My husband came here as a contractor when he was 54 and was offered his job permanently a couple of months before his 58th birthday. He turned 60 in May and recently was asked if he'd be interested in taking on a bit more responsibility for a slightly higher salary. Although he is IT, until 2004 he was a factory manager with a lot of decision making and man management skills which the others in his team value.

You should never write yourself off, I'm spending time reinventing myself before I hit 60 next year - I might even write that novel I've been thinking about for donkeys years