Career Reflections

[brewer12345]

I am throwing in the towel and starting to (selectively) look for the next landing spot. My employer is going through a culture change (for the worse) and the "demotivational" messages and actions are starting to ramp up. I have seen this movie before and I am getting pretty frustrated, so it is time to look for the next gig.

I am tempted to reflect on my career as something of a failure, given that I have hopped around like a bunny on crack my entire adult life. Longest I stayed in one spot is 3.5 years, and I have been at 6 shops since 1997. OTOH, I probably know more about insurance companies than anyone except someone who has run several of them, so its not all bad. Maybe I just should have been a consultant and dispensed with the veneer of being a permanent employee.

I am curious, though: am I extremely atypical in the number of my employers, or are others moving frequently as well?

 

[Dawg52]

I had a total of 3 jobs. Two years each on my first 2 jobs and 27 on the last one. I wanted to change a time or two on my last job, but stuck it out because it would have been hard to better myself financially.

Sorry for your employer troubles, but sounds like you won't have to work too many more years. Just let that be your focused.

 

[kumquat]

Probably not. I spent 40 years with 3 employers (one of whom was myself) but I'm in a geographically constrained area. If you live (or are willing to live) in an area rich in potential employers you have more options than me. Sounds like you exploited that advantage.

 

[73ss454]

I think jumping from job to job has a lot to do with the type of job. Nothing wrong with it if there is pension to protect by staying. When it's time to go ya gotta go.

I was in the car biz and was in 4 different dealers in 35 years. The last one was 21 years. This is very unusual today as most dealership owners spend most of their time trying to figure out how to rip the employees off.

No big deal, just move on. Excelsior!

 

[SunsetSail]

I've been at 6 firms (including a partner at my own firm) over the course of 14 years working after post-grad education, so my average is lower than yours (caveat: I worked for Arthur Andersen when it went under so that was an involuntary change - before you ask I had no part in Enron).

I work in a fairly specialized area and I'm considered successful or better by my peers. Until my present position, I went back and forth from disliking to hating my career choice. All my previous positions have been as a consultant. The current position is the best I've had but I no longer work as a consultant. I no longer day dream about a new career and look seriously at job postings, but I'm still counting the days until I can retire (approx. 3650).

I will measure my own career success by whether it can provide the financial means and work-life balance to give myself and my family a comfortable living, my substantial involvement in their daily lives and a retirement age under 50. I don't use accomplishments at work as a measure although they do provide a certain level of personal satisfaction.

Edit: My average isn't lower than yours, but they are very close. I misread your OP as 3.5 years on average.

 

[Midpack]

It appears you're not alone - at all. more-workers-start-to-quit: Personal Finance News from Yahoo! Finance

In February, the number of employees voluntarily quitting surpassed the number being fired or discharged for the first time since October 2008, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics.

And I remember when 7 seemed to be the average number of jobs in a career. I'm convinced that number has increased in my lifetime.
Careers in Transition, LLC - What is the average number of jobs a person holds during a lifetime?

Studies show that the average working American will have three to five careers and between 10 to 12 jobs during his or her lifetime.

 

[RunningBum]

Megacorp 1 for 10 years, at a place known for lifers.
Megacorp 2 for 16 years.
I don't figure I'm all that typical though.

 

[haha]

I am tempted to reflect on my career as something of a failure, given that I have hopped around like a bunny on crack my entire adult life.

Anyone who survives and takes care of himself and those entrusted to him is a mensch, so be proud. It is not your fault that you came along just before the ball of string started to unravel.

Ha

 

[Retch The Grate]

I've worked for 8 different companies in my 16 years of working now. Of course I've spent most of my time in the game industry, and done a number of startups, so that may skew things, but 3.5 years tops per job fits my history too (longest was 3years 8 months).

 

[Onward]

I just tried to count the number of employers I had in my 25 yrs in the workforce, and I can't do it. There are too many. Both contract jobs and W2 jobs. In both categories there are just too many to remember. A rough guess would be 40 contract jobs and a dozen W2 jobs. BTW, I was in software, and the 90s were a time when you could easily and always benefit from changing jobs. It wasn't as effortless in the 2000s.

Anyway, a couple of things to keep in mind:

1. Changing jobs is usually the best way to increase your compensation. I remember seeing someone on this board recommend changing jobs every two years to maximize salary growth. I never forgot that.

2. We are (or were ) extremely fortunate to live in a place where we can change jobs freely and easily, often improving our lot in the process.

 

[W2R]

I am throwing in the towel and starting to (selectively) look for the next landing spot. My employer is going through a culture change (for the worse) and the "demotivational" messages and actions are starting to ramp up. I have seen this movie before and I am getting pretty frustrated, so it is time to look for the next gig.

