Approaching 57, I ask if age really sidelines us – or if experience, insight and resilience make older workers more essential than ever

In just a couple of months, I’ll be 57 years old. And honestly? Some days, I feel it. The knees creak more than they used to, the waistline’s trying to sneak past the speed limit, and let’s not even mention how often I forget what I came into the room for.

Now… where was I? Oh yes… Professionally, too, the landscape has shifted. There’s less work floating around, fewer calls coming in, and a niggling voice that asks: maybe I’ve had my time. Maybe I really am edging towards my sell-by date.