I am a 56-year-old Asian male. I started this blog 6 years ago when I turned 50. I was at my halftime turning point trying to make sense of what I would like to do with the second half of my life given that I had worked and lived in this little red dot all this time. I am fortunate to have been born at the right time in the 1960s and to have benefited from the prosperity of this country’s rise over the last 50 years.
The reason for starting a blog remains the same: (1) To let my kids have a glimpse of who their old man was like if they ever want to read it, (2) To improve my writing skills – about a thousand words per week and (3) To publicly tell the world of my ambitions and goals so that my commitment is reinforced to make me obligated to carry them through.
I left my last full-time job in Oct 2017 after a disastrous 12 months with a global banking name. The supervisor that hired me for the front office marketing role lost his job less than 3 months after I started. The new boss wanted someone with middle office capability that I did not have. As the new guy, I was overwhelmed by office politics from old-timers aiming for self-preservation. Obviously, I lost and decided to quit.
Since that time, I had come to the realization and acceptance that my old banking career is dead. By then, there was a low probability of me ever getting back into the banking game again. My previous managerial job role looks redundant and obsolete. Supervisors are becoming much younger, into their late thirties to early forties. I also acknowledged that I really hate office politics so much. I begin to value my freedom to do whatever I want, whenever I want.
Thankfully, an opportunity came along in Jan 2018 that allowed me to pivot into a consultancy career. I leveraged on my previous Treasury experience to assist an ex-colleague with his Myanmar microfinance company as a consultant on an annual contract basis. The money was not great but I get to travel every month and learn about a new culture. Most importantly, it was about time an ex-evil banker redeem himself and give back to society. To pay it forward. Other project consultancy work eventually came along which I gladly accepted.
Meanwhile, my lifelong learning journey began to develop as I took up numerous courses to dive deeper into my discovery of new technology to stay relevant. It is an area which interest me and I had a lot of time in between consultancy work to indulge myself. I discovered that I love to be challenged acedemically, to do projects and sit for tests and exams LOL. Lifelong learning is a passion which I embrace now. It gives me much purpose and joy.
The 50s are now the new 30s. Life expectancy has increased to 85 from 78 in 2007. By the time I reach my 80s, living to 100 would be the norm then. Financially, do I have the resources to live that long? Mentally and physically, do I have the strength to last that long? These are the things that I ponder about these days as I may have at least 50 years ahead of me.
I try to keep my life simple by following a easy to follow motto to lead and direct my second half journey: “Stay happy and healthy”. Knowing what is within my control and what is not is the first step to helping me achieve my goals. Having an annual list of new year resolutions to-do items keeps me focused at the beginning of each year for the next 12 months. Actively planning ahead is my go-to mantra to ensure that the goals I set for myself at the start of every year gets met. Even if they are not achieved by Dec, it is the effort and journey there that can be as rewarding.
Fast forward 4 years and a pandemic later and I have not been working full time for quite a while. During this period of time, I managed to complete a 12-mths part-time night study class for a diploma and a 6-months full-time Artificial Intelligence course. There were also numerous short courses plus 2 overseas training trips.
This was all thanks to the Skillsfuture initiative that strived t0 help mid-career citizens pivot to a more relevant and in-demand sector which I took advantage of. I see it as a means to take back the tax dollars I have paid over the years. Being older also means an immediate and unlimited 90% discount on all courses as an added bonus while the balance can be paid using the Skillsfuture credits all citizens get.
Ageism is a concern my age group is starting to feel nowadays. Is it just a concept or is it real? Do we need to look within ourselves and have a mindset change? One does qualify to be called an uncle once you hit 50. Watson’s even gives you a senior card too! It took me a number of years to get used to being greeted “Uncle!!” and to finally embrace it.
Is my work hunger gone? Am I viewed as a less driven worker or a threat to a younger supervisor’s job security as an older person? Is it me or the interviewer having bias thinking? Should I tell the truth or lie through my teeth? Is age working against me now? Do I still have the energy to get back into the rat race?
I do have this nagging feeling nowadays that I could have been passed over for some applications due to my age. The many years of work experience may not stand up against a younger competitor who is cheaper and does not come with old habits and a reluctance to embrace change. I need to face up to Reality.
I understand first hand through my courses that it is much harder for me to pick up new Tech skills versus my younger colleagues who live and breath it since they were born. They have never seen a green monitor, dot matrix printers, telex or a dial up modem in their lives! Meanwhile, uncle here struggles to pick up HTML, Python and GitHub.
There should be a work around to fight Ageism and I believe that it begins from within me. I cannot change the outside world’s view on ageing but I can finetune my mindset. I will continue to proactively embrace change as best as I can, to learn as much as I can absorb. I will set realistic goals to make my lifelong learning journey as interesting as possible while enjoying the ride into the SUNSET. Ideally, I want to be a full-time student and do part-time consultancy work from here henceforth – my BIG picture goal 🙂
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