How To Combat Ageism: The Gen X Survival Guide

Looks like I hit a nerve in last week's post about ageism in the workplace.

So, this week, I figured we could take a look at how to combat ageism.

You’ll see that some of what I found is surprising and enlightening.

Especially this…

Since I started this site, I've been exploring how AI and machines are the biggest threat to us Gen Xers staying in the game. BUT now I think it's actually humans - in the form of hiring managers, ageist employers, etc - that we really need to watch out for.

Let’s start by debunking a few myths…

Some Myths About Aging Brains

According to this 2023 article about the myths of aging, research shows that older years are NOT about decline - they're actually just another new stage of brain development.

Three things happen:

1. Experience Literally Rewires Your Brain: Our experience literally activates new genes in our brain.

2. Your Brain Is Getting More Efficient: Our brain gets better at multitasking by recruiting backup systems.

3. Peak Processing Power Hits at 60-80: Our information processing peaks between 60-80 (be sure to mention that to your boss or that hiring manager next time).

Cool huh?

But wait, there’s more…

Why Your 50+ Gen X Brain Is a Secret Weapon

These brain changes unlock three types of thinking that nobody can touch before their fifties:

1. Relativistic Thinking: We can see beyond black-and-white solutions (remember when everything seemed so simple?)

2. Non-Dualistic Thinking: We can hold opposing views without judgment (like balancing old-school work ethic with new-world flexibility)

3. Systematic Thinking: We see the big picture, the forest AND the trees, while others get lost in the weeds.

This quote pretty much sums it up…

Now that you're armed with some knowledge, let’s look at what else we can do.

More On How To Combat Ageism

I dug around and here are a few some the experts were suggesting…

• Stop making ageist jokes at your own expense.

• Recognize internalized ageism and call it out.

• Build intergenerational relationships.

• Highlight experience as an asset.

(Side note: on that last one, when did experience become a bad word? Crazy.)

Those strategies are useful if you plan on hanging around and being an ageism activist fighting the good fight. BUT if you want to make it a nonissue, avoid the drama, and really future-proof yourself, these tips stand out.

• Continuous learning

• Acquire new skills

• Entrepreneurship

And don’t let the last one, entrepreneurship, scare you. It's not like it used to be. It's much easier these days. You can do a lot online by yourself with very little money.

These have served me well and are part of the Choose Yourself strategy discussed in the last post (read more about how to choose yourself here).

Your Next Step

Want to see what entrepreneurship would look like?

Fire up ChatGPT and use this prompt to give you some ideas some in-demand skills you could acquire:

"What are the most in-demand skills for professionals over 50, and how can I combine them with my experience in [your industry]?" 

Then try this one:

"Suggest 5 practical ways for someone in their 50s to use AI tools to enhance their career or start a side hustle leveraging their expertise in [your area]."

If you REALLY want to get crazy and want a more detailed vision of what it might look like to start a newsletter/blog business, here’s a super-size prompt I created for you to try:

I am a 50-year-old individual with [your experience, skills, or knowledge area]. I want to start a blog and newsletter business that aligns with my life experiences, passions, and what the world needs while being financially sustainable. Please suggest 5 in-demand topics that:

1. Leverage my unique skills, knowledge, or life experiences.
2. Address intrinsic, extrinsic, and systemic values to ensure relevance, fulfillment, and impact.
3. Fall into the monetizable categories of health, wealth, relationships, or hobbies.
4. Meet the principles of Ikigai, ensuring they align with what I love, what I’m good at, what the world needs, and what I can be paid for.
5. Appeal to a defined target audience that I can connect with easily, fostering community and engagement.
6. Allow for scalability into additional revenue streams like courses, books, or consulting.
7. Include a unique angle or differentiation to stand out in the market.
8. Suggest ways to use AI tools for content creation, audience analysis, or automation.
9. Are practical to implement considering my level of technical expertise, time, and budget.
10. Address emerging trends to ensure the topics remain relevant in the next 5–10 years.
11. Have potential for cross-platform expansion into podcasts, video content, or social media.

The Bottom Line

You can combat ageism as an activist by banging your head against the wall in the corporate world (have fun with that).

OR

You can build skills that make ageism someone else's problem.

Every skill you learn, project you start, income stream you build—they're all steps toward raising a big middle finger to ageist employers.

Start now. Because the best response to "you're too old" is "I don't need your job.

Now, let me leave you with some music to really drive home this point…

Red Pill Moment

John Mayer gets a lot of shit for being a pop pretty boy. But the dude is a phenomenal guitarist and a great songwriter.

His song “No Such Thing” hits home for us, Gen Xers.

It's about realizing that much of what we were taught is NOT the whole picture.

They being society, bosses, friends, and family…

Before I went left the 9-5 world, I was racking up my fair share of tiny tragedies.

Stepping out on my own was my red pill moment. Best decision I ever made.

And the red pill moment.

I would love for you to feel that.

By listening to the song…

Maybe this ageism BS is just a wake-up call and a blessing in disguise. Maybe as Mayer sings, “there's something better on the other side.”

For more on how to combat ageism check out this post on choosing yourself.

To new beginnings,

Corey