Best Place to Find a Professional Position after 50 (consulting, interviewed, degree)

[marcassha123]

I'm 51, female, advanced degree, no hubby or kids, living in Pittsburgh (where I'm encountering serious breathing issues due to the pollution and allergies).

I'm considering relocating to the DC area, specifically Maryland, for job opportunities and a better social safety net.

What are your thoughts?

[bobsell]

DC has a horrific cost of living, so you better find a REALLY HIGH PAYING JOB (100K+) to even THINK of making ends meet.

You can try getting a Federal Job or a job as a Federal contractor. But remember, you better bring in the $$$MONEY$$$.

[Hemlock140]

Public agencies are scared to each of lawsuits and bad publicity form discrimination. In addition, they value experience and in many cases jobs require experience that the 20-30 year olds cannot have gotten, such as 15 years. Look for city, state, county jobs, and public utilities, and airports. Most have a full range of positions and are likely to have something for which your experience will be valued.

[Blondebaerde]

Originally Posted by marcassha123

I'm 51, female, advanced degree, no hubby or kids, living in Pittsburgh (where I'm encountering serious breathing issues due to the pollution and allergies).

I'm considering relocating to the DC area, specifically Maryland, for job opportunities and a better social safety net.

What are your thoughts?

Seattle, though you didn't mention tech. There are other valued skills here, but it's a tough market for sure. The air is clean, for-sure.

I have peers in my group, for the sake of argument call it a PMO at a mid-size boutique and national-based consultancy, who are female and I'm guessing 40s and 50s. With few exceptions bulk are 40+, I think, based only on experience needed: 15 years median, give or take.

Though not quite what we do, I'd call it management consulting, Sr. and Principal PMs in the Microsoft, Walmart, Amazon, other tech giant sense of the term. The Principals, looking at our list, are pretty much all over 50. Younger staffers can't handle what we deal with, deep experience is absolutely required and we bill accordingly to c. $325/hr. depending on the client. Not a humblebrag, the reality of where youth and exuberance are no match for age and wisdom in this case.

I just interviewed three people couple weeks ago, shot down one who by mutual agreement wasn't deep enough to do the work (though she will certainly be successful in other kinds of work internally at our firm). I didn't think of it at the time, but she was in her 30s I guess. I don't notice such stuff, usually, consciously. Some do, I'm certain.

[bobsell]

Originally Posted by Blondebaerde

Though not quite what we do, I'd call it management consulting, Sr. and Principal PMs in the Microsoft, Walmart, Amazon, other tech giant sense of the term. The Principals, looking at our list, are pretty much all over 50. Younger staffers can't handle what we deal with, deep experience is absolutely required and we bill accordingly to c. $325/hr. depending on the client. Not a humblebrag, the reality of where youth and exuberance are no match for age and wisdom in this case.

Too bad there are no such firms like this in the Chicago or Phoenix area.

[Serious Conversation]

I'd go to metros where the labor market for your industry is very tight. If you have no specific skills, a generally hot market like Columbus, OH would work.