm seeing my current company melting down (they filed bankruptcy) and I've completely exhausted my network. I am burned out on trying to find work (last time, against my doctor's orders, I was already hitting the interviews hard while I was supposed to be recovering).

I owe friends money and I'm about to lose everything, again. I already lost my condo and all my personal finances in 2010. I keep thinking I'm just going to give up and end it. My family provides absolutely no support (emotional, financial, nothing), and I'm just so exhausted. I don't even know what I can do anymore. I went through an early life of borderline homelessness and now I'm looking at it yet again. I'm just so depressed and frustrated...this has been going on for SIX YEARS for me. My prior job I was employed for over 5 years and now I can't make anything stick.

Has anyone else gone through this sheer number of layoffs? This is insane and I have nothing in my life that I enjoy anymore...I feel like I'm stuck in terminal survival mode and at some point you just want to stop trying anymore. I'm so miserable...this is my life, no relationship, no home, and I turn 40 this year. I'm worthless.

[winter4me]

You are not worthless. You are going through a hellish time. Don't know if you have tried work outside your chosen profession but it might be a way to go----and don't know if you need to stay where you are geographically, but if you are willing to move that might open up new options (sounds like you are in a place that isn't doing well...) I've had many jobs but not the lay offs. Years ago, many years ago I worked in a place with engineers and it seemed they were always in danger of being laid off...it was the early 70's and the economy was not good...
Could you teach? Sorry, this probably isn't very helpful but I hope your world turns around again soon.

[hannabee]

Gosh that is just terrible for you. Is there anything you could do as an independent contractor? I don't know...even a janitorial service for apartment owners? Build a business for yourself and employ others at the same time? Just don't give up...you will get through this, Im sure of it. Please keep us posted. Hugs and prayers going your way!

[spondiferous]

Burnedoutlife, I have not experienced what you have in terms of employment, but I wanted to say that you have my support (even if it's just an ear to listen to your struggles) and I hope something turns around for you. Stay strong...

Also, welcome to PC. I have found the forums and people to be very supportive, and no doubt you will find someone around here who's had a similar experience and may be able to offer support or advice. I recommend browsing the other forums, starting new threads, and just generally applying the perseverence here that you have displayed in daily life. I wish you all the best and I hope to see you around the forums.

[luvinglife2012]

Originally Posted by burnedoutlife

In the past 6 years, I've gone through 12 jobs. I've done everything I can to stay employed, or at least not to end up homeless. I worked to obtain an engineering degree at a quality university on a scholarship and worked harder than I know anyone has, and yet I can't keep a job.

In the past 2.5 years alone, I've been laid off 6 times. Once, I was laid off on the day I went into a surgery. Now I'm seeing my current company melting down (they filed bankruptcy) and I've completely exhausted my network. I am burned out on trying to find work (last time, against my doctor's orders, I was already hitting the interviews hard while I was supposed to be recovering).

I owe friends money and I'm about to lose everything, again. I already lost my condo and all my personal finances in 2010. I keep thinking I'm just going to give up and end it. My family provides absolutely no support (emotional, financial, nothing), and I'm just so exhausted. I don't even know what I can do anymore. I went through an early life of borderline homelessness and now I'm looking at it yet again. I'm just so depressed and frustrated...this has been going on for SIX YEARS for me. My prior job I was employed for over 5 years and now I can't make anything stick.

Has anyone else gone through this sheer number of layoffs? This is insane and I have nothing in my life that I enjoy anymore...I feel like I'm stuck in terminal survival mode and at some point you just want to stop trying anymore. I'm so miserable...this is my life, no relationship, no home, and I turn 40 this year. I'm worthless.

Eight years of it! I have gone through it like you and still continue to do so today! i have just finish paying off my bankruptcy, and the federal installment plan I had. I owe a friend $5000 still from 2005, I owe $2200 in a hospital bill, $500 to Comcast. It's a rough ride for a lot of people.

You have been employed so that means you are employable. Keep at it! You are not alone. You have skills people want. The companies you have been hired by are the ones who are gone, you are still here and you will survive. I did it while raising a teenager, she is 23 now. We survived. So you will you.

