Jobs are for kids?

The security of a known paycheck. For those with high financial anxiety levels, it is the only way to go. It is also, unfortunately, elusive. I’m in my forties. Due to circumstances I’m sure we could all relate to, I have a high level of consumer debt, which I hear is pretty normal for most Canadians. Therefore, I am looking for a second job. When I started looking, I wanted something that might teach me skills which would lead to eventually lead to creating an independent business of my own. So, I polished my resume and started reaching out to my network. What happened? Nothing. So, I started looking online for job postings. Nothing. So, I started lowering my standards. Nothing.

One day I mentioned my woes to an older friend. She said to me that jobs are fine for someone just starting out, but for people in our age bracket, self-employment is the way to go. So far, my efforts at self-employment have only lead to watching the sweat equity and capital I invested disappear faster than cake at a five-year-old’s birthday party. I can’t say I like facing the specter of starting a new business again, but what choice do I have? Also, I can see the logic in what my friend has to say. For those in the sandwich generation, flexible work hours are essential to caring for (or just spending time with) our aging parents and our children who have difficult schedules to work around.

So, I’m beginning the self-employment experiment again. This time, I’m armed with an excellent career coach. I’ve also accumulated a large collection of good luck charms. Please cross your fingers for me everyone and I’ll let you know how this goes!