There’s something about this idea of being the “wrong age” that comes up so much when I first speak with someone about their career or self-employment concerns.
You might be surprised that I hear this same worry no matter the person’s age! They can be 20, 30, 40, 50, or 60, and somehow they think it’s the “wrong age.” I would laugh if it weren’t so sad.
For instance, I hear all these kinds of things, regularly:
- “I’m 33 so it’s really late to be figuring this out.”
- “I’m 25 so it’s really late to be figuring this out.”
- “I’m embarrassed I don’t know what I want to do at age 50.”
- “Nobody will hire me now that I’m over 50.”
- “I’m too old to do that.”
- “I’m too young to be taken seriously.”
- “I’m too old to start a business.”
- “I’m too young to start a business.”
- “They want younger workers who know the latest technology.”
- “They want someone with more years of experience.”