"Your career will end at 40". That's what I heard, and it's BS
Ten years ago, I had a very interesting conversation with a group of colleagues in their forties. Most of them were explaining to me that, in the tech industry, people over 40 were already dinosaurs, soon to be replaced by younger, cheaper, sharper individuals (those days, we have the same replacement story, this time with intelligent software)
According to those prophets of doom, most lucky ones would become hyper specialised consultants, others would give up and exit the game, buying a restaurant or renovating a house in the South of France and turn it into a Bed&Breakfast. At the time, I was 38, I could not believe what they were saying. My own experience, and others, showed how this dark vision was 100% BS. Great things can happen well after 40. But for this, you need to do one thing: Learn. All the time.
Back in 2006, I was highly specialised in selling document management software to large retailers in France & Europe. I did not know anything about business intelligence tools. Predictive analytics. Mobile and digital commerce. Artificial intelligence. Or the US & Asia Pacific markets. I stayed curious. I learned. I selected my next jobs and missions to learn new skills, new methodologies, cover new territories. Today, I am still focused on large consumer goods and retailers, and some of them have been key customers in my last three jobs. But my knowledge area has been multiplied by 10, and my "operational range" is now global . All of this happened after my 40th birthday. The most exciting is that learning never stops. And as long as there is new stuff coming out, there are new opportunities to grow beyond who we are now. I am currently learning Chinese (written, to start with), and blockchain is a subject of interest. Yes, there is a career after 40, if you stay a student at heart, understanding that the continuous expansion of your sphere of knowledge is your career best asset. What new things are you going to learn in the next months ?