Friday, January 11, 2008

You mean I have to work another 25 years?!

I'm turning 40 this year, and it's sent me into a bit of tailspin.

Not because I'm old -- I don't mind being this age and look and feel great. Not because there are things I didn't do before the 'best years of my life' were behind me -- I have a good career and I'm good at it, I'm married, we own a home, I have kids and on track for all that stuff.

No, I'm in a tailspin because I've realized that I have 25 more years to work, and I don't think I want to be doing things the way I'm doing them now, at least not for that long!

All my work role models to date were my parents and their generation. They had real jobs, and stayed at them, usually at one company, for their whole lives, then retired. But I've been self-employed for most of my career. I've had jobs for two years, six months, part time for a year -- but it always comes back to finding my own opportunities and building my own business.

Well fine, that's worked out okay for the last 15 or so years, but I can't see me chasing contracts or projects in my 50s and 60s. What ever will I be when I grow up?

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