I thought your present job offered a pension. Don't you want to stay for decades in a job where you aren't appreciated, to do nothing and be passed over when it comes to all the "goodies", and watch less talented folks jump past you on their way up the ladder, while you are stuck with virtually no challenge or possibility of skill development, all so that you can finally, finally, FINALLY qualify for that wonderful, glorious, three figure a month pension?

Then you can listen to those who would say that it's completely unfair that you have a pension and they don't.

In other words, you're young and you gotta do what you gotta do.

Oh, in answer to your questions. I preferred sticking to jobs when I could (though they kept vanishing out from under me). I think those who "job hop" usually end up with higher salaries and lower benefits. But who gets benefits any more, anyway?

 

[Moemg]

I was lucky in that Nursing was the perfect fit for me . Just when I would start to get burned out I was able to move to a different specialty . In forty years I worked six different areas .

 

[Klubbie]

I'm 28 and have had multiple jobs so far. Here's my career path so far:

1 year at a firm my first year out of college
2+ years at my next firm
2 years in graduate school (during this time did two separate consulting projects and an internship)
Currently at a megacorp. My future here is TBD, but likely I'll stick it out until first quarter of 2014. They have a good 401K match that only vests after three years of employment (which would be June 2013 for me), however the way the 401K match is structured they only add it to your account at the end of the year. So even after mine vests, I need to stick around another 6 months in order to get the match.

I have the same mindset as Onward in that changing jobs is the best way to maximize salary growth. I realize that at some point there's a ceiling, but even early on in my career the major job changes I've made saw me increase my salary 50% (before grad school) and then get a 60%+ increase post-grad school. That can't continue forever, but I tend to think changing employer's is the best way to increase my earning potential, but going forward I'll probably stay in most places so any 401K matches I get vest.

That said, if I land in a really good spot and am comfortable in all aspects of my life I'd like to stay put, but I don't see that happening in the short term.

 

[Westernskies]

I am throwing in the towel and starting to (selectively) look for the next landing spot. My employer is going through a culture change (for the worse) and the "demotivational" messages and actions are starting to ramp up. I have seen this movie before and I am getting pretty frustrated, so it is time to look for the next gig.

I am tempted to reflect on my career as something of a failure, given that I have hopped around like a bunny on crack my entire adult life. Longest I stayed in one spot is 3.5 years, and I have been at 6 shops since 1997. OTOH, I probably know more about insurance companies than anyone except someone who has run several of them, so its not all bad. Maybe I just should have been a consultant and dispensed with the veneer of being a permanent employee.

I am curious, though: am I extremely atypical in the number of my employers, or are others moving frequently as well?

Brewer, Sorry to hear that things aren't working out for you there. A job change always brings stress; this time of year even more so. Although we have had many differences of opinion here on the forum, I'd be glad to share my thoughts from a management perspective via PM if you'd like.
All the Best,
WS

 

[brewer12345]

I've been at 6 firms (including a partner at my own firm) over the course of 14 years working after post-grad education, so my average is lower than yours (caveat: I worked for Arthur Andersen when it went under so that was an involuntary change - before you ask I had no part in Enron).

I work in a fairly specialized area and I'm considered successful or better by my peers. Until my present position, I went back and forth from disliking to hating my career choice. All my previous positions have been as a consultant. The current position is the best I've had but I no longer work as a consultant. I no longer day dream about a new career and look seriously at job postings, but I'm still counting the days until I can retire (approx. 3650).

I will measure my own career success by whether it can provide the financial means and work-life balance to give myself and my family a comfortable living, my substantial involvement in their daily lives and a retirement age under 50. I don't use accomplishments at work as a measure although they do provide a certain level of personal satisfaction.

Edit: My average isn't lower than yours, but they are very close. I misread your OP as 3.5 years on average.

Interesting to read. I guess I have always thought of myself as having a specialty consulting practice that has one client at a time.

The place I liked best (despite the high burnout factor) was the 12 man hedge fund that the principal (and a great teacher to me) described as being basically a privateer of the capital markets: you just hoped you ran across a stray treasure galleon and not the Spanish Armada. A gazillion person bureaucracy is not a good fit, but that's all there was when I was tossed out in the street a month before Lehman went tits up.

We will see what is out there. Worst case scenario is that I hunker down and suck it up for the next 3 years until ESR.

 

[DangerMouse]

Brewer, kudos for coming to the conclusion that your current place of employment is never going to be a good fit and moving on. The truth is you could suck it up and be miserable for the next however many years waiting to be FI, however the problem with being miserable in the work place is it doesn't get left in the workplace.

I think the longest job I ever had was my first out of school and that last 4 years. I did work for the government for a period of 10 years, but that only lasted because I was transferred from location to location every 2 years which worked fine for me. 2 years is normally my attention span done at any place of employment, before the burn out sinks in.

