How to Make a Career Comeback at Any Age: Is a Career Comeback a Viable Option For You?

Making a career comeback at any age can present a conundrum of serious issues and concerns for you and others. The problem becomes one of how to make a successful career comeback, regardless of your age.

The article, "6 Tips for a successful career comeback" stresses the importance of "your need for new challenges and intellectual stimulation". 

You may also consider the following questions.

Why did you retire from your career?

The reason why you retired, or left your previous career may make a difference with respect to making a career comeback at any age. Was your retirement compulsory after a certain time, or mandatory? Mandatory retirement at a specified age is currently in a state of review and transition. Forced early retirement, or early retirement by personal choice, may place the retiree in a position of having to make a career comeback at any age, for example, for personal financial reasons related to a global economic decline.

Were you in good standing upon leaving your career?

This is important because if you were in good standing at that time, it is highly likely that you will be able to make a successful career comeback. If not, you may need to re-assess your current goals and perhaps set some new ones. There may be problems from the past that you have to rectify.

Will you need to obtain further upgrading?

Depending upon how long it is since you left or retired from your career, you may or may not need upgrading, or the bare minimum of a refresher course. Remember that times change very quickly and so does technology leading to career changes.

Is there another option available in terms of a career comeback?

Ideally, if you are making a career comeback, you can return to your career on a higher level, but since the ideal is not always possible, it may be a good idea to consider career counseling in order to discuss your possible options. There may be new, career field open to you, if you are aware of it. In other words, do some serious research. You may be pleasantly surprised at what you learn about your career potential.

Was your former career a professional one?

Returning to your former career as a professional, may prove to be easier than you think. Try attending conferences, as well as formal or informal, professional gatherings or events. There you will be in contact with people on your peer level, some of whom you may already know and you will be in a familiar environment career wise. This can work to your advantage.

Be realistic with respect to making a career comeback at any age, as there are many factors to consider like your mental, emotional, physical and spiritual health status. Your competency may be subject to scrutiny, if you left or retired under untoward circumstances. You may need to prove to yourself and others that you are able to resume your former career effectively. Seeking professional medical advice prior to attempting to return to your former career may be important.

See yourself as a motivated, proactive, career-oriented person with a positive and constructive attitude, previous expertise and experience, and as the most appropriate person for the job. While you know that, others may not, so your task will be to prove yourself when you make a career comeback, at any age. 

The Secret to Staying Relevant in Your Career: Is Your Knowledge Base Relevant?

As a baby boomer or a senior, you may still want to pursue your career. To continue in your career, it is important to stay relevant. There is no question that unless you do, your career may be short-lived. When you have worked many years in your career, and gone through trials and tribulations in the process, it is a shame to lose it because of a lack of relevancy in your field of endeavor.

Dictionary.com suggests that the word relevant means “bearing upon or connected with the matter at hand” or “pertinent”.

Some examples of irrelevancy might be those of a computer technician who fails to upgrade his or her writing skills regularly, a teacher who does not accept transitions in education, or a health care professional unfamiliar with current treatment programs.

Knowing the secrets to staying relevant in your career is important. Consider the following suggestions.

Upgrading is important

Plan to upgrade your career on a regular basis by enrolling and receiving professional newsletters, magazines or updates, where you will receive advice about pending changes in your specific field. Keep your registration current.    

Stay in contact with your career peers  

In your field, you probably have acquired a large, peer group that you may or may not have maintained contact with over the years. When you renew or maintain contact with your career-related peers, they will likely relate to you in a positive, constructive manner, particularly when it is evident that you take an active interest in your career.

Examine your original career motivation

Whatever motivated you to pursue your career originally is probably still motivational, but you may need to re-examine it in the light of your current career aspirations. Ask yourself what it would take to re-motivate you, if you found that your enthusiasm was lagging. Did you encounter hurdles that you were unable to jump over career wise? Did you lose your interest or motivation in your career for health related reasons? 

Consider obtaining professional medical advice about continuing your career.

Become an educator in your career field

Many professionals in specific careers for a long time, go through a period of disinterest, boredom because of repetition and may feel that they have other priorities. In pursuing other interests, professionals may get farther and farther away from their chosen, career fields.

If you, as a professional become an educator in your career field regardless of whether you have other interests, you will find that you are not only staying relevant in your career, but that you are a career leader, as well. You will get excited about new thoughts, ideas and transitions if you engage in ongoing research. 

Another option is that of becoming a writer and penning your personal thoughts about your career for others.

