Several months ago, I attended a community workshop geared toward helping seniors start their own home or micro-businesses. One of the points that the facilitator made was that many seniors face ageism when looking for retirement jobs, or many are laid off or forced into retirement when they reach a certain age. Starting their own businesses, it was suggested, can help them to “get around” that ageism in the business world. I have been wondering myself as I get older, if my age affects how I am perceived in the business world and whether it makes me more or less competitive. I thought it might be an interesting topic for us to debate here in the Home Business Blog…
Playing devil’s advocate, I DO remember being in my twenties and wondering why anyone over the age of fifty was “still working” and wondering what they could possibly have to offer in a workplace that surely had passed them by. Fortunately, my myopia and self absorption period only lasted a couple of years and I soon came to value my older, more experienced co-workers. But, I have definitely witnessed ageism and seen older workers nudged out of key positions and replaced with younger people. Is the independence of a home business or self-employment a way around that?
As I’m getting older myself, I admit that I feel compelled to build a business and income stream that isn’t as dependent on whether or not other people hire me. Even though I still have to drum up business and find clients for my work, I feel as though I have more of a say and am less dependent on whether people think I am “young enough” or fit any other qualifications that might be listed in a job description. I’d be interested to hear whether or not other home business owners feel as though their home businesses give them a bit of a cushion or barrier to some of the realities of a fickle job market? Do you still feel like age affects how you are perceived in the business world or do you think it isn’t really a factor at all?
See Also: Should You Turn Your Hobby Into a Business? and Are You a Leader or Follower–And Does it Matter in Your Home Business?