Dear Contractor Doctor,

I’ve aged forty five, a project manager, and have been a permanent employee all my working life.

To progress further in permanent employment and earn more money would involve climbing the corporate ladder further, which doesn’t actually appeal to me, since I really enjoy project management.

I’m thinking of maybe going contracting to earn more money but am now concerned whether I am too old and have missed the boat.

What do you think?

Thanks

[Name supplied]

Contractor Doctor says:

You have nothing to worry about. Whilst ageism is illegal we cannot pretend it does not exist in the corporate world.

However, ageism really is not a problem in contracting. In fact, the reverse tends to the case.

Clients hire contractors who have the best experience and skills and can hit the ground running. The older candidates have vastly more experience from working on multiple projects in different corporate cultures. Then also tend to have smaller egos and better communication skills. This makes them solid bets (less risk) to get the job done.

Your number of years and experience puts you in a very good position to get a contract in project management.

Kind regards

Contractor Doctor

Published: Friday, May 11, 2007

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