My story can be found on page 137 of 'How to Destroy the Middle Class' playbook ....

[Patiod]

48. Everyone's employment niche is different

My guess is that cuts to local govts + oversupply of lawyers = lousy job market because the Public Defenders' office is one of the first places that local governments cut when the squeeze goes on.

In addition, the law schools are graduating way more lawyers than are needed, meaning that there are a glut of hungry kids who will work for peanuts to get a foot on the ladder (I've heard some of their stories firsthand).

Once you're over 50, everyone's job market is different - employers look at your experience, and you're either a fit or you're not. They're very exacting, and don't want to train (or re-train) anyone. They don't understand how much job experience is transferrable, either.

I was reading my own industry newsletter, and it basically said "the job outlook is bleak unless you have deep and broad experience in the X industry". By a lucky mix of fate and geography, that's my industry, and I've never had a problem finding work. But had I specialized in ANY other industry, I'd be SOL and all but unhirable due to my age, even though my experience in A,B,C or D would transfer easily to X.