I’ve lived through three career arcs so far, and each one followed the same pattern:
Master a skill. Become the expert. Then watch the world move on.
In the 1980s, I was an award-winning field engineer in Silicon Valley.
Back then, fixing computers meant using voltmeters and oscilloscopes.
Real diagnostic work.
You had to know what you were doing.
But by the end of the decade?
It was all board swapping.
Technical mastery wasn’t needed anymore.
So I pivoted.
In the ’90s, I became a network manager.
Early on, building and maintaining a corporate network took serious expertise.
Firewalls, IP addressing, routers.
It was complex.
By the end of the decade?
Plug-and-play gear took over.
By 2005, routers configured themselves.
So I pivoted again.
In the 2000s, I built a new career in online marketing.
At the time, you had to hand-code websites, manually run SEO, and figure out email systems from scratch.
It was hard and valuable.
Now?
AI writes your copy.
Drag-and-drop builders create your site.
Campaigns launch in a few clicks.
Once again…
The skill becomes irrelevant.
Now I’m in my fourth arc, my Epic Encore.
I coach men over 55 who aren’t done yet.
They still want to contribute.
They still have more to give.
But they’re wondering what it looks like now after the titles fade and the tech leaves us behind.
That’s why this month’s Mastermind Book Club pick hit me so hard.
Modern Wisdom, Ancient Roots
By Dr. Srikumar Rao Chapter 6: The Identity Trap
Dr. Rao’s insight is simple but powerful:
Most of our stress, fear, and uncertainty comes from clinging to an identity that no longer fits.
We spend decades building a professional identity.
“I’m the tech guy.”
“I’m the fixer.”
“I’m the expert.”
And when that role disappears?
We don’t know who we are anymore.
This chapter helped me see the pattern:
I wasn’t grieving lost skills.
I was grieving the loss of identity.
Dr. Rao shows us how to let go of those old “I am” stories and reconnect with something deeper.
Something more essential.
He teaches that you are not your job title.
You are not your résumé.
And that’s the conversation we’re having live, with him, this month.
📅 Thursday, July 24
🕦 11:30 AM PT / 2:30 PM ET 🎙️ Live with Dr. Srikumar Rao 🔗 Join the call here
If you’re entering your next chapter and wondering who you are without the old title…
If you still want to lead, contribute, and grow, but on your own terms…
This call is for you.
Hope to see you there,
Ted
