Month help: I lost my job as a dental hygienist 6 weeks ago after working there for 7 years. - Help.com

Your husband is getting less than poverty wages.

How old are the two of you right now? And what kind of job does your husband have?

With this information, I can perhaps suggest something!

I am 51 and my husband is 46. He works in a deli. He used to be a powder coater and made better wages but he can’t find a job in that field right now. We are both in good health and are young at heart.

Understand. I’m betting he could make more money in Wal-Mart, however.

Both of you are also facing something that most people don’t like to talk about: age discrimination.

Once you hit 45, it starts to hit YOU. It’s insidious. It’s hard to prove. But as soon as you’re told you’re “overqualified,” you know you’re a victim of age discrimination.

I hope that you can both find something soon. I would have suggested the military, but you’re both past the age limit.

Right now I think I’d work with the mortgage lender to work out some alternative payment arrangements.

And, if you think you lost your job because of age discrimination, get with the EEOC and file a complaint!

@docsmoc.I appreciate your courage to ask for help. It is very unfortunate to loose a job but hang on to your sanity and be patient, you are stronger than the situation you are in.Since you were a dental hygienist , can you ask your previous employer to recommend you somewhere ? I assume that your employer should have contacts with other people in the same profession and if you had a good working relationship then this might work.Give it a shot.

Expand your search. Forget the age thingy…you don’t need any negativity right now.

I think there is an association the helps new dentists…research them for help and maybe find a new dentist starting out.
Good luck and best wishes:)

Thanks for your help adityashukla. I’m trying to be patient and think positive, but I have a tendency to think the worst. Then I won’t be dissappointed. I think things will work out somehow. I have already spoken to another dentist in the area and he knows a lot of hygienists who are looking for work also. I have a job feeding the neighbors 25 horses 5 nights/wk. But it doesn’t pay much. I guess I’ll just keep keepin’ on. It doesn’t help that it’s winter here in NH and keeping warm is a job in it self since we heat mostly with wood. Even that is running low!

chev.jame- I used to be in the military. Now I wish I had stayed in and could collect a pension. But I know it’s not good to worry about the past and things we should have done. I’m trying to look forward. I’ve heard about being overqualified, it is insidious. Thanks for responding.

@docmoc. It’s smart to prepare for the worst and hope for the best. Do you know any other counties close to you place where you can find a job which pays enough to keep you afloat and pay your bills?

When you and your husband re-do your resumes, use the “functional” kind rather than the “chronological” kind in order to hide your ages. Don’t, for example, put down the year you graduated from college or high school–it’s a dead giveaway.

We shouldn’t have to do things like that, but today employers want to hire the cheapest possible labor–and they know that young people will work for less, especially young immigrants.

Also, if dental offices are letting older workers go . . . it may be time for an EEOC lawsuit.

Ford Motor Company tried to do that with a “rating scheme” that–amazingly–all of the older managers scored poorly on. The threat of a lawsuit stopped Ford from using this new rating scheme as an excuse to dump older managers.