I’m in my 60s and can’t find full-time work. I took Social Security early and filed for bankruptcy to stay afloat.

This as-told-to essay is based on conversations with Thomas Heep, a job seeker in his 60s who lives in Denver. He was laid off in April 2025 and is still looking for full-time work. The following has been edited for length and clarity.

I was laid off from my job as an operations manager on April 4, 2025. I’ve been looking for full-time work since then.

I’m currently working part-time, delivering prescriptions to patients in the Denver area, and I started collecting Social Security in my 60s, before reaching my full retirement age of 67. Both combined aren’t enough to pay all my bills. Earlier this year, I filed for Chapter 7 bankruptcy.

I’m an only child and the last living member of my family. Not having a family to turn to definitely increases the pressure in a situation like mine.

I recently had an in-person interview for a job that paid $20 an hour. I felt like the interview went well, and I’d be grateful to get the job.

But there’s always a part of you that thinks: I’ve worked all my life to maybe get to this. A $20-an-hour job.

I feel like I’m basically starting at zero.

The job search process feels broken

My job search has been 99% online — LinkedIn, Indeed, Glassdoor, and stuff like that. Looking for work primarily online wasn’t new to me, as I’d landed my last job only about a year before I was laid off.

But this job search has felt different. I think the system is broken.

First of all, so many of the companies I apply to don’t respond at all. I started working during a time when you could just walk into a business, maybe they had a “We’re hiring” sign, and you could talk to somebody right there. That doesn’t happen anymore. You have to go online and fill everything out, with a very high chance you’ll never hear back. It’s such a process now, and I don’t think it’s as effective as people think.

Companies can also easily get buried by résumés when they post a job opening. A decent-paying job in a stable field will get hundreds of applications. “Work from home” roles are worse. I’ve seen application numbers in the 2,000s and higher. How is anybody going to get through that number of applicants?

I also think companies are looking for people who fully match every skill they list and don’t need any training. That’s just not going to happen.

I believe my age is a major hurdle

I believe age discrimination could be a big part of why my job search has been so challenging.

Even if a company loves my résumé, skill set, and work history, they’re going to look at my age and go: How long is he going to stay? He’s close to retirement age. It’s too risky. I’ve tried shortening my work history or omitting my age from my résumé, but I think they can still probably figure it out.

At a recent in-person interview, they needed my driver’s license, so they knew immediately how old I was. They asked whether I knew I would be on my feet all day and whether I could lift 50 pounds. It felt like they were trying to figure out whether I could really handle the work.

For me, 50 pounds is nothing. If there’s one thing that’s gone right in my life, it’s my health. But I struggled to figure out exactly how to convey that in an interview. I want to reassure them that I can do the work without coming across as egotistical.

Regardless, I was proud that I’d gotten the interview in the first place. The company told me it had received over 200 applications for the job.

I’m stuck between a rock and a hard place financially

I’m scraping by financially. Since I started collecting Social Security before reaching my full retirement age of 67, some of my benefits can be withheld if I earn above a certain amount.

If I earn more than $24,480 from working this year, $1 in benefits is withheld for every $2 I earn above that amount. I’m stuck between a rock and a hard place. What else am I going to do? I have to have income somehow. I really don’t have a choice.

Earlier this year, I filed for Chapter 7 bankruptcy after exhausting what I felt were my other options. So far, I think it was the right decision. My credit score actually went up after I filed, and bankruptcy ended up looking much better to me than some of the debt-consolidation programs I’d explored.

With less income, I’ve had to learn how to budget. I used to think I was good at budgeting, but I really wasn’t. I’ve become better at it because there’s no soft landing here. I either work, or I’m screwed.

This job search might be the greatest challenge of my life

I’ve never been in this situation before.

Has it affected me mentally? A hundred percent. I’ve gone through days where I don’t want to get out of bed, and I have to convince myself to do this or that sometimes.

It’s especially hard when you look in the rearview mirror and look at what you’ve done in your career. I believe that every place I’ve worked at, I’ve made it better. To think that now, because of my age or whatever the case may be, that I can’t get a job — it’s devastating.

But I just keep going. I keep grinding. You have to constantly convince yourself not to lose faith in a situation like mine. If you lose that, then you’re going to be in trouble.

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