"Dear Good Job, My amazing boyfriend of seven years has a degree in computer science and has now been unemployed for 18 months. He worked for small tech companies for 12 years, since right out of college, and is no stranger to being laid off; this is his fourth time being unceremoniously offloaded. The previous three times, though, he easily found a new position within a couple of months."
"This time, however, he's had maybe six or seven interviews in a year and a half, despite speaking to two headhunters and a career counselor, as well as working his networks, going all the way back to college professors and old study buddies for leads. The headhunters and counselor gave it to him straight: His degree is "old," he worked in a niche area, and his salary tier and age make him unattractive to tech companies in our large, saturated metro area."
"When he first became unemployed, he threw himself into it. He cooked amazing meals within our food budget, maintained his gym and health routines, did tons of stuff around the house, and read a lot. Now, I can tell he's depressed. He hasn't openly said it, but he's not sleeping well, his gym habits are dropping off, and he's spending more and more time staring at old TV shows during the day."
A man with a computer science degree has been unemployed for 18 months after 12 years at small tech firms and multiple layoffs. Earlier layoffs led quickly to new jobs, but current job searches yielded only a handful of interviews despite help from headhunters, a career counselor, and networking including college contacts. Advisors told him his degree is "old," his experience is niche, and his age and salary expectations deter employers in a saturated metro tech market. Initially productive and healthy, he now shows signs of depression, declining routines, and is considering retraining in a nontech field like health care.
Read at Slate Magazine
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