How many times have you changed Jobs?
How many times have you changed Jobs?
(OP)
Just a curiosity question I've heard engineers change jobs more frequently than other professions? So...how many jobs have you had, and in what time frame 5,10,15 20 years?





RE: How many times have you changed Jobs?
If I look around my department and other departments, there are clear "lifers" and hoppers. The hoppers usually disappear after around 5 years. THe number of lifers is surprisingly high though.
- Steve
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V
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Tobalcane
"If you avoid failure, you also avoid success."
RE: How many times have you changed Jobs?
RE: How many times have you changed Jobs?
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David
RE: How many times have you changed Jobs?
4 different companies.
6 different positions.
5 job changes.
At my last company I got promoted into a new position. A few years later I quit. On Monday, I start back there again but with another promotion.
--Scott
http://wertel.eng.pro
RE: How many times have you changed Jobs?
That should cement my transition from a hopper to a lifer.
--Scott
http://wertel.eng.pro
RE: How many times have you changed Jobs?
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4 different positions
11 years
RE: How many times have you changed Jobs?
So true. How many people have changed jobs because it was the only way to get a promotion or a payrise or both?
Maybe changing jobs so often is not the engineer's choice but it is caused but the industry not giving credit where credit is due.
RE: How many times have you changed Jobs?
Chris
SolidWorks/PDMWorks 08 2.0
AutoCAD 06/08
ctopher's home (updated 10-07-07)
RE: How many times have you changed Jobs?
is that life without parole or life without pension?
Me, 30 years:
3 companies and countless positions in all till self employed.
Reality? most of that 30 years has been in the cycle of acquisitions and mergers so for me and my colleagues, no matter how much distance you try and put between yourself and a previous employer, sooner or later old and new become part of the same company.
I wonder what life will be like when the "focus on core values and business" cycle begins with divestments and sell off's?
In either case, a scramble for jobs and hoping to avoid the worst that management can do.
At my first company there were a significant number of "man and boy, and me Da (dad) afore me" types on the shop floor and in the engineering teams and still clinging to the old days of family ownership (and all the old practices; it were good enough for the old boss, and its good enough for me."). All their lives working for one company from leaving school, apprenticeship, time of for the odd war or two then back to the old firm till retirement (or beyond).
This was GE company when I joined, old Missus Bright having long ago departed this mortal coil despite the fond rememberings of the old hands.
JMW
www.ViscoAnalyser.com
RE: How many times have you changed Jobs?
RE: How many times have you changed Jobs?
which includes 4 mergers / buyouts, 3 contracts, and a plant closing.
*sigh*
Of course, I also doubled my salary in that time too :)
RE: How many times have you changed Jobs?
RE: How many times have you changed Jobs?
Seems like I've answered this before: 7 in 31, although the last 4 were actually the same job being shuffled around and bought/sold by big corporate entities.
TTFN
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RE: How many times have you changed Jobs?
You leave a company, go work for a competitor, and come back in 6 months for a much larger raise and a promotion than if you stayed there. It is a sad reality that job hopping benefits the young engineer in gaining experience and raising salary. After a point, though, too many jobs on one's resume makes for a difficult sale.
Thus, I think I'm at the point in my career where I need to settle into this one, without parole. I'll just accept the meager 3% annual raise and the occasional promotion, be it title or grade level.
--Scott
http://wertel.eng.pro
RE: How many times have you changed Jobs?
I have said the same thing for the last 3 jobs but it just doesnt work out that way, maybe I will be able to stay at the next job.
I hope you are joking about the 3% raise!
RE: How many times have you changed Jobs?
RE: How many times have you changed Jobs?
Intern in college turned into full time after graduation, but wasn't planning on staying. Then took a contract position for about 9 months, which I had hoped (and led to believe) would become permanent, but didn't. After the contract ended, I was job-hunting for awhile. Took a position that I was pretty sure I wasn't staying at for 3 weeks until one of the other positions I had applied for came through with an offer.
So I've had a total of four, but only two that I really expected to be long-term. And I have no plans on changing anytime soon from my current position. =)
RE: How many times have you changed Jobs?
RE: How many times have you changed Jobs?
old field guy
RE: How many times have you changed Jobs?
18.5 years (professionally) and 5 jobs - all in different states. but with one firm, i relocated 5-times in 7-years, which was a different job.
change is good though!! but, I admire the "long-term" employee - can nearly always count on them!
-pmover
RE: How many times have you changed Jobs?