Remember that no two careers are the same, or reap the same rewards and benefits. There are professionals in every career from whom you may continually learn. The younger generation often introduces new concepts in a way that you in your career, might never expect.

Knowledge is the secret to staying relevant in your career. Thus, it is up to you and your peers to develop your base of knowledge on a continual basis. The choice of learning or not learning is yours to make.  

How to Prolong Your Life: The Quest for Longevity

The quest for longevity is as old as the history of humankind, who continues to ask the question of how to prolong life. Everyone is born with an instinctive desire to want to live as long as possible. You may be asking the same question today, namely how to prolong your life.   

Aging

Aging is a major factor with respect to longevity. Aging means growing old and refers to the passage of time in conjunction with changes that take place. Some changes cause a person to age more quickly than others. Studies of mortality rates show what kinds of changes increase or decrease longevity. For example, the article "Calorie restriction diet: A dietary intervention to increase life span" discusses how diet can change life expectancy.

Longevity

The word longevity originates in its Latin roots longaevitas and refers to the length of duration of one’s life. In other words, longevity has to do with how long you will live. Perhaps the key to longevity is the desire to live a long life, in conjunction with a willingness to do whatever it takes.

What you can do to prolong your life

You may have parents and grandparents who have lived a long life and thus, you assume that you will, too. That is not necessarily true. How long you live may include other concerns like the quality of life that you choose to live. Of course, there are going to be genetic factors that you may not be able to control, but with ongoing genetic research in progress, that too may change in time. What is important are the factors that you can control, if you are serious about wanting to prolong your life. The article entitled “4 healthy ways to extend your life” offers some guidelines for prolonging your life.

Staying healthy

Throughout history, staying healthy has been a major factor with respect to aging and longevity. Staying healthy addresses all of the physical, mental, emotional and spiritual aspects of your life. There are many things that you can do in all of these areas to maintain and improve every aspect of your life. You may have to use your ingenuity in conjunction with professional guidance to stay healthy and prolong your life.    

Dietary management

You are what you eat and drink, so your diet is important if you want to stay healthy, or improve the state of your health. Drinking enough water to enable your body to function properly is also a major factor. Remember that your immune system must be protected and enhanced, so eat health healthy food regularly.

Are you consuming, exposing yourself to or using toxins of different kinds that could result in faster aging? That is not conducive to prolonging you life.  

Getting sufficient exercise

Exercise is a major contributing factor with respect to prolonging your life, particularly with respect to heart health. Remember that your heart must function properly in order for the other organs in your body to be, and stay healthy. Exercise helps to increase your bone density reducing the likelihood of debilitation and immobility. It is never too late to start a healthy exercise regime.  

Reducing stress

While a certain amount of stress in your life is unavoidable, an excess of stress can shorten your life span. Thus finding positive, constructive ways to reduce or avoid unnecessary stress in your life can prolong your life. Everyone deals with stress differently. Ask yourself what you normally do when you are under stress and how you can change it; then, act on it.      

Empowerment in your attitude towards life

Your attitude towards life is extremely important. This includes understanding the sacredness of your life, as well as that of others, as a major incentive with respect to prolonging your life and theirs. The self that focuses purely on its self and its survival is egocentric, and merely struggles for its own survival. When you see your life as being sacred, as well as the lives of others, you will seek a higher sense of well being, as well as a longer life in conjunction with others. By prolonging the life of others, you may prolong your own life too.

Simple Steps to Improve Concentration: How to Improve Your Concentration

As a baby boomer or a senior, are you finding it increasingly difficult to concentrate?

Your health and well being help to determine your ability to concentrate to some extent, but it is also important to work at improving your level of concentration because doing so will make a difference to your potential success. Perhaps you already have the natural ability or the gift of being able to concentrate. Maybe concentration seems more difficult for you than for others. Understanding what the power of concentration entails will help you to develop your level of concentration. 

What does the word concentration mean? 

Dictionary.com defines the word concentration as paying "exclusive attention to one object" mentally. or "focusing". 

How long can you concentrate on something?

Begin by testing your ability to concentrate by focusing on something specific like an object in the room or a concept. If you time yourself, you will soon see how long you are able to remain focused on that particular object or concept. Note that no two people will stay focused for the same length of time. You may be able to improve your degree of concentration by practicing that exercise regularly.

Is there something that you concentrate on well?

