The last time I worked was in December of 2023.
Since then, I’ve had many interviews and reached the final stages of several Technical Writing opportunities, but I’ve yet to receive any offers.
What I notice most about interviewing at sixty-one is how conscious I am of my fake enthusiasm. For every interview, I hear myself pitching my skills and capabilities to the interviewer, even though in my heart, I know I don’t want the job – it’s a strange dichotomy where heart and head travel on different planes.
I’m also getting the impression that most companies don’t want to hire people my age, and in my case, I can’t say I blame them. If the honest answer to “Where do you see yourself in 5 years?” is “3 years into my retirement,” then you’re probably not the right person for the job.
I’m no longer “hungry” professionally. I don’t have the eye of the tiger or the fire in the belly (unless you count indigestion). I’m not looking to grind, work my way up the ladder, or burn the midnight oil. Instead, I want to work for a few more years at something I enjoy and then retire.
While assessing my next move, I decided to compile some of the works from this blog, work with an editor to polish the content and publish them as a collection on Amazon.
If interested, you can purchase the paperback version of “My Paper, My Words” on Amazon.
bendingtheneedle 