I’ve built a long and accomplished career across employment, education and training – centred on helping people develop skills, find opportunities and achieve meaningful outcomes.
In May 2024, my final Federal Government contract came to an end. After many years contributing to workforce development and supporting others in their career journeys, I found myself navigating a career transition of my own.
What followed was not a period of standing still.
Life was anything but idle.
For nine months, I had the privilege of supporting my beloved mother through palliative care during her final journey. It was a deeply personal time that required patience, resilience, compassion and strength – qualities that have always been central to both my professional and personal life.
After that chapter, I returned to something that has always mattered to me: helping others learn and grow. I resumed volunteer tutoring, continuing to share my knowledge and experience with people who were building their own capabilities and futures.
At the same time, I continued applying for professional roles and remained actively engaged in the workforce.
The results were encouraging.
I secured interviews for around 85% of the positions I applied for. The feedback I received was consistently positive: Professional. Empathetic. Engaging. Committed.
These are qualities organisations regularly say they value. They are qualities built through experience, through challenges overcome, through relationships developed and through years of delivering results.
Yet despite this positive feedback, the final outcomes often reflected a different reality.
The comments were familiar:
“Too old.”
“We’re looking for someone younger.”
“Are you planning to retire?”
These comments are confronting -not because they question my willingness to contribute, but because they reveal assumptions about what capability looks like.
Experience should not be viewed as a limitation. It should be recognised as an asset.
A career built over decades brings perspective, resilience, emotional intelligence, adaptability and the ability to navigate complexity. These are not qualities that suddenly disappear because someone reaches a particular birthday.
If experience becomes a liability, then the problem is not the person with the experience. The problem is a system that allows assumptions to outweigh evidence.
The evidence is clear.
I am still here.
Still sharp.
Still learning.
Still contributing.
Still delivering results.
The workforce is changing, and organisations are increasingly recognising the importance of diversity – not only diversity of background, culture and perspective, but also diversity of experience.
Every generation brings value. The strongest organisations are those that recognise capability wherever it exists.
The question we should be asking is not:
“How old is this person?”
The better question is:
“What can this person contribute?”
Experienced professionals are not asking for special treatment. They are asking to be assessed on their skills, their achievements and their ability to deliver.
If your organisation values substance over stereotypes, I welcome the opportunity to start a conversation.
Because experience has no use-by date.
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