Do you find it easier to concentrate on something that you can see and touch? Many people do. As a unique individual, you may find that you concentrate on objects more easily than on concepts. For example, you may be able to concentrate on artifacts that depict art history, but not on the concept of art history itself.

Be aware that you may lose your concentration after a short length of time, if you are not particularly interested in a specific object or concept. For example, perhaps one historical era holds your attention because of the positive reinforcement of historical objects, while another that is conceptual only, has no appeal to you.

Have you ever engaged in concentration exercises?

Yoga requires intense concentration on many different levels and thus, developing these skills will gradually increase your level of concentration. After you have succeeded in achieving a certain level of concentration by practicing yoga, you may be able to apply these new concentration skills to other areas of your life. For example, you may do better with your studies after learning new techniques that involve concentration.

Are you good at focusing on concepts, but not on numbers? 

What you can focus on may depend upon which side of your brain is more dominant. In other words, you may be able to focus on abstract concepts easier than you can on numbers. By pinpointing areas that you excel in, you may see that you have higher concentration skills than you realize. You may also be able to improve these areas and thus increase your overall power of concentration.         

Concentrate on areas where you wish to excel.

If you focus on areas where you wish to excel, your level of concentration will continue to grow. For example, perhaps you want to excel in playing a musical instrument, but know your limited power of concentration is making it difficult to excel. Begin by working on basic exercises specific to your instrument for a short time. As you practice, you will find that your power of concentration grows. If you gradually increase the length of time you practice, you will find it easier to concentrate. Find related exercises that require the basic skills you have developed and incorporate them into your daily life.

Stay motivated with respect to increasing your power of concentration.

Your motivation may prove to be the most important determining factor with respect to improving your ability to concentrate. Remove anything that distracts your concentration and replace it with something that gives you positive reinforcement as you focus on it.

Remember that you are the person who is in control of your level of concentration. You may need to become persistent about developing your level of concentration in order to excel and succeed, so be persistent and do not give up. You will be glad that you did when you see your level of concentration improving.    

Older Workers Strengths and Weaknesses: What Does Older Mean in the Workplace?

Understanding older workers as unique, potential employees will lead to an appropriate evaluation of them as individuals with various strengths and weaknesses, not assessing them collectively by age. Note that even young hires have strengths and weaknesses.

Hiring an older worker can often appear problematic in the human resources department of any organization or company. Often the focus for hiring is on the younger generation. This can make finding employment in any capacity as an older worker difficult.

Why should you hire an older worker? 

Do you have an assessment and hiring strategy in place for older workers? If not, it may be something to consider as an employer. The U.S. Department of Labor website entitled "Employment Law Guide" offers hiring guidelines for potential employers.

One cannot underestimate the importance of treating an older worker with respect regardless of his or her suspected weakness. The dignity of the older worker is at stake. His or her self-esteem is an important aspect of employment. Those who are highly esteemed by employers generally tend to perform on a higher level than those who are not. When treated with respect the strengths of an older worker will become increasingly apparent.

Age is not the same thing as ability, although some employers do not distinguish between the two. In reality, age and ability are distinct entities. A retired person who has returned to work, a baby boomer or a young, new hire are not necessarily on different levels with respect to their ability. Each may simply need an opportunity to show his or her ability in terms of testing, assessment or various projects. In other words, an assessment and evaluation of strengths and weaknesses is important.

Age does not have to be included on a resume. In accordance with current employment standards no potential employee is obligated to disclose his or her age to an employer. Age awareness can lead to discrimination particularly if strengths and weaknesses are not considered.

Strengths and weaknesses are often gender related more so than age related, although not perceived that way. Note that women can have strengths in areas that men do not, or only some men do not. The same is true for men.

The word older can have different meanings. Older may mean something to one employer, but not necessarily the same thing to another. In other words, in the category of older, how old is old? Is it age 50, 60, 70 or 80? Maybe older means a person is in his or her 40's  in contrast to a person of a younger generation in his or her 20's.

Older may mean more experienced and stronger in one area.

Is the word older in reference to physical strength or mental, emotional and spiritual strength? Remember that anyone can be strong or weak in one area, as opposed to another. Older in terms of strength and weakness can vary in different areas.

Ask your potential, older worker what he or she sees as his or her strengths or weakness. He or she knows his or her strengths or weaknesses and will likely discuss them with you as an employer. Note that this employment candidate is making a sincere effort to apply for a job. The next candidate may not be quite so ambitious or suitable. Your older applicant may be far stronger and much more suitable as a candidate, than someone who is much younger and not sincere about employment.

