By Unemployed American Linda King

January 2nd, 2008 was the day I became unemployed. I didn't think much about it at the time as it has always been easy for me to find employment. I thought heck just go get another job. I didn't know that the economy was taking a nose dive and that things would end up like they are today, over a year later.

I work as a Full Charge Bookkeeper as I do not have a degree. I am 57 years old and wonder at times if age holds me back. I lived in a commuter county in Virginia at the time of the unemployment. Gas prices were at an all time high. I had a 45 mile commute to Richmond, or a 50 mile commute to the most southern part of northern Virginia. I was being map quested by those future employers and thought that was holding me back. Always searching these days as to why I can't find employment, compared to how I once could find a job so easily.

I had 12 job interviews from Jan 2008 through Oct 2008 but never found that full time position. I was a homeowner and by Sept 2008 had a real problem with mortgage payments. The house had been put on the market February 2008 as I knew I was in trouble. I am a single parent of a beautiful teenage daughter also. I had unemployment compensation coming in but it is never enough to pay your way. I cashed in a 401k that was spent on living expenses. My small savings and that of my daughters was also spent on living expenses. By the end of Sept I had a contract on the house. The house closed the end of October 2008 and I packed a POD and left the state of Virginia. Not sure with hindsight that is what I should have done. But I am now in Charleston, South Carolina within the city limits and no longer have to worry about a long commute. But the economy here is probably worse than Virginia, according to the statistics.

I have had a few job interviews. I have applied at 7 agencies as I did in Virginia too. The agencies are not helping me and again I wonder what is wrong with me? Self doubt erodes at you after time goes by. I know my resume is getting me into doors and I always ask how many have applied for the position. Accounting is what I have done my full life. I am good at it with the many years of experience. The either over qualified or under qualified as far as education and degrees go haunts me. My last position was that of an accountant/controller for a medium sized construction company where everything was tied to job costing. Agencies see this and won't give me a break for those positions that are less than what I have done and pay less too and again they won't consider me for any position that employers want the education factor to be in place.

I am living on house proceeds at this point. Those funds will not last long and an end will come in a few months as I cannot keep up the pace of what it takes me to live without income. It has been almost 15 months since I worked. Though I have made some money along the way because of my experience that has contributed to my longevity of being unemployed. I truly want to work. Life without a job is no good.

I have considered a business of my own in bookkeeping but it will not pay my way for a long period of time and needs time to grow, that which I just don't have much time left. Our economy is dismal with few jobs available. My last resort will be applying at Wal-mart, Target, and fast foods and get out of the field that has been my life for over 40 years. I know I am just one of hundreds of thousands in this crisis. 

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