Recently, I did the Unthinkable. Facepalm! I Became Employed
Part 1
Big wow, you might say, so let me qualify. I don’t mean just a job. I’m talking about an empowering experience for seniors and retirees. After years of self-employment, I haven’t had a paystub from anyone since the decade before Y2K… Around nineteen ninety…mumble…mumble. If you allow it, age can be a state of mind. Let’s just say I’m heading north and leave it at that.
Encountering the Power of AI
You might imagine my delight when I was offered a job on a tech platform. To be sure, the job is contractual and temporary. Validation is priceless, but it was the process of getting re-employed that was eye-opening.
A tech-oriented job would never have been on my radar but harnessing AI changed my prospects and powered my journey from retirement to re-employment.
Challenging the Aging Stereotype
According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS), 40 % of people 55 and older are either working or looking for work. This trend has not changed since 2014.
Experience shows me that older people often respond to opportunities with higher-than-average levels of productivity and reliability. We might not follow a traditional path necessarily but breaking stereotypes isn’t easy.
Not All Jobs Are Created Equal
Ageism
While there are some barriers to employment that cannot be overcome, there are many that can. I’m familiar with anti-discrimination laws, but I am a realist.
Pickings for retirees are fewer and less exciting but they don’t have to be. Not anymore. Both employers and employees might do well to recalibrate because AI changes the employment picture.
This is especially pertinent in youth-oriented industries like technology. With a new mindset, there could be wins for both sides. For employers, the life experiences and skills older people have acquired are highly transferable and valuable. For older adults re-entering the workforce, this sector offers higher paying jobs and more flexibility.
Re-employment Shouldn’t Mean Make-do
Age discrimination isn’t going away anytime soon. And it’s tough feeling discarded and ignored. Giving up is understandable. We become almost invisible and easy to shove aside, often in broad daylight.
For myself, the most demeaning consequence of ageism is the preconceived notion of diminished acuity. For instance, when a service person responds to my question by ignoring me and directing his or her answer to my younger companion. That’s a sort of perverse ventriloquism.
The first time it happened to me I felt like telling the service person to go and stand in the naughty corner for two hours.
Made me want to shout like the Queen of Hearts: “Off with their heads.”
Regrettably, queen was not the job I was offered, but here’s how I finally got my pay stub.
Braving a New Path
My journey back to employment made a difference— to my bank balance, but most especially to my heart. I tell this story to those who may feel undervalued.
Know that change is possible.
When I closed my last business, it was an unhappy time. I wanted to keep both my brain and bank account active but the prospects looked bleak
I admit that for a time I wallowed in the pity-pool. But the Day After had to be faced. I had to make a choice either to stagnate or do something.
But what?
There was no answer. The silence gave me nothing. So, I did what every self-respecting retiree does these days, I went online. But not to my usual haunts. I decided to step onto the AI pathway and try and regain some senior visibility.
AI Job Search
I needed a greater perspective and wider insights than anything my life experience alone could bring to the subject. That expertise is now available with astonishing generosity by way of your own personal assistant, as I discovered. I found an invisible supporter to give me practical directions through a maze of indifference.
I jumped onto ChatGPT and asked for specific advice and guidance. I got back information that answered my needs. Not just vanilla, but a sundae worthy of the most decadent indulgence you could wish for.
The more precise my questions, the better the responses became. With practice, you can improve the quality of what you receive. Using the information and the advice I got from AI, I could broaden my horizons and seek opportunities I’d never considered before.
In Part 2 I briefly explain my process in more detail for beginners who might not yet have ventured into AI.
A Word of Caution
Be real. Use common sense. The responses should be vetted. Remember above all, this is a chatbot giving you information. Not everything it tells you is accurate. Check and double-check the information and the sources. You want to know where the information is coming from because, primarily, the information is only as good as the source.
TIP: As you Get Better at Framing your Prompts, AI will Provide Better Answers
In my case, ChatGPT armed me with a roadmap and the confidence to follow it.
There’s a far broader universe of possibilities thanks to the many AI platforms out there. Possibilities we did not know about yesterday are making a new tomorrow. Your age may be heading north, but your journey is ongoing.
There are prospects out there and AI is giving you boundless access. Try it. Who knows? It may just be worthwhile for your heart and perhaps even for your wallet.
In Part 2 we’ll take a practical look at how AI tools can empower your journey—stay tuned.