Freelancing After 40
By Sherril Steele-Carlin
If you're over 40 and thinking about freelancing, there's good news and bad news. What's the good news? When he was 49, George Washington defeated the British at Yorktown in 1781. In 1910, when she was 43, Marie Curie discovered and isolated pure radium. Many studies show that most people do their best work in their 40s, including a comprehensive look at turning 40 by U.S. News and World Report. That's the good news for those over 40 who may be considering a jump to freelancing.
By the year 2005, there will be 44.9 million "40-somethings" in the United States. That's over 15 percent of the population. Many of these over-40 professionals will be freelancing, or thinking about it. They may be facing downsizing and hoping to strike out on their own, or they may have always wanted to freelance. Perhaps they are simply burned out. Whatever the reason, more and more of the baby boom generation look toward freelancing as they grow older.
Can They Make It?
In today's Internet culture, experience and age aren't necessarily what companies are looking for. Can those over 40 make it as freelancers, when their wisdom and job knowledge aren't as welcome in the corporate climate? One 40-year-old said he removed his college graduation date from his resume, and toned down his experience level, because he was unsuccessful finding work after a layoff. Another was told he was "too demanding for this New Economy. You expect people to be accountable for their actions, and that is not good today." That's the bad news for over 40 workers, who can be seen as old, archaic, and stodgy.
More Good News
Freelancing is open to anyone. With the growth of the Internet, freelancers have the means to continually find work easily. Experience does matter as a freelancer. If you have experience copy writing, programming, graphic designing, or in just about any area, freelancing may be open to you. Why? Because even as companies downsize, they'll still have plenty of work that needs to get done. They may opt to lay off their permanent staff and hire freelancers to complete these jobs. They may even bring back staff on a freelance basis. Freelancing saves money for the company, and is also very lucrative for the most successful professionals.
While those over 40 may be considered "over the hill" in many startups, for freelancers it's a very different story. Most jobs demand experience, and the more the better. Corporate America might not want to hire older workers permanently, but companies certainly want their knowledge and expertise when they are hiring them as freelancers. They want someone with the experience to know what they need, and get it done quickly and efficiently.
The U.S. News study finds that people tend to be more stressed in their 40s, with the demands of job, family, and friends. They may be dealing with the deaths of friends and loved ones for the first time in their lives. However, they also found most people in their 40s also have more confidence in themselves and their abilities. That makes it the perfect time to make the jump to freelancing.
Today, 30 percent of the population freelances in some form, and the number is expected to rise in the next 10 years. Will society begin to look at age and wisdom differently, or will over 40s still be seen as less than useful? That remains to be seen. Whatever happens, freelancing will remain a viable option for those workers who have reached a crossroads in their careers, and want to take a new path.
