Mike's Resurrection
They must have had it in for Mike the first time they saw him. His company merged into a larger corporation. He had an impressive record and string of achievements.
Still, when he met with his new division general manager, Mike said the guy told him the new management team was going to be "energetic and young." I told Mike he should have sued them for age discrimination. But, no, he's one of those good guys: He took their retirement offer and left.
You know, I never really realized how resilient he is. A couple of weeks before he left the company, Mike went off to a printer and ordered business cards and letterhead, and launched himself as a consultant.
What I didn't realize, and I guess what the new manager didn't know, was that Mike knew more about the ins and outs of one of his company's manufacturing processes than anyone else. So, as it turns out, his old company became his first consulting client. Mike thinks he might make more money consulting than he did working directly for the company, and he says there's good potential to market what he knows to several other companies that use similar processes.
Mike never talked much about his work so I guess I didn't realize how good he was. I'm really proud of my guy.
Do you think you've been passed over for a promotion or assignment because of your age? Are you settled into your job or keeping your eyes open for other opportunities? If you left your current job, how might you redirect yourself into a new career?
The above stories are composites developed from ThirdAgers' thoughts about important midlife issues. We often see these concerns and emotions expressed in online forums and chats, focus groups, advisory panels, and interviews. We'd like you to contribute, anonymously or not, your stories for possible inclusion in future Heartbeats.
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