Tuesdays and Thursdays during the 2010 WordCount Blogathon, I’m running posts I originally wrote for SecondAct.com, an online magazine for people over 40 launched in April by Entrepreneur Media, publisher of Entrepreneur Magazine, Entrepreneur.com, WomenEntrepreneur.com and EntrepreneurEnEspanol.com.
It’s not easy for me to tell people how old I am because I don’t want them to think I’m, well, old.
Working in an industry like mine that’s evolving almost daily – iPad, anyone? – it’s not always good to be a seen as a seasoned veteran lest people assume you’re not inclined to change.
But in the two years since I started writing again full time after a seven-year hiatus to raise my family, I continually get comments on how well my freelance business is doing, and it made me realize something.
Nothing takes the place of experience. I might not have the technical skills of younger journalists who can churn out computer code as well as they can cover a fire or flood. But after years of reporting on topics such as the birth of the internet, corporate finance and workplace issues, I’m a quick study.
Read the rest of this post at SecondAct.com: Older, wiser and tweeting too.
I had to comment on your post! I started freelancing for parenting mags recently and have been very successful. One of the “young” ladies on our writer’s blog asked, “How can you come up with so many good ideas?”
I laughed when I told her, “I’m old.”
Age doesn’t make a difference in this line of work, attitude does!
Michelle, you rock!
I so appreciate this post, Michelle. I forget that I’m old until I see how much younger the editors I work with are. Whoever came up with that adage “You can’t teach an old dog new tricks.” wasn’t thinking of freelance writers.
I’m right with you Michelle, the longer I live the more I have to write about .
Just because I’m a grandmother doesn’t mean I’m out of the parenting mags radar. In the last 10 years I’ve seen 20 grandchildren go through sleepless nights / colic / toilet training / playschool / first grade etc
When I was a mother I was experienced – now I’m an expert!
I also write faster and don’t agonize over every word – and publish far more than when I was younger.
I even get a full night’s sleep nowadays.
it’s a great subject. when i was a young journalist, i tried to simply out-work the more experienced journalists. i didn’t always succeed, but that’s how i stayed competitive. as i’ve gotten older, i can’t devote my entire life energy to my writing anymore. that’s life. each of us, even those writing about similar subjects, has a distinctive voice. we be a community. that’s a big gift of the digital age and seeing the world from a more experienced perch in life.