How many jobs, how long do you stay?

[Guest]

I'm curious and didn't want to derail the other thread asking this. What is typical anymore?

I've on my third grown up job now (maybe could say 4th, but it wasn't in manufacturing, so I don't count it.)

1st job, 7 years, next one 5, current job, 2 years.

All in roughly the same field, with promotions both internal and by moving jobs.

[Larry Ashcraft]

Well, I went to work for this trophy shop in 1970, bought it in 1978, been here ever since.

Probably not what you are looking for.

[grampster]

Getting ready to retire on Feb. 1st from my second real job.  37 years.  First adult job was LE, 7years.

[brimic]

I'm on my second job in my field. 1st job was for 2 years- pay was poor, advancement potential had more to do with politics than competance. Current job I've been working for 7 years, promoted pretty regularly, make a lot more than I ever thought I would.

[Ben]

Real fulltime grownup job  history starting at 18:

3 years, 4 years, 6 years (started college while working), went to college fulltime for 3 years, taught labs the last 2, 11 years current job (4 as contractor, 7 as civil servant).

For the last 18 years I've also been moonlighting as a landlord, which will end up being my "retirement job" as I've pretty much made up my mind that unless something really exciting comes along, I'll be leaving the "real" job market in the next five years.

[Gewehr98]

Retiring January 23rd, (Officially effective May 1st) after 20+ years in the military.  I'm taking my pension and TS/SCI and probably chugging along another 20 years as a federal civilian employee, unless that homestead in Colorado gets the better of me and I buy it.  Then I'll be self-employed with a cottage industry that I've been working on for some time.

[Standing Wolf]

It depends a lot on your field and what part of the country you're in.

When I lived in the People's Republic of California, it wasn't considered at all unusual for someone to change jobs every two or three years, sometimes more often. Marketing and advertising people, of whom I was one, often job-hopped more than engineers and accounting types.

I did a fair amount of job-hopping, although it was never my goal. I left one company as soon as I saw the handwriting on the wall, (it went under about six months later,) and another because my "supervisor" was psychotic. I sat out the dot.com bust in a job I didn't like much, and in so doing, outlasted a co-worker who made life miserable for everyone in the group. After he finally got fired, things improved considerably. If I hadn't retired, I probably would have stayed there another year or two.

[Stand_watie]

My first two "grown up" jobs were six months and one year, followed by this job, approaching 10 years. Transferred within the company a year ago - a totally different job, but the same company. Average time on the job of the guys at my plant is between 20 and 30 years. One of very few manufacturing jobs left that pays good wage. Excellent people to work with, albeit a very difficult, dirty, dangerous and (literally) painful job. Although I hope to move into better positions at the plant, as long as we stay open and producing profitably, I'll probably stay with this general career. Current oil prices are hurting us, hopefully that will stabilize.

[mtnbkr]

Since graduating college in '96, I've worked for three different companies.  However, the second company was as a contractor to the third with the both companies' knowledge that I'd transition from one to the other in 1 year.  I've been at the latter for nearly 5 years.  I'd like to stay indefinately, but I also want to move back to SW Va and that company doesn't have any contracts there.

Chris

[MillCreek]

Since I got out of graduate school in 1982, I worked four years at one company, 18 years at another, and have been at my current employer for about 1.5 years.  In each instance, I moved to a better job at a higher salary, and they have all been in the same general field.

[lee n. field]

First job, escaped after 14 years.

2nd, 2 weeks.

3rd job, 1 year.  Dick head laid me off.

4th job, 4 years, left for better job.

5th job, 3 years, company Enron-ed itself into complete oblivion.   I got cut in second round of lay-offs.

6th job, 5 years so far.

[Werewolf]

Since I left the military in '85 I've worked for 4 companies and did a stint as a day trader for 8 months (just something I had to do). Each move was to a better and higher paying job except the last which is one I took after the day trading thing. Now it seems that after almost 5 years there I'm gonna get laid off.

Seems like I average about 5 years or so at a place before the time to move on occurs. Trouble is at my age finding a place to move on to is getting harder and harder. Ah well - the sun'll still come up tomorrow...

[Art Eatman]

One year in mechanical engineering at Chevy Test Lab in Deee-troit City.  The job was great, but Detroit sucked.  Went home to Austintatious; one year in electrical engineering.  Next, eleven years in civil engineering as a state bureaucrat  (well, technically; the boss always called me his "short-haired Hippie").  An offer of a 20% payraise got me into two years in environmental stuff, and then two years as a consultant.

