Hi all,
I just turned 50 and work in chip design in the US. Wife but no kids and don't
plan on it. I am financially comfortable but yearn for more. I am at lost for
direction and was reading some threads and it dawned on me there are many here
who are over 50 with lots of life and financial experience. So I'd like to
start this thread to get advice and anecdotal experiences from you older folks.
My first question concerns career path. So I have worked continuously in the
same area, which happens to be very hot right now. I am still technical but it
has been several years since I really did any big coding tasks. I mostly direct
young guys who are a few years out of school. I am not high up on the totem
pole, mostly just a technical lead. So my question is how long can I carry on
like this? There aren't a lot of 50 yr olds doing technical work. I see
mostly people my age are in high level management or as technical architects or
they are barely scraping by and close to obsolesce. At my age it seems like
you either soar or crash and burn. Although I seem to be the exception. Also
I wonder about my cognitive skills, I can do this in my 50s, but 60? I
seriously doubt it.
My second question is about financial health. I presume if you are here and
over 50 you are probably reasonably well off, so when did you make the most yoy
percentage gain? Was it early in life like in your 30s and 40s when it was a
lot easier to compound money? or could it be later when you got better
financial acumen?
any comments great appreciated in advance