One Foot Out ...

Hi - I'm Julie, a Stegasaurus Pentex.

A Stegasaurus Pentex? Qu-est que c'est? You may ask ... Well, the Stegasaurus mainly because that was my favorite dinosaur as a child, and although I don't have spikes on my back, being of the female variety, I have a couple on my chest. The Pentex is because I just turned 50 last month. Yes, I am a 50 year old dinosaur. When I look in the mirror, I see a lively blonde.... hmmmm ....

Tomorrow I start school and become a full time student again. After 29 yrs. in the corporate world, I'm chucking all those gorgeous spiked pumps for my flip flops and sneakers again. Blazers for tank tops, Frequent Flyer club rooms for the Student Union.

Adios Corporate bull, insecure bosses, backstabbing colleagues who want your job (take it), ridiculous goals set by out of touch Ivory Towerites, fiefdom hoarders. Adios to working for goals that really don't mean anything. That don't help people in anyway. That don't have a significant impact. That don't make a difference.

A few years ago, my 40-something friends started to get laid off at the height of their talents - when they had so much to give to their companies. They were hard-working, astute, stars in their fields. They worked hard and lived well. One by one they got picked off. And then couldn't find work. Then it was my turn. And I found work again. In the general field I'd been in. And I hated it. And you know what, THAT was the blessing in disguise. Because that made me realize that I was ready. That it was time to "Change Lanes" and it was time to move on what had been roaming around my brain for 3 years.

First off let me say that by and large, 45 and over, we are considered dinosaurs - a lot of it due to technology. Yes, we may Twitter and Facebook and blog, but face it, we went off to college (the first time) with electric typewriters. To young people, many making hiring decisions (especially if you live in a tech town), we are old. Now do you feel old? I know I don't feel old. But perception is reality. And their reality is that we are old - we are the dinosaurs and there are a boatload of us running around ... and unemployed. (Wow, that just kind of gave me a Night of the Living Dead zombies visual).

So, Changing Lanes. I am changing lanes and am going to drag myself out of the tar pits and reemerge not only relevant, but passionate. Passionate about who I am and what I'm doing.

Tomorrow, at age 50, I will be back on a college campus as a student. Right now I'm taking prerequisites to the prerequisites to apply for an MSN program in Nursing. I can visualize myself as a nurse. I can visualize myself taking years of both personal and corporate experience and utilizing that to help people. I can visualize loving what I do. And it has been a long time since I've felt that way.

I will not be obsolete. You can count on that, young techies! Because when I'm caring for you or your family you will take comfort in the fact that this mature, competent and caring individual made a rough time smoother. You know that lively blonde nurse ...

Excellent healthcare will never be considered passe. Experienced healthcare providers will not be cast off.

Today, one foot is out of the tar pit, dripping oily, viscous goop. Tomorrow, as I shlep from the tarpit, my other foot will be out, planted on terra firma, roaming a campus near you. Roarrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr