Dear Coach, I’m currently a mail processing clerk at the United States Postal Service–and my job is being eliminated. You can imagine my anxiety at the prospect of having my position eliminated after 26 years. I hope to be able to transfer to the inspection-service department within the company and am considering getting a degree in this area. But I wonder if at age 49 it’s worth it for me to go back to college?
Carol Kleiman: It absolutely is worth it to go back to college and get a degree in a field that apparently has interested you for many years now. You have a long work life ahead of you, and having the proper educational credentials makes a huge difference in opportunity and salary. Go for it!
Dear Coach, I was offered a salary of $48,000 to start a new job. When the offer letter came, it was reduced to $45,000. I was told this was not negotiable. I’ve talked to several friends of mine who say this is happening a lot–and it’s because people looking for jobs today have low confidence. I guess no one says anything because they need the job.
CK: You probably could look into a lawsuit, but I understand that you feel having a job right now is better than a lawsuit–and your employer knows it. But remember: When the job market improves, the people you currently work for cheated you from Day One.
Dear Coach, I want to ask if you’ve seen a trend in businesses and companies to start outsourcing the work of secretaries and administrative assistants? I work for a large corporation with a history of “quiet” outsourcing on all levels of the organization. But outsourcing of support staff seems a new twist.
CK: It isn’t. It’s one of the oldest areas of outsourcing: When hiring workers from temporary agencies was “invented,” outsourcing of administrative staff began, and continues to grow.
COACH CAROL’S 15-SECOND DRILL: Use your lunch hour to your advantage. Ask your colleagues–especially those in other departments–and your boss to lunch. Pay for everyone, if you can afford to. Except the boss.
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Carol Kleiman’s columns also appear in the Tuesday and Thursday Business sections. Hear her on WBBM-AM 780 at 6:21 p.m. and 10:22 p.m. Mondays and at 11:20 a.m. Saturdays. Send e-mail to [email protected].