Mitch

Mitch, 53, was laid off from his high-level IT job two years ago. Throughout his job search, Mitch has found his industry pulled out from under him—the jobs he would like to apply for have either been outsourced overseas or given to applicants much younger and without his salary history. Mitch will have to completely retrain in order to find work in Oregon at a time when he is old enough to retire.

My Story
Talk about being between a rock and a hard place. After 25 years in the IT industry I was laid off. At age 53 I’m too old to retrain—but what else can I do? No one is hiring IT workers in this country, especially at my age and with my salary history. All the available jobs are being sent overseas or given to someone significantly younger than me.

Above all else, it is the goal of my wife and I to keep our home. We’ve cut back in every aspect of our lives—there is virtually no leisure time for us these days. We no longer take trips, go to the movies or eat out, and in the winter we even keep the heat down. I was nearing retirement, and now it as though I have to start completely anew.

Despite my financial hardships, health insurance is something I refuse to sacrifice at my age, and paying for it is really taking its toll on my checkbook. I pay as much for my mortgage every month as health insurance. Our retirement nest egg has been spent on making sure we can get simple medical attention if we need it.

Plus, Portland is struggling collectively with unemployment. More and more I see empty storefronts and boarded up shops throughout the city.

I believe that we as a county can fix this problem, but we need a viable plan to get jobs back in America and keep them here. Joblessness is the critical problem facing this country, and we ought to get someone in the White House who understands that.