In 1979 I sorta dropped out and made my hobbies my business.  Penny-ante entrepreneurial stuff since then.  20% work, 80% play sounds about right.

, Art

[Paddy]

Last job, just under 4 years; fired for 'excessive internet usage'.
Previous job, just over 1 year; relocated
Prior job, about 2 years, laid off
Job before that, temporary, less than one year
Job before that 5 years; quit
Job before that 2 years; quit
Job before that 1 year, ownership change, fired for not cooking the books
Before that, 15 years self-employment.

[USP45usp]

Sounds like burn out to me.  Let's see:

1.  Air Force right out of high school, 11 years.

2.  Spent my hard earned serverance pay, lasted 1.5 years.

3.  Burger King, 2 weeks (those people work too damn hard for so little money!)

4.  Pilot truck stop.  6 months.  Put in my 2 week notice, place burns down on my second to last day

5.  Janitor, 6 months.  Great job, little pay

6.  Administration assistant, 6 years, may end today depending on my boss.  I guess I'm still sick over the death of my uncle, just feel bad

Wayne

[Sindawe]

First "real" job post college: 10 years in the Bloodmines, minus the 4 month paid vacation summer of '97 when I was laid off, then went back.

During that four month break, one position for only two weeks (poor fit, too PC for me, not enough for them) in the Bonefactory (place processed donated tissue for transplant), and six weeks as a lab grunt making standard solutions for an scientific instrument company (left there to go back to the Bloodmines)

2nd real job after finally leaving Bloodmines: Five years and counting, in a field (IT) unrelated to my formal education (Molecular Biology).

[griz]

After a bunch of different jobs that lasted from less than one to about four years, I started my currant one which has lasted 23 years. But from the folks I meet it's obvious that the days of company loyalty (in both directions) is over. Lots of people are changing jobs every 3-5 years. It was a surprize to me to talk to a guy who was so used to moving around that he felt stagnant if he stayed at the same job 5 years. He figured he was not matching his potential if he stayed longer than that.

It would be interesting to hear from some of the younger folks here. When I was in school they talked about "security" in employment, I wonder ho they handle that now?

[Brian Williams]

74 Breakfast/lunch cook, made $2.25 7months while doubling business offered $.25 raise,
75 Marines 4yrs
79 local telephone co laid off during Ma Bell fiasco 3 yrs
82 1 year unemployment
83 telephone installer installed business phones 9 Mo. no work let go
83- 87 college with pizza delivery and lab jobs, construction summers
87 5 mo permanent sub job let go at end.
87 taught at private school for "shop class" budget crunch let go 5yrs
93 stayed with construction firm froze my toes quit for inside job 1.5yrs
95 inside forman making "Mobile homes" 9mo
96 this job but 3 different companies.  7yrs , 2yrs, 2yrs got bought out each time.

Average 2 years per company

[Smoke]

Grew up working on the family ranch.

Graduated from TCU in 1984.  Since then:

Family Ranch - 3 months
Vet Crew with Feedyard - 1 year
Family Ranch - 6 years
Commodities Broker - 3years (Concurrent with Ranch job)
Gen Magr for large Commercial Brangus Ranch - 4 years (Concurrent with family ranch)
Started Saddle Shop (Concurrent with Family Ranch)
Feestore - 10 mos (Concurrent with family ranch)
Bank - 9 Years (Concurrent with Family Ranch)

Currently in banking, ranching, whitetail deer production, and oil and gas leasing.

Smoke - anything for a buck

[telewinz]

Army-6 years
race track-1 year
water dept-6 months
construction-1 year
hospital-1 year
manufacturing-9 months
printing-1 year
printing-12 years
printing-1 year
state employee-6 years and going
Never fired, 3 businesses closed, laid-off twice, the rest I quit to "move-up the ladder".
I have ALWAYS been willing to take a chance for a better opportunity.

[Waitone]

First job--2 years--better opportunity
Second--11 years--restructured out
third--self-employed--hungry
fourth--4 years--buyout
fifth--2 years--restructured.
sixth--self employed and loving every minute.  Now how do I eat without money?

My generation was the one taught by WWII generation (work hard, keep you nose clean, save, retire, etc).  So I believe all that bravo sierra.  Never did I expect employers to become predators.  Thankfully my kids will not make my mistakes.  They're free to screw up on their own.