It really does get better... a 14-months later update

[discouraged]

You make me feel hopeful. Thank you so much! I'm 57 and lost my job at 55. Worked a 6 month temporary job at the county and am now on a 3 month temp position at the city. Just took the clerk test last week for the county and am hoping with the 2 recommendations that I will finally get in. Here in MN Senior Housing starts at 55 for most places so hoping to get in once they foreclose on my house - if I have a job, of course.

You give inspiration to the rest of us 'elders'!

[ForTheBest]

fallonedward... Those applications are like running an obstacle course, aren't they?? And all the acronyms. Geesh. And then the waiting... and waiting... to hear. Oof. I, too, wished for a manual... until it dawned on me that it would probably be written in government-ese and nobody would be able to decipher it anyway! Heck, I read some of those USAjobs postings 10 times and still couldn't figure out what the job actually entailed, never mind whether I was qualified for it!

researchnerd... Congratulations on your discharge! Looks like your patience definitely paid off. I look forward to reading your life-after-bankruptcy story in a few months.

discouraged... It's certainly been a long haul for you, hasn't it? My fingers are crossed that your county job comes through... and soon. You're definitely due for some great news and it's going to feel soooo good once you finally get it. I figure that as hard as it's been for us to face up to bankruptcy and do it at this stage of the game, we're a lot better off than we would have been if we had tried to hang on years longer and then had to deal with it in our dotage. From news reports I've read lately, it looks like many in our generation will be doing exactly that. So here's to us... at least we'll be the ones paying cash for bingo and Depends. And since our memory will probably go downhill in a few years, maybe we won't even remember that we went through this! (Always trying to look on the bright side...)

[helpme2010]

I can fully relate to your story. I had perfect credit and a high paying job for nearly 20 years until a company merged with ours and fired many of us. After legally attacking the management of this company on the finance message boards, they sued me with a SLAPP lawsuit. It took me 3 years full time, but I finally won (representing myself without an attorney and costing me pretty much my life savings). I have been in and out of jobs for the last decade. Finally going BK and getting ready to lose my house.

I am looking forward to a clean start and a new life. I see some positive opportunities that will eventually open for me after getting all this BK, foreclosure, and the leaving of my house behind me.

[BKDebby]

ForTheBest, thank you for sharing your story! My 341 is tomorrow, 2 PM EST, I am scared to death. No asset, Chapter 7. I'm 57 and I should have assets at my age! I will be another person working until the day I die.

[oregonpilot]

BKDebby...good luck . I'm 59 and i say ditto to the work. I hang wallpaper so i'm sure that someday i'll be using my walker to get up my ladder. LOL
BEST to you tomorrow.

[BKDebby]

BKDebby...good luck . I'm 59 and i say ditto to the work. I hang wallpaper so i'm sure that someday i'll be using my walker to get up my ladder. LOL
BEST to you tomorrow.

Thank you! And I just can't "picture" someone using a walker to climb a ladder!

[discouraged]

For the best - I'm curious, did you file while you were unemployed or wait to get a job. The reason I'm asking is because 1st, I didn't have the money and now, with working temporarily, I don't have time to interview lawyers. Decided the one I did see is just too expensive and didn't really answer questions - felt like I was a meal ticket for him and that he didn't really care about what I was going through.

I'm also waiting to see what happens with unemployment because this job will end December sometime - not sure of the date, it depends on their funding, and I don't want to spend money I will not have. Just so up in the air. If I can hold out until after the job ends I feel I will be in a better position.

Hearing how you feel makes me more anxious to get the ball rolling. How did you handle it?

[ccsjoe]

FortheBest,

Thank you for sharing your story. We'll be hopefully getting discharged right after Thanksgiving and we are so looking forward to it! Nice to be able to live.

BKDebby, Good luck with your 341.