Grade level promotions (which I was due for last year and didn't get, nor did I get this year with my re-hire, but I better get next year) are about 8-9% in addition to the standard Cost of Living increase. In the meantime, health premiums go up 10-15%, so does the deductable, coverage is reduced, and I pay more at the pump. At least my mortgage is 30-year fixed. But sadly, it is those economic reasons that I move jobs and those same reasons cause companies to give lower raises. Why can they pay me more as a re-hire than what they could do at my annual review? Makes no sense to me.
I guess duration of stay would also make this thread more meaningful.
1st - fresh grad, stayed 2 years. Wish it was more.
2nd - stayed one year. They got me to move to AZ, but it was a bad fit from the start.
3rd - 6 years. I got too deep into the politics and needed a breath of fresh air.
4th - 6 months. Learned a lot about myself.
5th - back to company 3, but a new position and plan on staying a while again.
--Scott
http://wertel.eng.pro
RE: How many times have you changed Jobs?
nearly always... too funny.
And I actually prefer the new guys. They work hard in order to prove themselves and are very energetic because it is new and interesting. I have had far to many lifers that are considered "tenure" and are ROAD. (Retired on Active Duty)
--Scott
http://wertel.eng.pro
RE: How many times have you changed Jobs?
This is the average and standard deviation for numbers of years at one company.
Avg = 4.23 years.
St Dev = 4.26 years.
--Scott
http://wertel.eng.pro
RE: How many times have you changed Jobs?
David
RE: How many times have you changed Jobs?
Mark Hutton
RE: How many times have you changed Jobs?
If you are dumb enough, smart enough, have the stomach enough, lucky enough etc then you can stay with one company and be a lifer.
It seems like most of my utility friends stayed with the same company.
I wish I had a pension.
Jim
RE: How many times have you changed Jobs?
Second company: 2 fairly different jobs in 9 years.
Third Company: Same job for 7 years.
Fourth Company (hopefully last): same job for the last 3 years.
"Why don't you knock it off with them negative waves? Why don't you dig how beautiful it is out here? Why don't you say something righteous and hopeful for a change?" Oddball, "Kelly's Heros" 1970
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RE: How many times have you changed Jobs?
as an engineer I would have expected accuracy and attribution from your quotation:
" ...... but I should have known enigineers couldn't resist thought without mathmatics."
But I guess paraphrasing is exempt!
JMW
www.ViscoAnalyser.com
RE: How many times have you changed Jobs?
David
RE: How many times have you changed Jobs?
Sorry.
JMW
www.ViscoAnalyser.com
RE: How many times have you changed Jobs?
David
RE: How many times have you changed Jobs?
HEC, Yep. I've been at that company. They want engineers around to fix all the problems, but don't want to give engineers any time to actually "engineer" something ahead of time to mitigate them. Just get it to the shop, we'll deal with it them.
--Scott
http://wertel.eng.pro
RE: How many times have you changed Jobs?
Sorry about the typo.
--Scott
http://wertel.eng.pro
RE: How many times have you changed Jobs?
David
RE: How many times have you changed Jobs?
RE: How many times have you changed Jobs?
Just over 4 years direct at first place, then almost a year contract.
2.5 at my current place but the first 9 months or so were contract.
So depending how you count either 2 or 4 in just under 8 years.
I wouldn't have left my first one when I did if it wasn't for moving to the States to be with my wife. They would actually give raises above inflation fairly readily if you played the game and increased your worth to the company etc.
KENAT, probably the least qualified checker you'll ever meet...
RE: How many times have you changed Jobs?
Robert
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Then one job for 19 years.
Then 7 jobs in 11 years.
Had the world by the tail there for a while...
Mike Halloran
Pembroke Pines, FL, USA
RE: How many times have you changed Jobs?
1st job Boilermaker built tanks all across the land mainly breweries (Budweiser, Miller, Red Stripe, Presedente, Medala ect…) and distilleries ( Old Crow ,National Royal Crown ect…) lasted 20 years Loved every minute of it would not change a thing but started to get old and break down so
2nd job Third party Inspector for Biopharmaceuticals I have been on the Amgen Jobsite for the last 6 years Love this job also
Inspection is easier on the body than building tanks
RE: How many times have you changed Jobs?
It is hard to have a place the is stable enough to work more than 5 years in many industries in the US.
RE: How many times have you changed Jobs?
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RE: How many times have you changed Jobs?
1st Job: 5/10/06 - 3/17/08
2nd Job: Will Start 3/19/08