Everyone has heard about the "mid-life crisis" and when I think about this term I imagine a guy driving a red convertible wearing a shirt with the top 2 or 3 buttons undone and gold chains around his wrists and neck. This same image evokes a feeling of a slimy bastard trying to hit on the younger version of the current wife, the one that is at home raising the kids and keeping the house. I think it is sad that this is what I imagine when I hear that term. What I am finding as I get older is that EVERYONE faces a mid life experience and maybe it is not a "crisis" but there is definitely an event or series of events that makes one sit back and take stock of their lives.
I recently turned 46 and in chatting with my gal pals I am finding that each and everyone is questioning what they are going to be doing for the second half of their lives. The current life expectancy for the United States of America is 71 years for men and 80 years for women. This means that I am past the middle of my expected life span and I am on the "downward slide". I know without a doubt that I will be working in some capacity until I die. The question I wonder is will it continue to be in the current field I am in or will I be doing something else?
Each of my friends who are questioning life have worked for years in steady professions and are ready to do something "new". Some are contemplating returning to school for more education. Most do not want to continue in the same profession but are looking to learn something completely different.
One friend is a self employed person and she was telling me the other day that she wants to become a nurse. I had two gut reactions to this statement 1) you are too old to become a nurse 2) you will never be able to do it because nurses are on their feet for a large portion of their shifts. Another friend who is a nurse has physical problems and really needs to find another job but cannot afford to return to school. Another has never been to college, but in the current environment where the piece of paper showing you graduated means more than 20 + years of experience she cannot find a job that pays enough to support herself.
It is frustrating to watch as everyone struggles with the changes that are occurring in the job market around them and the fears that accompany those changes. The ones that I have identified in chatting with friends are as follows;
1) Will "I" be a viable competitor in the job market?
2) What do "I" need to do to compete against people who are 20+ years younger who grew up in the computer age.
3) How will "I" pay my bills and keep a roof over my head if I change jobs.
4) How will "I" manage with physical health problems as changing careers will mess with my insurance and "I" can't afford to not have insurance.
When life expectancy was much less these issues were not ever an issue. Men went to work and stayed in jobs for 30+ years doing the same thing day in and day out. That is what they knew and it was what they did. Today with both women and men working and the job market changing constantly people are moving from one career to another every 5 to 7 years and maybe that is what my friends and I have done wrong. We haven't changed jobs and moved frequently. In the company that I work for a large portion of the service reps have been with the company for over 20 years each and there are several who have been with them for 35 years. This longevity speaks more to the stagnation that occurs when one does not make the move to new company than it does to the employee desire to be loyal. They remain in the same place because they are paid just enough and given just enough vacation and benefits to keep them there, and that is it.
I recently turned 46 and in chatting with my gal pals I am finding that each and everyone is questioning what they are going to be doing for the second half of their lives. The current life expectancy for the United States of America is 71 years for men and 80 years for women. This means that I am past the middle of my expected life span and I am on the "downward slide". I know without a doubt that I will be working in some capacity until I die. The question I wonder is will it continue to be in the current field I am in or will I be doing something else?
Each of my friends who are questioning life have worked for years in steady professions and are ready to do something "new". Some are contemplating returning to school for more education. Most do not want to continue in the same profession but are looking to learn something completely different.
One friend is a self employed person and she was telling me the other day that she wants to become a nurse. I had two gut reactions to this statement 1) you are too old to become a nurse 2) you will never be able to do it because nurses are on their feet for a large portion of their shifts. Another friend who is a nurse has physical problems and really needs to find another job but cannot afford to return to school. Another has never been to college, but in the current environment where the piece of paper showing you graduated means more than 20 + years of experience she cannot find a job that pays enough to support herself.
It is frustrating to watch as everyone struggles with the changes that are occurring in the job market around them and the fears that accompany those changes. The ones that I have identified in chatting with friends are as follows;
1) Will "I" be a viable competitor in the job market?
2) What do "I" need to do to compete against people who are 20+ years younger who grew up in the computer age.
3) How will "I" pay my bills and keep a roof over my head if I change jobs.
4) How will "I" manage with physical health problems as changing careers will mess with my insurance and "I" can't afford to not have insurance.
When life expectancy was much less these issues were not ever an issue. Men went to work and stayed in jobs for 30+ years doing the same thing day in and day out. That is what they knew and it was what they did. Today with both women and men working and the job market changing constantly people are moving from one career to another every 5 to 7 years and maybe that is what my friends and I have done wrong. We haven't changed jobs and moved frequently. In the company that I work for a large portion of the service reps have been with the company for over 20 years each and there are several who have been with them for 35 years. This longevity speaks more to the stagnation that occurs when one does not make the move to new company than it does to the employee desire to be loyal. They remain in the same place because they are paid just enough and given just enough vacation and benefits to keep them there, and that is it.
No comments:
Post a Comment