I was at the top of my game. Had a great aIT job with great pay and I got laid off 6 years ago.
Depression and sickness followed by more depression is how I spent the past six years.
What can I do now? Six years is eternity when you have been out of the workforce this long.
My mental health is back so I can work again.
I don’t know know how to move forward.
I was laid off 7 years ago but I didn’t let it stop me from moving forward. I couldn’t get another job with tech because my tech skills weren’t marketable. My specialty was for products sold to India. I changed careers. I had to start at the bottom and learn new skills. It was rough getting through training and gaining experience but I’m finished and experienced in a job in demand.
I would look at IBM business partners, large IBM customers and competitors
Plan where you would like to get to for your next job, and then work out a strategy to help get you there. Networking with others cannot be underestimated. And being flexible. Having 2 or more versions of your resume to send out is helpful particularly if you are multi-talented and can fit in different job roles. And being relentless like a hungry shark will eventually pay off.
Getting a job in today's economy is like getting dates for the weekend. Have you ever met those guys who seemingly have nothing going for them, but always have some woman lined up for Friday or Saturday night? You ask yourself, "How in the world do they do that?"
Answer: Before getting a woman for the weekend date, he asked out a bunch of women beforehand, and got rejected by all but one or two. All it takes is one to accept.
Successful job applicants keep on searching and keep on applying, like a shark searching for its next meal. They never give up, and they don't get discouraged.
Oh come on, you downvote me but you have to admit that's better than a fast food job!
Perhaps Autozone or Advance Auto will hire you to deliver auto parts?
I have bad news- the IT run as we knew it is over.
There are still jobs and will always be a need for IT jobs but the “run” we had for 30 years is gone.
We are pumping out thousands of graduates each year and India plus China pump out MILLIONS each year.
You might be lucky but look outside of IT.
Personally, I suggest looking for "real world jobs that require IT skills" rather than "IT industry jobs". To be hired into a professional IT job these days requires checking a lot of boxes...age is one, DEI is another, credentials are a third. Unless you are looking for a job in executive IT consulting or senior project management or something like that, don't bother looking for "IT jobs". There aren't many, and the ones that are out there probably won't hire someone like you.
HOWEVER...there are jobs that require IT skill, like setting up POS or network or whatever for small and growing businesses. Can you work with Windows 365 and Microsoft Office? There are lots of businesses that could use help setting up all that stuff, and paying hundreds of bucks an hour to IT contractors isn't doing much for them.
Keeping a resume is helpful, but the world transitioned to machine-scanned resumes many years ago. For you, that means that the probability of a hiring manager seeing your resume and hiring you is vanishingly small. Maybe the keywords on your resume really stand out, but personally I rather doubt it...no offense.
Lastly, try not to be depressed when I tell you this, but...the IT profession is really overstaffed. This is true of other professions as well, like legal work...there are way, way, way too many people looking for jobs in a collapsing economy. It's gonna be tough sledding...but if you can accept that it's not YOUR fault, the sledding might be easier for you.
Consider consulting where you reach out to starting mom/pop businesses where you can get their IT environment in place (automation, web page, etc)
Polish your resume, reach out to everyone you know. Ex co-workers, ex-customers, etc.
Ask them is there an opportunity for you to help them with your talents.
IT industry doesn’t like older employees
try smaller companies
the bigger ones are all about cheapness
the smaller ones will probably be more rewarding
Never too late. There are people graduating college from 50 yo and beyond. Put your resume out there but also look for a part time job with flexible hours to get an income and keeping busy. Best of luck