Anxious about fixed term contract

You say 'nearly 40' like it's a problem. You're only 39 for goodness sake!! And besides, you don't need to put your date of birth on your CV. They can't discriminate against you due to age.



There wont be many jobs around at the moment - no-one recruits just before Christmas (well, maybe if they need people with fat little bellies and beards as white as snow...). Start looking in earnest around March and you'll see there's much more out there.


And build up your savings so that you have a bit behind you to tide you over if you don't get a new job immediately.


As to training - in the 20 years since I was 'only 39', I've re-trained to teach English as a foreign language, done a Train the Trainer course, become a qualified proofreader, ran an art gallery/craft shop for 3 years, lived abroad for 4 years, and now run a limited company with my OH. I also volunteer for a well-know heritage charity. There's a heap of stuff out there. One way of approaching it is to think about all the aspects of the job that you currently do, and decide which bit of it you enjoy the most/are best at. Then work towards becoming an expert in that aspect. Do you enjoy helping people? Look at counselling, customer service and such like. Or maybe you prefer dealing with money and numbers - what about a bookkeeping course? Play to your strengths.


I know from a previous post that you're struggling a bit at the moment. Age is a funny thing - turning 40 didn't bother me particularly, but I was really cross at being 55! I think it's a bit late (but not impossible) to start something completely new (you'll just have to accept that you'll never be a premiership footballer) but you can certainly use your existing skills/experience/interests to move forward.