How can you align late career development with the changing workforce?

Encourage late-career professionals to engage in lifelong learning and upskilling to stay relevant in their fields. This could involve attending workshops, enrolling in online courses, or pursuing certifications related to emerging technologies or industry trends. Provide training programs focused on adaptability, resilience, and flexibility. These skills are essential for navigating change and uncertainty in the modern workforce. Implement mentorship programs where late-career employees can share their wisdom and experience with younger colleagues while also learning from them about new technologies, trends, and perspectives.

Consistently assess your goals and adjust accordingly by intentionally spending time learning and growing. The best course adjustment to avoid getting yourself into a bad situation is the one you could've made yesterday, but the next best one is the one you can make right now. Much like if you were a rocket launched into space, if you're adjusting course consistently and early, you can avoid needing to make huge and risky pivots later on.

Keep a running log of things that look interesting and seem to be coming across your radar a lot. Then regularly review it to see if there are any trends. Is there a new tech that seems to be really gaining some traction? It might be wise to devote a little time to it to see if it's something that might be worth pursuing more earnestly.

There's a wealth of information out there for free. Paid education is great (and the quality is typically top notch), but don't let the monetary element bar you from learning new things. For every paid course, there's probably a YouTube playlist that can take you at least 80% of the same distance.

Job markets (especially in tech) move at an incredible pace. It can look overwhelming to try to keep up with everything, but the key is to be aware of the currents without getting swept up in them until you're ready. Think of it like a surfer waiting for the perfect wave. You have to know its coming to ride it, but you don't have to jump on everything that comes by. Likewise, don't get discouraged if you "missed" a wave. Chances are either it will flame out quickly, or if it has staying power, you can jump on later and not lose any ground.

Mentorship is the secret to this. Students crave mentorship, but as a mentor, you should be in turn learning from your mentees. Your mentees show you the future. I am by no means in my late career, but when I was a graduate student, I ran a lab where students came through that lab interested in lots of things and would gain as a function data skills on the back end. I learned a lot from my students that shapes my teaching today. Whenever I am in a position where I have to find a way to explain a concept, I think back to the diversity of experience that came from those young students in my lab.