Over-50

"Useless" - That Depends On How Resourceful We Are In Leveraging

The current generations - Millennial and Z - are questioning what graduate degrees are "useless."  

However, the broader issue is how did our generation learn to leverage doctoral degrees in the humanities, shit jobs, crazy bosses and other entities we probably designated as "useless?" Mostly it was through brutal adversity.

Jobless for the second time in a short time, I decided to play the hand I had. Previously I had been exploring new fields like low-level management in a medical insurance company and politics.

The hand I held included strong cards in communications and higher education. A college acquaintance told me about a public relations job at the University of Pittsburgh. I applied for it. I got it. The next stop was the big time in communications.

The second time I leveraged my experience was the next time I was laid off. The job had not been a shit one but the wrong one for me. The boss was, well, also not a good fit for me. Middle-aged, I was scared.

But I bundled the fear and the recent job experience in the food industry into what turned out to be a sandwich buyers couldn't resist. No, I didn't open a deli. I hawked my skills writing about consumer issues, including food.

The third time I mined supposedly useless experience for success was when the ghostwriting/speechwriting industry tanked around 2000. After at first decrying wasting my time in it instead of working in sales, I recognized that my skills in taking on other personalities and the conversational tone of speechwriting I could transplant to social media. It was an emerging field.

In short, nothing is useless. Not when we are hungry enough to push beyond our own disappointment and bitterness. I hope youth can get a hang of that without the suffering we had to endure.

New Golden Girls: Madonna, Liza, Cher

If the three are willing to rebrand themselves as Golden Girls, Madonna, Liza and Cher have a whole new career path ahead of them.

As USA Today reports, Liza and Cher supported Madonna after her fall off the stage. The challenge to Madonna was that she would be perceived as "too old" to be jumping around like that.

The three could do a film together or launch a reality show about aging women.

In Jane Austen's Time, This Would Be Like Being Invited To THE Ball

An invitation to a party!

A member of the in-crowd in my residential complex approached me yesterday. I was nervous. Had my dog dropped a dump outside her door without my noticing it? After all, her network didn't miss a trick.

Then I relaxed. There was a smile. "Mark May 30th on your calendar." She then listed all the supposedly cool people who would also be there. My, my, I thought to myself, I am valued. She is luring me with these big brandnames, at least in the social whirl of Tucson, Arizona. Damn it, I finally am allowed in.

If this were Jane Austen's time, this event would be like THE ball. That's where the most eligible bachelors who had wealth would be gathered together for one glorious night.

Of course, I asked what I could bring. I received my assignment. I warned myself not to overdo it, not to try too hard putting together my food contribution and not to sniff around for compliments.

It took 10.5 months to find a social refuge. I had relocated from the hyper-frenetic Northeast Corridor in April 2014. It has taken that long to calm down enough to engage in a real conversation.

Meanwhile, I had picked up the social retards or maybe they picked me up. There was the drunk. Then there was the obese pitbull. Last was the user.

After that, I laid low. I observed how interaction is done here in the Southwest. No, unlike the East Coast, you don't talk about work. Yes, you count your blessings. No atheists live here. And, you have no past.

Currently I can leverage this invite to encourage others to welcome me into their social scheduling. As they said in Austen's time, my dance card could be full.

Start Over In Your 50s, 60s, 70s, Even 80s - Leverage Self-Confidence

When Annie Leibovitz was having severe financial troubles, someone told her: Don't worry, you can start over again.

Of course, she could. With her talent, she would have been noticed even shooting photographs for a lowlife tabloid. But, Leibovitz was able to pull out of the downward trajectory.

With such a volatile job market and the disruption where we self-employed peddle our goods and services, we often find ourselves in the same kind of financial pickle Leibovitz had been in. The good new is that, if we believe in ourselves, yes, we do have the option of starting over again. And again.

At age 58, I did just that. What reinforced my professional self-confidence was that I took a survival job as a security guard. Immediately I was noticed and offered a promotion to supervisor. Yes, my fierce work ethic trumped even my age. I created a marketing plan for the loss-prevention firm. The brass wanted me to interview in another city for a marketing position. But, by that time, I have already made inroads back into my former industry: communications.

At age 67, I did that again. Pressured by the rising cost of operating my communications boutique in the New York Metro area, I packed up and headed West. That has panned out. Without needing so much to make ends meet, I am pitching my services more effectively. You bet, I am selling more.

The mindset is that we can and perhaps should work until we are 100+. That's the plan I am embracing. So, it's not unlikely that I will be starting over again a few more times. What I get now is this: Starting over simply goes with the territory. There should be no shame or regret involved. Just take that leap into creating a fresh start or re-start.

