"Be super upfront about what you want - and passionate about why"

"If you know the role isn't for you, then you can absolutely change jobs. Your age shouldn't be a factor (or certainly not a negative one). We are living in an aging population, and as a consequence our creative teams should be getting older. There will come a time soon when we need life experience more than ever to offset the surface level references AI gives us."

"If your CV landed in my inbox, I'd think "Great, a designer who's passionate enough about their craft to want to do it forever". There's nothing wrong with not wanting to progress into management; it's an entirely different job, and creative leaders know that. Hopefully they'll be relieved to have a candidate who isn't angling for a promotion, so they can focus on making the perfect role for you to grow into."

"So to start with, you need to shake off that feeling that it's a negative. Get rid of that internal ageism you're carrying. I love this quote from Cindy Gallop: "Your age is a very special number because it's the sum total of you. It's the representation of all your life experience, learnings, and things that make you uniquely you over the years. Your age is a crucial dimension of what makes you valuable.""

Age should not be a barrier to changing jobs, and older professionals should not treat age as a negative. Creative teams benefit from increasing average age because life experience will be essential to balance AI's surface-level references. Remaining in a craft rather than pursuing management is a valid career choice and can be framed as commitment and value during hiring. Candidates should eliminate internal ageism, highlight how experience makes them a strong asset, research workplaces and leaders who value experience, be transparent about career goals in interviews, and move on if an employer does not recognize that value.

Read at Itsnicethat