A 58-year-old woman, who previously held a management position in IT, described the emotional and financial devastation following her redundancy at age 57. Despite a career spanning 30 years, with 28 in management, she found herself unable to secure new employment after applying for over 100 jobs.
Her experience has led to significant mental health struggles, necessitating NHS referral for bereavement counselling. "I realised that, yes, I was suffering a huge loss and grieving for the person I had been," she stated. The counselling helped her cope with the loss of her professional identity.
She recounted a career trajectory that began with a passion for computers discovered during a BTEC course in hotel catering and institutional management. This led to a long tenure in IT support, eventually reaching a Service Desk Manager role with a salary of £56,000 per year. However, her life changed dramatically following an acrimonious divorce in 2016, which led to financial hardship and a move to Yorkshire with her daughter.
After her mother's death in 2023, she used the inheritance to pay off her mortgage, a decision that later proved crucial. In February 2025, she was made redundant without a stated reason. Initially confident she would find a new role quickly, weeks turned into months with unanswered applications and ignored messages.
The job search proved to be a demoralizing experience. In nine months, she secured only four interviews, with three employers failing to provide feedback. One provided feedback that she lacked sufficient 'technical experience,' a claim she disputed, citing a perfect score on her last technical exam.
She expressed a belief that her age and gender were contributing factors to her difficulties, feeling that interviewers were hesitant to "take a risk" on an older woman. This sentiment was echoed by her daughter, who expressed concern over her mother's well-being.
To manage financially, she took a minimum wage job at a dry cleaners, which she found physically demanding and a stark contrast to her previous role. She later transitioned to a part-time job packing food orders at a supermarket four mornings a week, earning £900 a month compared to her previous take-home pay of £3,000. This drastic income reduction has forced significant lifestyle changes, including cutting back on expenses like meat and wine, and relying on walking to save on fuel for her aging car.
Despite the challenges, she has not given up hope of re-entering the IT sector, though she acknowledges the shrinking window of opportunity. She reflects on the harsh reality that for many women in their fifties, career paths do not necessarily lead to a comfortable retirement, and the experience of job loss can be profoundly devastating.