When you have spent more than three years searching for regular work with a strong curriculum and ample experience at home and abroad, patience becomes strained and you start to ask 'why me?' It is precisely at that time that you have to dig deep and find out what really motivates you. For me, the transition from a stable, permanent job to 'accept what arrives' was a real wake up call. What I would suggest is not to become a victim of circumstance. It is easy to fall into the trap as you start to doubt yourself and your abilities, but it is important to stay focused. The secret is to keep moving, get out and about, meet people, use social media and contacts. This is a time to refine your skills. It has been said many times, I know, but the key is how you go about this. It can make you more resourceful and can give you new skills, which in turn can help others. For example, rewriting CVs and knowing how to prepare a good presentation. Do not waste time trying to improv...
Many companies see themselves as innovative, forward-thinking and open-minded but do any of them have the courage to take on new talent over a certain age? They see a fresh-faced graduate ready to take the next step in their development and, understandably, this is extremely attractive to a potential employer. However, the 2015 film "The Intern" raises a valid point on this subject. Starring Robert de Niro as Senior Intern 'Ben', a man with a wide range of experiences - both in life and the workplace - who, he states, still has 'music in him'. He retired a few years previously and has been actively learning a range of new skills whilst seeking to fill a hole in his life. In the beginning his usefulness to the company is doubted but, as time goes by, his determination and insight into the effective running of a business become apparent. This is not to say that, just because someone is of a certain age, they should automatically be entitled to a position, but ...
Sometimes, through the hustle and bustle of life, we forget or maybe put to one side the things that have essentially made us who we are. There is always something to prepare or do that can distract us and lead us off course from the values or the goals we may have temporarily brushed under the carpet. There is by no means anything wrong with changing direction and working towards new things, but there is equally nothing wrong with occasionally remembering where we came from and what makes us unique. Since I was six and had my first piano lesson, music and the piano have played an important role in my life. They have a way of grounding me and keeping me firmly planted in the direction I mean to go. There can be a thousand voices pulling me in different directions, particularly around the beginning of the pandemic, but then I sit down at the piano and I have a clarity and peace that I would not change for anything. For some, it is capturing the essence of a landscape in a painting...
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