Dealing with older hires in large groups can prove disastrous for organizations or companies, particularly if the older hires are not old at all. Not hiring older workers could prove disastrous as your best applicants for employment may be the oldest of them all.

Reflections on Aging: Boomers and Busters, Similarities and Differences

If one can suggest that baby boomers were born in the first ten to fifteen years after World War II, then one might also suggest that those people who were born in the ten to fifteen years prior to or during World War II are also a unique group of people. They will be referred to as busters.

In the year 2008 AD, there are now almost seventy million baby boomers in North America. Many of the other group that came before them, the busters, are still alive and well. Sure, they are aging, but the boomers are too. 

The baby boomers were born in a time of post-war prosperity, thus came into a world of celebration and elation. Many of the busters lived through a time of serious hardship and depression coupled with anger, frustration, fear and suspicion.

The baby boomers can relate to a time of fathers, uncles and grandfathers returning home from the war. The busters, on the other hand, were sending their husbands, sons, brothers, uncles and fathers off to war with the understanding that many of them might never return. Thousands of them left and did not come back. Some were simply declared missing. Others were buried in foreign countries and still others came home in body bags, or makeshift coffins.

The female baby boomers experienced, even as young women are still experiencing today, a relative new freedom in terms of gender roles. These roles have gradually been changing over the years. The females from the buster's generation were locked into specific male and female roles, at least until the majority of men were sent to war and almost every task became those that women were allowed or forced to do.

Relatively few boomers have suffered war injuries in comparison to the thousands of busters who were injured, or became disabled, during World War II.

Many of the boomers have had families of their own but much smaller in size, than those of the busters. The busters generally had large families with the expectation and understanding that their children would be able to assist or support them in their old age. Thus, many of the busters are still well supported while the boomers face a new crisis on their new horizon of aging. In terms of numbers, there are few boomers who will actually be assisted or supported by their children, as they grow older.

Aging is not something to fear by a boomer, or a buster. In fact, aging can be a wonderful experience and should be for everyone. There are many new issues that the boomers will have to face head on, and others that the older busters of today will have to contend with, as well.

What does all of this mean? Perhaps time will tell the tale of boom or bust.

This article is simply a reflection on aging, comparing and contrasting the baby boomer generation, to the buster generation, with respect to similarities and differences.

Aging in Modern America: The Baby Boomer Reality, a Major Concern

A skyrocketing number of baby boomers, or people born within the first ten to fifteen years after World War II, added to the huge numbers of senior citizens born prior to that time, creates a major concern for modern America.

"Why is that a concern?" one might ask. "What is new or different now?"

Many baby boomers are already facing either early retirement, or retirement at age sixty five which is going to, or is bringing about a decline in the work force. The ratio of baby boomers to the younger generation, who will be expected to take care of them in the future, appears to be out of proportion. There is a far higher number of baby boomers than there is younger people.

With the advent of improved health and longevity, the number of years that baby boomers will require either short-term or long-term care as they age, continues to rise. Health care costs are already skyrocketing and are expected to continue to do so.

There are already major global concerns with respect to shortages, like oil food and water.

The cost of living is skyrocketing everywhere.

Look at this scenario from a baby boomer's perspective and take some common sense factors into consideration before anyone panics.

Many baby boomers do not see themselves as either wanting to, or needing to retire early. Many baby boomers will remain employed for many years beyond retirement, if physically able and allowed to do so. 

The baby boomers, who grew up in the post war years, learned a lot about survival that the younger generation has never needed to learn. The majority of baby boomers are quite realistic in terms of their short and long term expectations because of the era in which they grew up.

While not all baby boomers are healthy, (but then not everyone else is either), a good majority of them have focused on staying healthy as well as on living long and healthy lives, in a positive and constructive way.

It is the baby boomer generation and a lot of people prior to that time, who have been so successful in bringing about the technological, scientific, medical, as well as other advances, that have made America what it is today.

Baby boomers, as well as others, have been seeking solutions to problems for many years. This is certainly going to continue over time. Many of the baby boomers will find their own answers and implement whatever changes are necessary for survival through their own initiatives.

One must also ask, "What baby boomers can do in order to ease the burden on the next generation?"

Why not begin to present the problem to the baby boomers and see what kind of answers they can come up with, after brainstorming together.

If you are a baby boomer, ask yourself "What can I do personally to avert a baby boomer crisis in the future?" You might just be amazed at what your ideas might contribute to this aging in modern America, area of concern.