Life is too short to suck it up unless you really have to.

 

[FIREd]

Because DW and I are specialized workers, a change of job often means a change of address. So we try to hang on to our jobs as long as we can, cause we don't like to move, but we usually start to get bored after 5 years or so on the job. We have been at our present location for 5 years and DW is once again getting antsy for a change.

I have heard it said that, for some high-flying careers, staying on the job more than 2 years is considered to reflect a lack of ambition and dynamism.

 

[Gumby]

I have jumped around a fair bit, changing both jobs and career fields.

5.0 years US Navy submarine officer
0.5 years semiconductor manufacturer engineer
3.0 years nuclear power plant engineer
8.5 years law firm number 1
6.5 years law firm number 2
3.1 years state attorney general's office (so far)

I believe that you should do what you like at an acceptable salary, not something you don't like, even if the money is great. Three times I have voluntarily taken enormous pay cuts for the opportunity to do something different.

 

[LOL!]

Not counting grad school and post doc:
8 years employer #1
14 years employer #2
2 years semi-retired employer #2 (not a typo)

 

[Nords]

I am curious, though: am I extremely atypical in the number of my employers, or are others moving frequently as well?

We will see what is out there. Worst case scenario is that I hunker down and suck it up for the next 3 years until ESR.

I hear Buffett's looking for a few good CFOs, and your background couldn't hurt. Best of all, you won't have to move to Omaha! Unless you think that's a good thing...

 

[Keim]

Interesting to read. I guess I have always thought of myself as having a specialty consulting practice that has one client at a time.

The place I liked best (despite the high burnout factor) was the 12 man hedge fund that the principal (and a great teacher to me) described as being basically a privateer of the capital markets: you just hoped you ran across a stray treasure galleon and not the Spanish Armada. A gazillion person bureaucracy is not a good fit, but that's all there was when I was tossed out in the street a month before Lehman went tits up.

We will see what is out there. Worst case scenario is that I hunker down and suck it up for the next 3 years until ESR.

I've worked in the following since 1997:
homeless shelter-1yr
Staff development trainer for a major university-1
Boy Scouts-9
Chamber of Commerce Exec. Director-1
Conference planner for a different major university-Temp job for 6 months
Health and welfare community resource specialist-1.5
Variety is the spice of life!

Knowing when to move-on is difficult. Having the courage to do so is even more difficult. One of my departures resulted in a fairly spectacular public blow-up for the organization (articles in the local news media, no less). Sometimes an environment becomes so toxic that you simply have to leave. No matter cost to yourself or the organization. If you have reached that point do what you need to do. It WILL work out.

 

[chris2008]

6 in 22 years, one of these employers re-hired when a higher position became available.
For Germany that is a lot, but the fact that I was re-hired made up for it.
Longest stay was 5 and currently 7 years.
Good luck for your search. Consultancy might not be a bad idea...

 

[scrabbler1]

I had one job after college and stayed there for 23 years until I ERed 2 years ago. I nearly left the place a few times in my early years but stuck around and continued to make myself more and more valuable with my unique skills. This translated into leverage which I used to switch to part-time in 2001 and further reduce my hours in 2007 in anticipation of an early retirement in 2008.

Staying there was made more worthwhile financially with the inception of the company's ESOP which began in 1997. Thankfully, my peak earning years were in the late 1990s and in 2000 when I received a lot of shares. In the 1990s and 2000s, the value of those shares exploded by 3000% so I was able to cash them out and live off the dividends in the last two years and will continue doing so indefinitely.

Had I not stayed there the whole time, I would never have benefited from this huge windfall and been able to ER two years ago. On the downside, my pension (which I can't begin collecting until I am in my 60s, more than 10 years from now) was frozen back in 2001.

 

[Bimmerbill]

I take an opposite approach. If the job pays well and I can meet the needs of my family then I just develop coping mechanisms to deal the all the BS. I've learned to not let it affect me.

I keep my eye on the prize, in my case my pension and just come to work, do my job, and go home.

My brother job hops. Every time he hops he goes up the corp ladder. I am happy just sitting at my current level and plodding along.

My job does have some built in BS protection. Like 40 hour weeks (can't work over 40 hours) and lots of leave time, so this helps.

 

[rescueme]

I take an opposite approach. If the job pays well and I can meet the needs of my family then I just develop coping mechanisms to deal the all the BS. I've learned to not let it affect me.

I feel the same way. Over 40+ years of wo*king, I never had a "career"; they were just jobs (six, in all) that supplied income to me, and my family, and provided me with a very good retirement lifestyle (before the age of 60).

I did not (nor would I ever, if I was not retired) invest any time and think of anything other than the "end product" (e.g. $$$) that any j*b provided.

Just my POV.