Witness Protection Program For Law-Abiding Baby Boomers

At  some point, it seems to happen in the professional lives of many of us Baby Boomers. Our job prospects and/or the business we own get stuck.

As we spin our wheels the situation seems to worsen. Yes, we tend to walk, talk, and even smell like losers. That's what happened to my career path after my industry tanked at the turn of the century. 

Actually, I even considered, at that time, entering a kind of "Witness Protection Program." The past, especially the memories of major success, was eating me alive. The present put me on the defensive. My business was based along the hyper competitive Northeast Corridor. I perceived myself as damaged goods. I have a hunch others shared that perception.

Things turned around, both externally and internally, when I did put together a kind of Witness Protection Program for myself. For a few years I researched where I could relocate my communications boutique. Most of the assignments were telecommuting. As I rebuilt it I had acquired clients throughout the U.S., Canada, China, and Australia. 

What made the most financial sense and what seemed like it would trigger the least emotional trauma was starting over again in the Southwest U.S.A. I was on the money. Everything got better, immediately. The tough part was the relationship one. It has been trial and error putting together a social network. My eyes would well up with tears from the loneliness. 

There really is such an entity as "a fresh start." The challenge is not to bring the dark part of ourselves with us. 

Has-Been: How You Know You Are One, How To Be Player, Again (Four Tips)

You talk about your past professional life. You are critical of Millennials. First thing in the morning you hop on Facebook, bringing your networks up-to-date on your gardening and grandchildren.

All those are red flags that you are a has-been. I know.

I was in that pickle as the communications industry was disrupting and I felt entitled to new business, based on accomplishments from a whole other era.

The good news is that it has never been easier to return to being a player again. That's because no one cares about your past or present. Everyone, at least who is in the game, is too preoccupied with survival in Fast Time. Unlike the 20th century, the 21st is not about tracking you. 

Here are four tips for a comeback:

Figure out what your strengths are in real time. Speed rather than wasting time in process became valued. I pitched my ability to produce outcomes pronto, with little direction.

Dump those stuck wherever, whenever. There's nothing to do to help them. Instead, if they have a shot at a professional turnaround, they have to figure out the Big Bounce Back. 

Experiment. Silicon Valley, the new model for business success, is all about A/B testing. Don't ever assume certainty. Adopt mindset and behavior of researchers.

Forgive yourself. If you embrace your mistakes and dig for what you learned from them, you will be able to let them go. The meme for 2015 is: From head to toe, let it go.

Yes, I am back. This time it took about five months. Next time, I hope to accelerate the come-back cycle. 

Radical Savings In Retirement - Bypass The Good Life

Those who retired to, say, Arizona, and didn't buy the nice house but rented have lots of professional options. Those who felt they have earned The Good Life tend to become boxed into staying retired. For that reason, radical savings in retirement might be even more important than saving for retirement during the middle years.

Research, surveys and anecdotal evidence chronicle how fluid a state so-called "retirement" has become. \

Those who retire from their 20-year job in corporate or government might really be "semi-retired." They still consult in that field, but on a less-demanding schedule. Or they might have purchased a tutoring franchise for standardized tests. 

Then there are those collecting Social Security and find out they need more to make ends meet. They pick up whatever work they can.

More and more common are the retirees who recognize that in capitalism not producing revenue means becoming invisible. They want back in the game.

Approaching any version of retirement with a radical-savings plan keeps professional options wide open. The renter can move from Tucson, AZ to Phoenix for a work opportunity. The renter who doesn't have to worry about putting on a new rool can pop for a franchise or invest in a fresh marketing campaign for an online business. 

Other tactics in radical savings include:

• Moving overseas where the cost of living can be half what a retiree on the East Coast ponies up monthly. Some locations have national health programs.
• Using public transportation and just-in-time rentals instead of owning a car.
• Checking out free educational and social opportunities at faith-based organizations. Walk into any of those and you will notice a lot of gray hair.
• Think thrift and consignment shopping before standard retail.
• Clip coupons, join rewards or loyalty programs.
• Take day trips, not exotic vacations.
• Understand all the tax deductions for independent contractors.
• Grow your own vegetables, produce your own meat.
• Don't co-sign student loans for family. A chunk of your Social Security will be garnished if you don't pay regularly.
• Search for education and training courses that are free online. Evan a non-credit continuing education course at the community college can cost $120.
• Keep transferring credit-card account balances to zero-interest ones. With the economy stronger those offers should continue to be in the snail mail for a while.
• Arrange to pay recurring bills online. That saves postage and late fees when you forget.

