I'm 52, an IC, a UX Architect. I too think about what my career/jobs will look like going forward. I've thought about being a manager but to date have not been interested in hiring, firing, budgets and performance reviews. Friends who have become managers have done so in situations where they felt they could have greater impact.
I agree that some amount of design is about trends and younger designers are more easily tuned into them. However, I have found that junior designers often lack breadth and so when applying their learning tend to be tactically generative and not strategically generative. So, the value that I show my leadership and prospective employers is how my experience is a strategic asset in understanding or finding solutions.
I suggest looking at this research to see if you are showing signs of growth in these areas: Comparing Cognitive Efficiency of Experienced and Inexperienced Designers in Conceptual Design Processes. (Sage Journals - Paid Site)
One thing I am thinking about is consulting. When I work with someone I respect, especially someone in my age bracket, I make sure to discuss keeping in contact in the future so that we start building our networks.
I'm 52, an IC, a UX Architect. I too think about what my career/jobs will look like going forward. I've thought about being a manager but to date have not been interested in hiring, firing, budgets and performance reviews. Friends who have become managers have done so in situations where they felt they could have greater impact.
I agree that some amount of design is about trends and younger designers are more easily tuned into them. However, I have found that junior designers often lack breadth and so when applying their learning tend to be tactically generative and not strategically generative. So, the value that I show my leadership and prospective employers is how my experience is a strategic asset in understanding or finding solutions.
I suggest looking at this research to see if you are showing signs of growth in these areas: Comparing Cognitive Efficiency of Experienced and Inexperienced Designers in Conceptual Design Processes. (Sage Journals - Paid Site)
One thing I am thinking about is consulting. When I work with someone I respect, especially someone in my age bracket, I make sure to discuss keeping in contact in the future so that we start building our networks.