As a man of a certain age, I have finally realized my time in the workplace may be coming to an end. I got my first real (tax paying) job in 1975, which seems like just a few years ago! I spent 20+ years in the military and the rest of my time working in the corporate, government, and small business worlds. I have excelled everywhere I have worked. I recently started work in a new position, and I am struggling with starting over, and having to prove myself to people who are half my age. My realizations are very hard to admit, and I understand I am not alone. Midlife workers deal with workplace struggles every day.
I have had a wonderful and rewarding career, and I still feel I have a lot to offer, but I don’t want to be the old man in the office who keeps telling my younger colleagues to “get off my lawn”. When I started my career, the only automation we had were typewriters and cash registers. Now I am monitoring 8 systems each with their own password. I find myself in endless meetings chaired by people with no clue, and no desire to get one. Most of them seem to care more about their images than what’s best for their organizations.
I still want to believe I can keep up, but I am realizing more and more that this is a young persons game. I have also realized that many young people in the workplace don’t want to hear anything their older colleagues have to say. I have also worked with some young people who seemed to resent the knowledge and experience their older co-workers brought to their organizations. I know we can be difficult at times, reluctant to accept change, and come off as know it alls, but there are no substitutes for knowledge and experience.
To thrive in the workplace at 50+ takes a lot of patience, and requires a very tolerant mindset. We need to understand that our contributions may not be wanted, and be willing to take orders and criticism from those much younger than we are. We also need to remember we were once young too, and remember how we were back then. I do not dislike young people; I find them fun and refreshing, but also at times really exhausting.
There are still positives for those who still want to work, or have to work during their midlife years. I truly believe being around young people keeps us young, and that going to work and solving problems keeps our minds sharp. Being in the workplace at 50+ also gives us an opportunity to work with, and learn the latest technology. I pride myself on being tech savvy, and I can keep up tech wise with most of the young people I work with. Technology improves our lives.
I admire and applaud my fellow “midlife’s’ that are still thriving in the workplace. Many who are still contributing at a very high level, keeping up with the millennials, and mentoring young professionals. There was a time when that was me, but my energy and my desire are waning. The older I get, the less tolerance I have for day-to-day work life. I have been employed un-interrupted for nearly four decades. I have paid my dues, and I feel I no longer need to prove myself to, or take orders from people who are younger than my children. I have much more to say about all this, but I think I see kids on my lawn.