Since I signed up for Medicare and Social Security, I have followed a Radical Savings regime. The surplus I built up allowed me to re-locate to a warmer, low-cost part of the country, experiment with new marketing approaches, and choose the clients for my communications boutique. At this point, it remains more cost-effective to rent than buy. Also, it prevents agita. Last week, the handyman for this rental complex fixed the screen on the large window, put the closet door back on the hinges, replaced two blind slats, and adjusted the temperature on the hot water.

 

Not All-Business - The Power Of Caring

The most successful organizations, leaders, and individual players are those who demonstrate, over and over again. that they aren't all-business. Instead of a totally capitalistic persona they stop and take the time to care. 

That was the ethos of the neighborhood grocer and the butcher shop which marketing expert Toby Bloomberg has highlighted in her award-winning blog. Forbes has been among the brandnames which have singled it out for capturing the importance of values in serving customers. Bloomberg recalls how her grandmother taught her to expect that authentic sense of caring.

For that reason, most sales in my field of professional services should be slow ones. First we establish the relationship. We open ourselves to prospects to allow them to experience us as a human being.  Then and only then do we move forward with the sales pitch.

The essence of the Salvation Army, even as it migrates into being a major retailer, is to be there for everyone and anyone. I have never dealt with its leaders, managers and residents who first pitched me about swinging by the retail wing. They always were first a presence, asking me how they could serve my needs.

On the other hand, a writing group listed on MeetUp may have shot itself in the foot. Its powers that be made the matter of financial "donations" to attend an issue. For some of those who attend that has been a turn-off. That's even, though, the leadership has made it known that the annual listing fee on MeetUp is about $135.00.  For those of us considering participating, some of us have a bad taste in our mouth. It seems a violation of the spirit of the organization to not charge anything, then make a point of pushing for donations.

Bloomberg and I began our relationship a decade ago as colleagues helping colleagues on an American Marketing Association ListServ. We didn't get down to business for a long time. Perhaps that's why not only myself but many others in marketing and public relations exclaim, "Toby Bloomberg! We would do anything for her." That anything includes referrals for her Bloomberg Marketing Firm.

Out Of The Loop - Maybe It's Time To Put Together A New Game

We professionals are social animals. So, the pain is acute when we are no longer in the loop in what's going on in our careers. It seems and it could really be happening that others are making the big hits, being invited to the in parties, and delivering those keynote addresses at trade associations. 

We might have to embrace that we are, just as we sense, out of the loop. But that doesn't necessarily mean we are finished in our professional lives. This emotional ordeal might be what we need to put together a new kind of game for ourselves. You bet, just like those in Silicon Valley, we are going to disrupt what has been.

A nurse never was really in any loop in her professional life. Her peers didn't like her. Higher-ups got it that she just didn't fit so there were no promotions. As she aged she couldn't stand the isolation any more. So, she invested her time and her money into getting a Master's in Healthcare Management. Then everything clicked.

Her niche became leadership. There she thrived. Her cold personality was interpreted as professional decorum. Good at what she did, she attracted others who wanted to get ahead. Her networks were extensive. 

Some of us get too old for playing some games. Or we may just be burnt-out. So, we let go of all that. We are willing to try new things. 

Baby Boomers & Marketing For Results, Not Confirmation That You're "Over"

Age is real. And there is plenty of bias about it in estimating the value of us Baby Boomer professionals. But that's no excuse to stop marketing ourselves brilliantly. Most of us got where we got because we knew how to put ourselves out there.

Then, aging threw its curve ball. Stunned, too many of us began going through the motions of hunting for professional opportunities, not pursuing them aggressively. For example, we replied to help-wanted ads in a generic manner.

For example, we didn't custom-make our cover letters and resumes. Sure, we can leverage pattern resumes and cover letters. But each has to be motified for the specific job or customer/client.  

We go for an interview without researching the industry and the company. Yes, they expect us to have done a deep dive on where they are.

We don't follow up. Yet, the work can come through months or years later.

We don't heed proven advice in "What Color Is Your Parachute" to send unsolicited pitches. Almost 50 percent of the good jobs and well-paying assignments come that way. If you haven't read the book, read it. Three times.  The recommendation pans out in work because your pitch is not competing with 200 or 300 others, as when you reply to a help-wanted. On the employer's desk might be only five letters like yours.

If you are merely going through the motions of applying for work, stop. Taking breaks in a hunt is good. Then set out with the mindset that you are going to get work. You will. Then you will get the hang of getting better and better work. Soon enough you will be puzzled how you slid into that dark place of assuming you were "over."