By Mr. Paul Raftery
Chairman of Tabatinga Pte Ltd
Director at Projects RH
Director First AsiaPacific Group
Yesterday I was speaking with a friend who was lamenting about his age and (his fear of) a lack of opportunity for him having just finished a large and long-term consulting engineering project. He has been away and has returned home. It is an issue in Australia (see https://www.abc.net.au/news/2018- 1-26/age-discrimination-searching-for-work-in-your-50s/10520134. )
James is a seasoned and experienced professional engineer with postgraduate qualifications from and a decade of experience in the US. James is loved by his wife and their 3 children are well established and not dependent on them. James may be over 60 but his mind is sharp and he is fit.
Today our children do not enter the workforce at 15 years but for most much later. The are more likely to be 25 by the time they complete college and get their undergraduate degree(s) plus do some travel before they enter the conventional “workforce”. Many will then do some form of post- graduate study such as a Masters, Professional Year or a general business degree and about this time find a partner. Many are 28-30 before they move into their profession.
The world of work has changed. The demands and expectations of those joining “the firm” today is not to serve an “apprenticeship” of 5 years before they get XXX but they demand it now. These professionals are enthusiastic and technically skilled but they don’t have 20 years of experience. It is about attitude (see https://www.abc.net.au/news/2018-11-26/age-discrimination-searching-for- work-in-your-50s/10520134.)
The retirement age is moving out. We are living longer and are more fit than previous generations. The idea of retiring at 55 is so 2000’s. In Australia the new legal retirement age to gain access to retirement benefits is moving to 67 for those born from 1 January 1957 (see. https://www.humanservices.gov.au/individuals/services/Centrelink/age-pension/eligibility/age-rules.)
One of the things that happens as our children grow is, we get more time for ourselves. We are the ones who choose how to use it. We can watch more TV or contribute to our community, learn new or update our skills and become fitter. The other is we can become more flexible about where we work – we can relocate or do field work where and when it is needed. Last year not only did Carmenza and I do business meeting is Beijing, Hong Kong and Singapore, but we went to conferences in Melbourne and Hong Kong and attended courses in Sydney and Singapore plus field work in Cyprus and Perth. It is a state of mind. Carmenza and I are both doing CPD courses – On-line and we can these can continue wherever we are – planes are great for reading! It is a matter of taking the risk and doing.
Many of us have developed the skill of not working harder but working smarter. Whilst so many skilled professionals and their clients bill on hours and pay for labour this is not the key. What we need to do is use or experience and focus on value adding. Most clients do want to hear about this and are prepared to pay for success not just for paperwork. What we have had to do is back ourselves and say we need to be paid something for effort but our main reward is payment for success.
What James and I are working on is James working in teams to use his experience to prevent mistakes happening. This saves time and money. James is an experienced project delivery engineer.
What he has agreed to do is market himself as a contract owners engineer.
We need teams of enthusiasm and experience. Age is not a barrier to either and both can learn from
each other in the new world. He is now off to the gym (see
James has accepted that he and his wife will need to look abroad for work and have decided to
adventure again.
Today James called, he and his wife have opened their minds to the opportunities.
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