Does age always matter in starting a career ?

Post Reply New Topic

I personally seem to think why can't people carry on with doing something until they really can't physically do it anymore. Obviously I do understand for example a 60 year old probably can't become a boxer because of the age but I mean it's in the music industry, film industry etc surely they should have a chance. It just seems to give off the impression you have to be successful and popular only if someone is in their 20s.

I do find it irritating when artists who have been in the industry for maybe 10, 20, 30, 40 or more years (example: Madonna, J Lo) or have only just started at maybe a later age (example: Susan Boyle) get negative ageist reactions. I mean, they may no longer be in their prime, but surely they should still have a chance otherwise it just makes it seem like they can only be successful and attractive at a younger age. Surely it's no fault of those who don't find their voice or true meaning in life at a later stage, I mean what if they struggled or didn't really know what to do at an early age. I seem to think people forget these factors.

supply and demand, having a good agent, being in the right place at the right time, so many factors go into having a career in entertainment. Having the right connections doesn't help if there are only a few slots for older people (roles in a movie, play, program, etc) . Age matters if you are no longer physically able to do whatever the job takes. Many employers in mainstream jobs may not take a chance on a 65 year old for example, because they figure retirement is on the horizon soon. So many factors besides age come into play. No harm in trying, you will never know, and you might have regrets - shoulda, coulda, woulda, if only. If you try and fail you are no worse off than you were to begin with, but at least you know you tried and you will have an answer to that question. do what is right for you, many people have "made it" switching careers or trying new paths.

The Royle Family's Liz Smith didn't become an actor until age 49.

Whatever it is you need to decide and then get serious really soon.

Why not write as a hobby? You may find that if you have to write every day, you won't like it.
A lot of people have boring day jobs to support a hobby.

Sorry to give you the bad news, but writing articles, books, and being a journalist is a job folks used to do.
I played golf with someone who used to be in newspapers twenty years ago last September on Cape Cod, Massachusetts. He saw the writing on the wall that said to get out before the Internet took his job.
He got another job, worked twenty years, and retired a year ago to play golf!
So, there is some good news! He started another job and was able to retire to play golf!

Book sales are slightly higher than the used to but there are twice as many titles competing for that money.
If you take away Romance Novels, the picture looks bleak.
You could be a Romance Novel author if you can write a novel every year.
That is the secret. A constant flow of new titles. As I said, a job.
Publishers need new titles as they can't carry inventory from year to year.
Much more money with new titles every year. It could be a grind to do that.

There are plenty of places that will take your writing if you don't need the money.

Mysogny runs rampant when dissing successful females.

The best example is TaylorSwift. She has been around for a Generation! Her fans bring their kids!
So they put her down as too old! She just made a billion dollars! Clearly she is not too old for her fans.
She just came to Europe and set more records for attendance!

When I last had my hair cut the stylist said she didn't know a single person who worked in the same place for fifteen years. Nobody! Everyone changes jobs today.

When I changed insurance companies for my house someone came out and inspected it!
I had to sign a disclaimer that I was not running a plant growing business!
I grow flowering plants as a hobby, not a business.
But, I get asked that question all the time!

If you really want to be a writer, and if you can accept a bit of constructive well-intentioned criticism, you have to start writing with the active voice instead of the passive voice which permeates your posts. For instance, scrub the phrase "seem to think" from your vocabulary.

I can't say that age ever matters, unless of course it's a Hollywood acting job where they're trying to hook a certain demographic as the audience using sex appeal.

Age wouldn't matter for a writer. Get writing. My daughter and I have both published. No one asks how old we are, or even knows. You could use a pen name too so you're anonymous.