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I'm 51, have recently been made redundant and am wondering if I'll ever work again. I am an editor and proofreader, and I find that these skills are much less in demand these days, what with instant self-publishing on the internet. All my old contacts have long dried up and I really have no idea how to begin. Is there any hope for me?

I would say that it is entirely dependent on your attitude. You could have a future ahead of you or none at all. Your first job is to find out  what is available within your field. If you were to go online and search for "proofreaders/editors wanted" I'm sure that lots of options would pop up.  Then you need to discover which of your skills can be transferred into another field. Who would need to use the skills of somebody who is good at research, accurate, etc? It might not necessarily mean that you end up as an editor or proofreader but there are other jobs out there. There are often some horrendous mistakes online, so another idea is to find these websites and offer your services to check and amend them.

If, as a 51-year-old, you're thinking that you can't keep up with the changing pace of things, then you might have a problem. But if you can embrace the changes in the world, then I think you will find plenty of opportunities both within and outside your field.

This is a moment when you need to decide whether you have it in you to go freelance. Are you suited to that lifestyle? If the answer is no, then be honest about it and don't try. If you find it exciting, go for it.

Deborah Meaden is author of Common Sense Rules (Random House, £7.99). Read more advice from Deborah Meaden.

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