Personal Finance Aug 23, 2015 11:21 PM EDT

Senior workers can remain significant for tomorrow's work

By Staff Writer

When it comes to jobs, there are variations in the gender, race, color, and most of all the age.  Wherever you look there are older workers who got old working in a certain company or already at that age and was still able to work because of his knowledge and skills.

An individual's experience of work is likely to be an important factor influencing any older worker's decision about whether to continue employment or to retire.  A key factor which is likely to influence a worker's capability to continue working is the availability of employment which meets their personal needs and inclinations.  This is particularly necessary for those wishing to change jobs later in their career or to take up a different type of role as part of a work transition in late life.

We cannot deny that when it comes to jobs, age does matter because most jobs require age limit.  Just because millennials will make up the 50% of the workforce by 2020 does not mean that there will be no reason to think of other workers. 

Millennials, by the way, are also known as Generation Y or the Net Generation. They are the demographic cohort that directly follows Generation X.  They are individuals that were born between 1982 and 2004.

There are five things older workers can do to stay with their job and not become outdated.

You can team up with millennials instead of seeing them as a threat.  Let's face it.  When we see new younger employees entering the workplace, there is a feeling of territorial invasion, right?  Granted you have grown old with your work but that doesn't mean you will not give space for them.  Have a conversation with them and get the latest in technologies, office culture, and other subjects of mutual concern.

Do not oppose change.  There is nothing permanent in this world likewise in the workplace.  Why not listen to new ideas, and proactively provide a churn even if you're not 100% sure they will suit you.  Don't stick to traditions just because you can't imagine any other way to work.

Explore online learning sites and platforms to enhance relevant skills.  It is necessary that you explore new workspace approached and technology.  You might be wondering, how the heck you are going to do that. That's simple, because  there are many sites that can help you such as Udemy, Lynda.com, Coursera, Khan Academy and open courses from sites including MIT, Yale, and Stanford provide you the opportunity to learn anything from robotics and programming to marketing strategy and philosophy.

Build a personal brand.  Personal branding is a term coined by management expert Tom Peters in 1997.  It is a practice of marketing yourself and your career a brand by establishing a very specific association.  The trick to that is, ask yourself what you want to be known for refining it for some time for people to remember it     

Still remember the good old-fashioned networking.  Even with all the business modifications in the last few decades, there is still truth to the old saying that who you know may be more important than what you know.


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