Asking around

As part of my whole career exploration post-40, I've made a list of successful women in my city that I know, women who are older than me, at least a little, who seem to have their working lives in order. I'm hoping that these women, who primarily work in PR or marketing, have figured out what kind of professional role is possible for someone of my skills in her 50s and 60s.

Armed with my list, I am slowly calling and scheduling lunches/coffee/drinks with each of them and chewing the fat on the subject of "What should I be when I grow up?" On the one hand, I'm hoping I'll get offered some great advice on revisioning my career and setting new goals for the next half. At the same time, I can't deny that this is good networking too. But really, it's the career goals that drive me to this. Hopefully I'll work my way through the list over the next several months.

Funny that essentially I'm doing "informational interviews." I find this ironic because when I first moved to this city 12+ years ago, I did this kind of thing with people I didn't know in order to get a handle on the PR scene in town. Back then I was job-hunting, or contract seeking. I guess I have more in common with my 20-something self than I thought.