I understand your feelings, I have felt them and I cried and cried and cried. I got on my knees and begged God to either help me or take me because I couldn't do anymore. He got me a job, I did temp work, I took jobs like data entry because I have great computer skills, the only thing I didn't compromise is how much I would take in pay. I figured out my minimum and stuck to it. I went from $54000 annually to $85000 annually. (I live in California, 1 hour away from San Francisco)

I am working temp again for three months, I will start looking again mid April so that by the time my assignment is up I will have another job. It takes me 6 weeks to find another job. When potential employers ask why so many jobs, I tell them its out of my control being laid off, I was always the new person so I went first and I refuse to sit at home so I do temp work in my field to stay fresh and skilled.

To get me through the unemployment, I took up meditation, I plan my job search and then read a book or go for a walk, I work on staying positive, and I study things I am interested in. I have joined job search groups, I use free internet by going to Starbucks or Peets or Denny's, a cup of coffee is all it costs me.

I say have a good hissy fit, a good cry, throw a temper tantrum and then move on. That is what I do! Go for a run! Go to the YMCA, they can give you a bed and a place to exercise and food for the night.

I will keep you in my prayers. You can do this!

[tris210]

I am sorry to hear about your misfortune. Life is going to get better from now on if you let it. I was laid off last year 1 week before Thanksgiving. All the coworkers I thought were my close friends avoided me. Felt lost, worthless and shell-shocked.

Found 2 other coworkers who were let go and hang out on week days.We came up with daily schedule. Gym, job search and cooking filled my day.

Everyone said I should just rest through the rest of the year and try again in 2013 but I refused. Applied for jobs online through Monster, Indeed, Linkedin and everything else I googled since I did not network when I had a job.

3 weeks later, I received 3 offers. I was unemployed 1 week before Thanksgiving and was employed 1 week before Christmas. My other 2 friends also found their new jobs, 1 within 2 weeks but had to relocate, the other in Feb this year. The interesting thing is all 3 of us are receiveing higher salaries now.

Lesson learned for me:
- Forget the past (I cannot change the past, my previous company is not going to hire me back)
- Go out and meet people who are your true friends (negative thoughts creep into your mind when you are alone)
- Job searching is a full-time job in itself (focus your job search)
- Don't give up ( no one cares about you more than you)
- Stay positive (it will show in your interview)

Turned out well for me. Hope it will work out for you too.

[jkbob]

No one is worthless.

That said, and this can be hard to hear, have you seriously thought about why these jobs aren't quite working out? Yes, new hires tend to be laid off first but also politics are a very important aspect of maintaining a job. Are you truly doing your best? Are you making friends (often overlooked) and showing off your hard work and success to those with the ability to promote or lay you off? Do you plan financially for the "oh ****" moments in life?

Look hard at yourself and your role in where you are at in life. Some of it can't be help and some of it may need further thought and consideration. I don't know what your issues are but those with depression and other mental illnesses often have self-defeating behaviors. Is pride an issue? I'm hoping the best for you and future job opportunities but maybe you just need to take anything (read: McDonald's) to keep yourself afloat until your next career move.

Good Luck

[DownTheHole]

I'm so sorry about your circumstances. I'm also going through a really trying time, to say the least. I have the same kind of feelings, begging God to give me a break or just take me home to Him, because I can't keep living like this. All I do is sleep and cry. I hardly eat. I'm incredibly fortunate to have an amazing mother who is the reason I'm still afloat, although just barely. I'm about to default on my massive student loans. I have a ton of credit card and loan debt on top of that which I can't pay now. And I can't even afford to go bankrupt! I'm a teacher, and I actually had to give up my job this past winter because my mental illness was out of control, aggravated by a toxic work environment (colleagues and administration, not the kids!). I was pushed over the edge, and have been steadily going down since. I've been battling major depressive disorder and anxiety for over a decade, and it seems to get worse as I get older. I'm at the end of my rope. I spend all of my energy all day long just trying to convince myself not to end it all; I'm not living, I'm just existing. I'm in a Catch-22: getting back to work would help everything, but I'm so deeply depressed that it's hard for me to go through the job hunting process. On top of that, I'm still fighting to obtain unemployment--I've been denied because of my mental health issues that forced me to leave my last job. So if it helps at all, know that you're not alone. This is actually my first post on this site; I registered in the hope that I can find some sort of outlet to alleviate the pain a little. Feel free to contact me if you ever need support.