,A sign of changing times in media properties, USA TODAY is offering buyouts to some employees 55-years-old with 15 years service. In the less turbulent 20th century, that was referred to, with a fearful hush, as "the retireman cometh." And it usually signaled the end of a career. Those encouraged to exit sold their house, relocated to a less expensive section of the country, and were never heard from again.
Now, although it's a trauma to be forced out of one's comfort zone, it's no longer the end to professional life. We can re-tool our skills, change our persona, and get a hang of how to operate in niches which may be new to us. I did that, for the second time since my career crisis in 2003, in landing a full time paid job, after years of being an independent contractor. That has been at the age of 67. ABC News interviewed me last Friday about that shift. Here is the interview.
Admittedly, that kind of move is still atypical. That's why it was news to ABC. However, although we aging who manage to continue to work are early adopters and the experience can be brutal, we are proving that it is possible to be professionally relevant, no matter our age.
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