because I tend to believe that by the time I'm X age I have achieved specific things I wanted to achieve. When I was 29 I didn't want to turn 30, because I thought by 30 I Sexy ladies looking casual sex dating asia would be where I wanted to be in my life. I felt a sense of letdown turning 30 and not accomplishing what I thought I would. Then, the moment I turned 30, I told myself (half-kiddingly), "It's OK, I have done those things and I have these things when I'm 40." Now I'm almost 40 and I'm still nowhere near where I want to be. As for what age I want to be "perceived as" I want to onto looking 30-something as as I can there's a lot of age discrimination in the big bad hiring world. My father got laid off at 60. He was a technical writer with about 20 years of experience in addition to experience as a computer programmer. That was 10 years ago, he never found a decent job again. I don't lie about my age, I just don't volunteer it. People can assume what they want to assume.