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Mid 40's and uncertain
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Mid 40's and uncertain
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I am a mid 40's white male who is about to graduate with an associate degree. Is my advancement opportunities clock ticking? It is common knowledge a company cannot consider age as a factor for advanc
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Forums » Topic Forums » HR Career Forum » Mid 40's and uncertain
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Mid 40's and uncertain
posted at 1/23/2007 2:07 AM EST
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Posts: 5
First: 9/17/2003 Last: 8/7/2007 |
for me life is about options and happiness. will the degree create options later? will you enjoy getting it now? you'll be 50 some day. would you be happier to be 50 with a degree or without? if you want/need a different job, will you be more successful with or without the degree? personally, its tough enough to be rejected because of age, i'd hate to hand someone the excuse that i lack the degree. |
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Mid 40's and uncertain
posted at 1/23/2007 3:01 AM EST
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Posts: 1
First: 1/23/2007 Last: 1/23/2007 |
Aside from the obvious gratification of achieving the accomplishment obtained from getting a degree, I believe that you should get it for pratical reasons - employment. While some have been able to obtain employment based on their experience and certification, I'm finding others in all age groups who are equally unfortunate despite the experience and certification because they don't have the degree. I agree with an earlier comment that was made. Age may play a factor against you in this society at some point. Why give employers another reason not to hire you? Get the degree. |
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Mid 40's and uncertain
posted at 1/23/2007 3:49 AM EST
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Posts: 7
First: 4/8/2003 Last: 1/23/2007 |
I am a white male now 65, with no plans of retirement. It took me 15 years of large doses of frustration, lack of sleep, lack of free time, constant pressure of balancing family, work and school pressures. Finally, I graduated at the age of 48. Was it worth it? You bet. Did it increase my potential to employers. Sure did. Did it open doors in the interview process? Yes it did.
But the greatest gain was personal. I achieved my goal. I gained some character building that comes only from being under fire. No matter how old I get I can look back and see my achievement. Go for the "gusto"...you will not regret it! |
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Mid 40's and uncertain
posted at 1/23/2007 4:22 AM EST
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Posts: 38
First: 9/29/2006 Last: 3/10/2008 |
Great responses here. I'd like to add my two cents.
The Old Gray Mares are better that they used to be. Fifty isnt as old as it was. Bill and Hillary are almost 60; Jane Fonda is turning 70! The average American today is living 29 years longer than he or she did a century agobut those years are being tacked on to middle age, not old age. Middle-aged people today are in better health and are planning to work longer than ever before. Many have whole new careers in front of them! Lydia Bronte, author of The Longevity Factor, conducted a study of the careers of people over 50. Almost half of the participants had a major career peak after age 50. For example, Julia Child wrote Mastering the Art of French Cooking when she was almost 50, and then her career took off. About one-third of the study participants had major career peaks after the age of 65! Those over 50 experience job searches that take just a few weeks longer than do the searches of those under 50. If a person wants to work, what can he or she do? 1. Decide how many more years you want to work. If its only five years, you can try to stay in your current field. But if you want to work for 20 more yearsas many dodevelop a plan that you find exciting. 2. Think about how you want to live during those years. Here are a few examples: Steve had done what others wanted all his life, and now he thought it was time to do what he wanted. He just didnt know what that was. At age 61, it took him six months of planning to start his own consulting business. Hes having more fun than he ever thought possible. And he has flexible hours so he can spend time with his grandchildren and run marathons in Bermuda! Janet, at age 52, wanted to get into the hospitality field. She got a job in event planning at a major accounting firm through a temporary placement agency. Shes now full-time in the field she wanted. 3. Pay attention to imageget new clothes, if need be. 4. Appear energetictalk about going skiing or hang-gliding (just kidding). 5. Be willing to pitch indont see anything as beneath you. 6. Exploit your age and experience! I hope you want a mature person; someone whos been around the block ... Many companies that are overrun with kids want a few gray heads around to call on the big corporate clients and help the company to avoid the big mistakes. 7. Dont confuse age prejudice with salary prejudice. If people dont want you because you cost too much, then dont moan about being too old. Address the salary issue and intensify your search to find someone who is willing to pay you what you are worth. 8. Look into organizations with fewer than 1,000 employees. These need people who can hit the ground running. 9. Learn new skills now. Dont think, Ill learn after they hire me. Take courses. Join associations. Consider consulting or part-time work to learn more. 10. Dont use your age as an excuse. Maybe the problem is something else. Try to figure out what it is. 11. And dont give up! Most of the professionals, managers and executives who attend The Five OClock Club are in their 40s and 50s. Many are in their 60s and some are even in their 70s. Yet the average regularly-attending member has a new job within just ten weeks! The best is yet to be. Kate Wendleton President, The Five O'Clock Club a national career coaching and outplacement organization www.FiveOClockClub.com |
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Mid 40's and uncertain
posted at 1/23/2007 10:15 AM EST
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Posts: 2
First: 12/13/2006 Last: 1/23/2007 |
There have been some excellent insights shared thus far. I would like to put my two cents into this discussion and address your two underlying questions:
