I entered the design phase of my work life at age 40. During my 40s and early 50s, I had more than one occasion to be on the job market. I would get interviews, HR would laud my skills and experience. I'd have phone interviews with the hiring manager and hear that I was the perfect fit.

Many of the studios and creative agencies I applied to had design teams of folks 20 years younger than me. I could sense the discomfort during face to face interviews; the only reason I could come up with was the age disparity, as I had all the other qualifications of the posted job. I finally decided to overtly call out the elephant in the room, saying that I had no issue working for someone younger, so long as I had the chance to learn from them, and vice versa.

My last 3 jobs were at places where my age wasn't an issue. The places where it was, well, it was their loss. 😉