We think we’ll keep going up until we go down.
Most of my colleagues and friends didn’t know when their career peak was coming — until it went. I didn’t. I was surprised to read that most people hit career peak earnings in their 40s and 50s.
Career peak achievements may also come at widely diverse times. We expect people in physical careers, like athletes or dancers, to peak early, maybe in their 20’s or 30’s. But other careers may also peak earlier than expected. The writer of an Atlantic article (Your Professional Decline is Coming (Much) Sooner Than You Think) realized his musical career was over by age 30.
I have a friend who trained in opera for years, but suffered debilitating stage fright. She got a job as a file clerk at a university, and counted herself lucky that she grew with the technology as computerization arrived. There is a strong overlap between music and technology, mathematical problem-solving and patterns.
You just don’t work to the same level, maybe by choice, maybe not. Or you might switch careers, building on your talents and experience, or do something else entirely.
