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Out of context: Reply #9
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- Horp0
You can get back in. Maybe you get back in in a different and unexpected area though. Perhaps you need to think about what your core skills as a person are, rather than what your web-based design skills are.
I took five years out too. Sort of. Stopped being a design industry creative director and strategy head, and became an illustrator so that I could leave London and start a family without a 5 day commitment.
After 5 years of being an illustrator and knowing I didn't want to carry on with that, I started applying for jobs at the start of 2010. I felt like I stood no chance. Really, it felt like the hardest thing ever. I knew I didn't want to go back into design, and I knew I didn't want to be an illustrator, and I knew that after 5 years of self-employment drawing pictures, I was going to be a hard sell to a company anyway.
But I got a freelance contract as a cultural analyst and its turned into an ongoing stream of work in a totally new, unexpected, and really rewarding area of work.
So don't worry about being out of it so long, and don't worry about your age (I'm 41), because the world is awash with green shoots who have no experience to draw on, and when times are tight, which they are, people would rather put their business in the hands of those who have had some previous experience to draw on.
You'll be okay. Don't worry about your work. You have a valid reason for a 5 year absence. Be open to new ideas and directions, and look for more flexible arrangements initially.... going from 5 years out to full time is harder than going from five years out to three days a week freelance, and after 12 months of 3 days a week freelance, going back full-time will be much easier.