Rodent Regatta

In yesterday’s Wall Street Journal, Jeffrey Zaslow wrote the Moving On column. It was titled Once We Were Hot, Now Maybe We’re Not: Boomers Face Becoming Has Beens.

Just in case you needed a subscription to see it, I’ll give you this excerpt:

STAYING RELEVANT

Here are some resources to help baby boomers fight off hasbeenhood:

New Directions: Firm helps boomers become ”radical career changers” and ”free agents for life.” Contact: www.newdirections.com ”50 Plus” by Robert Dilenschneider: The career strategist’s new book advises aging professionals on how to please younger bosses and master youth-oriented workplaces. www.thirdage.com: Web site offers discussion groups, dispels retirement myths. Career Counselors Consortium: Service helps aging boomers rediscover their missions and passions. Contact: www.careercc.org ”Rewired, Rehired or Retired” by Robert Critchley: Tips from an executive at outplacement firm DBM to help older workers remain invaluable.

One of the most telling quotes in the article is this:

Such a rediscovery process will be crucial for boomers in the years ahead, says Dave Corbett, founder of New Directions, a transition counseling firm in Boston for aging executives. His ”Me, Inc.” philosophy encourages them to mold self-employment to suit their needs and passions.

This points to a time when each of us is simply too old to get hired. For some that may come at 40, 45 or 50. For others it may be the basis for a second career after retiring from the first. In any case the age at which age discrimination sets in is much lower than it was even 5 years ago.