April 2009 - Ask me anything
"I feel so useless"
I have just been made redundant for the second time and I feel I
can't take any more. After the first time I tried to start up
my own business but it failed. I got a job after a year but now
that's gone too. Is it me? Either I'm jinxed or I'm
just not up to it. I have two teenagers coming up to exams, one A
levels and the other GCSEs. I try to stay positive for them and my
wife is trying to get more hours at her part-time job but things
are difficult and I think my children will wind up on the scrap
heap because they have a no-good dad. At 44 what hope have I got of
a job the way things are?
DENISE SAYS:
You've had bad luck but nothing you have done has contributed
to your present situation. All over the country hard-working people
are seeing their jobs vanish. It's difficult to see light at
the end of the tunnel, but the light is there and sooner or later
it will come into view. At 44 you're only half-way through your
working life. This is an opportunity to explore which direction you
take when things improve. Talk to Learn Direct (0800 101 901,
www.learndirect.co.uk) about the possibilities of retraining or
brushing up existing skills.
If you're unsure about benefits, the Citizens Advice Bureau
can help. Tell the Job Centre you'll try your hand at anything,
full or part-time. As for your children, being out of work does not
mean the end of fun or loving family life. I was in your position
some years ago with five children at crucial stages of their
education. We even lost our home. They went on to be happy,
successful men. Your children have a dad who cares deeply for them.
That makes them privileged.
To read more from Denise Robertson please join.
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