At around 50, I felt washed up; in a dying industry and a failing company owned by private equity. Job was bleak and thankless, I was old and unemployable. If I

At around 50, I felt washed up; in a dying industry and a failing company owned by private equity. Job was bleak and thankless, I was old and unemployable. If I lost my job, I was hopeless. A headhunter called me out of the blue. We talked for 20 minutes, he had one -one- option for me that was a perfect fit, and I started working at a boutique consulting agency. Fast forward 5 years; I'm leading a group of awesome consultants at an even cooler, massive consultancy. I'm doing work for clients I never imagined working with, and learning emerging technologies. Work is fun, clients love us, my team are brilliant and funny, I completely reinvented my career, and I'm making triple what I was a few years ago. Yes, there is a lot of grind, and I don't create like I used to. I don't want to give you the wrong impression, but it's AWESOME nonetheless. Sure, I did super-cool stuff in 1994, and again in 2004. In the 80's too, if I think about it. I miss those days. Maybe I should have peaked then, but I'm too stupid to stop surfing whatever wave is in front of me. Opportunities abound for anyone curious and willing to take risk. Age is -not- a construct (aches and pains are true), but as you age you acquire wisdom, and it's surprising that the stupid stuff I say to smart younger people who take it as profound. I'm actually helping people. I never dreamed that 5 years ago. Oh, hey. Tech is too big to follow. Find your interests and pursue them, leave the rest. I love generative art and followed it for a few years, but it's only recently that it's more accessible. I'm one of the leaders in a 10K+ person org. At 55. In addition to my day job. Just have fun. It all works out in the end. Life is a jungle. Swing from the vines.