1.Are my opportunities for career advancement diminishing as I approach 50? Depending on the specific corporate culture you find yourself in, decreased opportunities for aging workers might be an unfortunate current reality for you. But speaking generally, reality is beginning to set in for many forward-thinking companies regarding an impending talent (and more specifically, leadership) shortage. According to a number of well-publicized reports, there will simply not be enough qualified replacement candidates (Gen X/Y) available to fill the hole left by the expected baby-boomer retirees. Employee replacement costs in the US have skyrocketed and smart companies are beginning to see a significant negative bottom line impact. In addition, life expectancy in the US has notably increased and the number of employees that will not be able to retire at 65 is growing rapidly. Over the next 10 years, it has been estimated that close to 20% of the workforce will be aged 55 or over. This combination of a decreased skilled talent pool coupled with an increased number of older active employees will make it increasingly vital for successful companies to come to grips with how to retain, engage and recruit older workers. Of course, finding companies that currently recognize this makes the search a little tougher for you, but as time goes on, more and more companies will begin to see the necessity. Historically, companies who consider older workers less valuable have done so by making a number of assumptions that are increasingly becoming incorrect (most having to do with a perceived lack of long-term commitment to their work and inflexibility/ aversion to change). One major set of potential misconceptions is centered on the fact that older workers have a limited desire to learn new skills, are slow to embrace new technology, and are generally not as easily trained. Those older workers who can actively alleviate these fears will be extremely valuable to an organization, not only because of their personal contribution, but for their potential ability to influence the approach of others. So you are actually in a better position than you might think and can probably breathe a little easier. If there are current sources of data available to indicate the actual age that career opportunities begin to decrease, they probably do not reflect the dramatically changing environment we find ourselves in. 2. Is pursuing my bachelors degree worth it (cost, effort, time away from family, payback, etc.)? According to recent information derived from the Washington think-tank Employment Policy Foundation, the US can expect a shortage of over 6 million college graduates by 2012. Clearly education has and will always play an important role in the way companies select talent. Completing your bachelors degree would certainly increase your employment opportunities elsewhere as well as demonstrate your ability to learn and obtain new skills. I think the Is it worth it? section of your question becomes pivotal. You clearly have identified the potential effort and sacrifices to be made, but what exactly is the expected gain for you? Is it additional compensation or a greater opportunity for promotions and/or a quicker ascent up the corporate ladder? Perhaps a more critically fundamental set of questions might be What do you want to gain from your work, your career?, Where exactly do you derive satisfaction from your work? and What kind of work stimulates you and energizes you? If the type of work you are performing fully engages you, then any and all actions you take to become better at what you do is probably a good thing-it will make you love your work more, enable you to be even better at what you do and more than likely make you more valuable to your employer. If, on the other hand, you are doing it out of fear of a potential career stall or because it might result in advance opportunities in a job that does not necessarily stimulate you (presumably in order to gain additional compensation that will enable you to do more of what is truly important to you!), you might want to seriously re-evaluate the both sides of cost-benefit equation. In short-is it worth it? That is most definitely a question with a number of important sub-layers that only you can effectively answer for yourself. And given the potential for a longer work career than you (or I) might have originally expected, the answer you come up with has significant long term consequences for both your success and happiness. Best of luck with your challenging decision, Steve Maffei Integrated Elements, Inc. |
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Mid 40's and uncertain
posted at 1/23/2007 10:52 PM EST
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Posts: 2
First: 1/23/2007 Last: 11/13/2007 |
It doesn't matter what you choose. Most important is that you do it right. You'll be amazed to see how you adjust your expectation from time to time. So, just do it. I will be 39 in less than 2 months and I've witnessed for myself that I never know when there is an opening for me. Check the web and find an article - or perhaps more than 1 article - about companies reserving positions for the elderly. Sincerely. |
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Mid 40's and uncertain
posted at 1/24/2007 3:33 AM EST
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Posts: 2
First: 1/17/2007 Last: 1/24/2007 |
GO FOR IT! I did it and tripled my salary. I got my associates degree in my early 40s, went on to get a B.S. in Management and still went on to get my MBA at 49. At 40, I decided I didn't want to make $10 an hour for the remainder of my working years and now I am happy I had the insight to pursue the education I always dreamed of. There are many different ways to accomplish your education these days. I complete my Associates in a fasttrack program, my B.S. at a University, and my MBA online. Yes, your family may need to sacrifice but if it makes you happy, you will also be a much more successful husband and father. Don't hold back, we only have one life to achieve our goals. GO FOR IT! |
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Mid 40's and uncertain
posted at 1/24/2007 8:44 AM EST
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Posts: 40
First: 6/28/2005 Last: 2/26/2008 |
One huge factor I forgot to mention in earlier post. I was head of HR in S&P 500 company for 20 years. I believe that recruiters and supervisors *generalize* from degree attainment, thinking "This person stuck with it, demonstrating her/ his ability to achieve a complex goal with a long completion cycle." So, not only are you more likely to get hired in the first place with a degree, you are more likely to get a chance to branch out and learn new responsibilities. Rightly or wrongly, the degree will be taken as evidence that you are more goal-oriented and learning-oriented than your non-degreed counterparts. This is a hidden advantage to degree attainment, that has little to do with the course content or the specific major study area underlying the degree. |
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Mid 40's and uncertain
posted at 1/24/2007 12:06 PM EST
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Posts: 9
First: 11/3/2006 Last: 7/19/2007 |
Great responses!
Briefly, my thoughts... After 3 attempts to college, finally the 4th attempt was the charm...at 46. My intention was to get the Bachelors, but financially, it wouldn't offer me the best return on investment because I was starting my own business. What I needed was credibility and I got it more for me than anyone else. It was more of a personal goal than for promotional reasons. You have to personally determine what's the best return on investment for you! |
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