John Daly of Foster City says he should have known his programming job with the city of San Francisco was in jeopardy when he had to start training other people to do it.
An employee for about 35 years, Daly, 58, was unexpectedly laid off in June.
He’s taking it as an early retirement for now, but the sudden shake-up has left his wife, Mary Daly, also 58, considering joining the workforce again after more than two decades of staying home with their daughter and autistic son.
Mary Daly is not alone as an older adult trying to re-enter the workforce, according to John Webber of the state Employment Development Department.
It’s especially difficult in California, which had the third-worst unemployment rate in the nation in November at 12.4 percent.
San Mateo County’s unemployment rate is lower — 8.7 percent — but finding a job here will get more difficult as unemployment benefits begin to expire for some people, officials said.
Webber recently hosted a seminar for job seekers 55 and older at the Burlingame Library that Daly and her husband attended.
“I do feel I’ve missed out at my age,” she said. “I need to find out if I have enough education, if I need certificates or more training.”
Daly holds an undergraduate degree from San Francisco State University and is 15 credits shy of a teaching credential. Before having her 23-year-old son, who demanded full-time special-needs attention, she worked as one of the first female letter carriers in San Francisco and also as a court reporter and secretary.
Now that her husband has lost his job, the household income is about 70 percent of what it was — a scary thing for parents who anticipate partially supporting at least one of their children for the rest of their lives.
Yet for Daly, who has devoted herself to a variety of volunteer organizations over the years, the idea of seeking out work is more exciting than daunting, especially because she’s always felt the nagging of an unfulfilled creative streak that she hopes to feed through new endeavors.
“The attitude you bring to your job search is everything,” Webber said.
And in Daly’s case she’s viewing herself as a “guinea pig” for her son, who would also like to find a part-time job.
“Work gives people so much self-esteem,” she said. “It gives people a lot more than money.”
Thomas Churchill of San Mateo is still working at 65 years old, but as he gets older his needs become more specific and the jobs available to him fewer.
He’s helped design some of the Bay Area’s most recognizable landmarks, from Ghirardelli Square to the Moscone Center, and now uses his architecture background in a marketing capacity.
However, the contracted, part-time work doesn’t pay as much as he’d like and can require commuting into San Francisco, something that’s become difficult since he became disabled.
Seven years ago, Churchill lost one leg below the knee to diabetes complications, and four years later he lost the other.
Once upon a time, his work regularly sent him to 14 states and three continents.
“Through the 2000 era I had a pretty bad time,” he said. “Being hospitalized at my age, I had to take it easy.”
Churchill says he doesn’t know what he’s going to do, but he’s interested in finding out what’s available for seniors, and he’d consider relocating for the right opportunity even though San Mateo County has been his base since 1945.
“This is my home area but I don’t know if I’m going to stick it out here or not,” he said.
Churchill attended another workshop for job seekers but didn’t find it all that useful.
“Everybody tells you how to make a résumé but nobody is telling you where to get a job,” he said.