Are We Late to the Party?

Have you arrived on the copywriting doorstep a bit later in life than you expected?

Do you wonder if the writer’s life can still be for you?

That’s a very good question. A question that falls outside the realm of “nuts and bolts” articles you normally see here on honing your writing skills, building your business, and landing clients.

You will need all of those things, of course, and you are in exactly the right place to get them. AWAI and PWA have been expertly training and guiding copywriters for decades. But what about the nagging thought in the back of your brain that quietly asks…

• Am I too old?
• Will clients take me seriously?
• Will I fit in with younger professionals in this field?
• Can I get on board with what it takes to start another career?
• Why am I even considering this? This is not where I thought I’d be right now…

Life Happens

Wouldn’t it be nice if you could set out on a life plan – from when you were young – and follow it every step of the way?

You know… sit with your guidance counselor in high school and decide whether to learn a trade or go to college or just get a job and start living life. And trust that’s how it will go. (And be happy with it!)

I think it’s safe to say that never happens. Never.

Most likely, later life will look like a path of footsteps that runs in circles and wanders through both familiar and unfamiliar territory. For years and years. Over and over again. It doesn’t stop. Until one day it does…

That’s the day you find yourself at a crossroads.

Dawning of the “Third Age”

2024 is a different world for older workers. There is no gold watch for 30-year retirees. There is seldom a pension plan to be had.

It’s a rare person who passes the age of 50 without thinking of how many years they have left to work. More likely they already envision the next stage of life. What our parents called “retirement.” These days, however, there are new terms for that phase.

“Un-retirement.” This means returning to work after retiring, or never retiring at all.

“The Third Age.” A term coined by English historian Peter Laslett in the ‘80s. This concept is based on the idea that life is generally divided into three phases: childhood, working adulthood, and retirement/old age. But with people now reaching retirement age in good health that might last a couple more decades, a “third age” can be inserted between the working years and the retirement years. A “golden age,” if you will. Yes, you are near or in retirement, but you’re not ready to ride off into the sunset. Retirement and old age are still in the future. Save that for phase four. 

Falling Into the Fallout

Add to that the uncertainty of our country’s job market and economy, and is it any wonder you might find yourself at a place in life you never thought you would be?

I am a perfect case in point.

As a boomer, I progressed through each stage in a most predictable way. Average childhood. Average high school and college. Average work life, marriage, and the requisite 2.5 kids (although I rounded that up to three.) Average unexpected mid-life divorce at age 42. Average recovery from that since I was still young enough to scout out a good job in Corporate America.

Then things really fell apart.

Corporate America hit seismic rumblings in the Great Recession of 2008-2009. The country underwent a system reset that tossed employees into early retirement or out onto the street completely.

I found myself in the latter group.

On what should have been a normal work day in early January 2009, like any other in the 15 years I’d been employed at my hum drum job, I entered the building with a dozen things to do. By day’s end, I had been given 15 minutes to pack up my personal effects and leave with a security escort, never to return. I was 57 years old.

The Plight of Age

The story after that was average as well. I looked for work. I needed work. I was pretty much in a panic. Truth be told, I didn’t even qualify on paper for the job I just got let go from. I had spent years working my way into it from the inside. And now, in one day, it was gone.

Potential future employers saw mostly my age.

I was overqualified.

I was underqualified.

I didn’t have many working years left. Not worth the investment.

I was an automatic health risk. Not worth the expense.

I was invisible.

An Oasis in the Desert?

Eventually, I ended up on the copywriting doorstep. Where you might be now.

I had a program from a company called AWAI to learn and work. It made a lot of promises, every one of which I wanted. It offered an oasis in the desert my life had become.

Flexibility. Be my own boss. Rewarding lifestyle. Competitive pay.

But I’m 57 years old. And I have all the questions I just presented to you at the beginning of this article. How in the world can this work?

Toto, We’re Not In Kansas Anymore

I got to this point and discovered copywriting when I thought I was on the countdown to retirement. Your story won’t be exactly the same, but it will follow a similar theme if you are an older worker. If you are approaching – or are already in – retirement, these things could be a factor:

• Financial concerns – even with the best plan, unexpected changes can become a strain.
• Boredom – lack of daily structure and routine of the old job can skew how you spend time.
• Loss of Purpose – was your career your identity? Who are you now without it?
• Relationship Strain – being home all the time changes dynamics with other household members.
• Isolation – no daily interaction with workmates and peers can leave you high and dry.

Common Ground

Let me ask you… are you looking at a late start, too? Have you come to copywriting via an unexpected path?

Or are you merely looking to add to your life in a positive way? You’ve been biding your time to learn to be a writer when you’re ready. It was your plan all along.

For me, it was a lifeline to survive in the work world. To keep a roof over my head. With the bonus, if I could manage it, to support my real true love in life… being an artist. (Stay tuned to see how that worked out.)

The reasons are many and varied so that’s not what matters. But for a certain group of us, what we have in common is the late start.

You might think you are out there on your own. That you are blazing a trail others don’t understand because the subject of age is not talked about. That would be discrimination. That would be illegal. But rest assured, ageism is alive and well. You will need to deal with it.

And if you are a younger person than I am addressing in this article series, you are not left out, either. You know how it is… principles apply to everyone. There’s always a takeaway when you look at principles. You will find plenty here.

Let’s Get This Party Started

So let me introduce myself… I’m Starr. An AWAI-trained copywriter. Who had a late start and made it work. Good news, right? That means you’re on track. What else can I tell you? Plenty. This is article one of five. We’ve got time to put our heads together and for the upcoming four articles in this series, here’s my agenda…

• Next, we’ll go over the skill set you need for this business. But from the perspective of going at it from retirement age. How can you adapt this endeavor to where you are in life? What are your expectations?
• Then we’ll address the fact that you have some years on you. How do you view that? How do others? How do your clients, or potential employers, who may be the age of your children – or YIKES! Your grandchildren – view YOU? Does it matter? How do you position yourself in that framework?
• After that, we’ll look at the one thing you can use to propel yourself to where you want to go. How do you use it to set yourself apart in the marketplace? How do you take YOUR life experience and launch yourself into a rewarding situation you control?
• Finally, what is the greatest resource you literally have at your fingertips? How do you use IT effectively?

Join me next time to hear more. Be ready to dive in. I’m Starr. So nice to meet you!