3 ms·

After a while, people get into their groove and don't want to get out. If the groove became a dead end in hiring, then they are in trouble when they next look

by pnathan 15y ago

After a while, people get into their groove and don't want to get out. If the groove became a dead end in hiring, then they are in trouble when they next look for work. It shows up with older people because as you get more experienced (ie, older), you have a better change of having found your groove. I think continual learning is the only way to avoid this problem. edit: Also, after you've seen a few crunches for no good reason, you just don't want to be all eager beaver and work overtime without having a sound reason up front. So I think that turns off employers as well... rather pay someone cheap who works overtime than the expensive guy who laughs at the hopeless schedule.

mark_l_watson 15y ago
I agree with you that continual learning is a requirement for managing a career or calling. I am now 60 and I still get a more than enough work offers but I find that I am spending a larger fraction of my time in learning activities than I used to. Twenty years ago I probably averaged 5 or 6 hours a week doing technical reading and coding experiments; now I easily spend 10 to 15 hours a week in learning activities. Part of this re-emphasis is because I enjoy learning new things and part is because this effort is required to keep getting interesting work that I enjoy. Also, as I get older, I have no interest at all in management or team leadership. I just want to design and write code. Another thing that is almost as important as continual learning is what I would call "ego management." Most of us with decades of experience have had some spectacular successes in our careers but these are simply not relevant now. Live in the moment. I think that it is important to appreciate how much young people bring to the game in terms of entrepreneurship, creativity and job skills. I have no problems reducing my rates (inflation adjusted) as I get older to be in alignment with my current market value. I have an old friend who is not willing to do this, keeps his rates at very high levels, and gets no work. I have stopped talking to him about how much fun I have working.

by pnathan 15y ago

mark_l_watson 15y ago

I agree with you that continual learning is a requirement for managing a career or calling. I am now 60 and I still get a more than enough work offers but I find that I am spending a larger fraction of my time in learning activities than I used to. Twenty years ago I probably averaged 5 or 6 hours a week doing technical reading and coding experiments; now I easily spend 10 to 15 hours a week in learning activities. Part of this re-emphasis is because I enjoy learning new things and part is because this effort is required to keep getting interesting work that I enjoy. Also, as I get older, I have no interest at all in management or team leadership. I just want to design and write code. Another thing that is almost as important as continual learning is what I would call "ego management." Most of us with decades of experience have had some spectacular successes in our careers but these are simply not relevant now. Live in the moment. I think that it is important to appreciate how much young people bring to the game in terms of entrepreneurship, creativity and job skills. I have no problems reducing my rates (inflation adjusted) as I get older to be in alignment with my current market value. I have an old friend who is not willing to do this, keeps his rates at very high levels, and gets no work. I have stopped talking to him about how much fun I have working.