How often do you change jobs?

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Interesting-Pin-9042@reddit

Rarely, I just can’t be bothered looking for a new job.

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Mean-Construction207@reddit

10 years in my first job. Was supposed to be a temporary contract after uni but stayed.

5 years in my second job. It had great promotion prospects and I went from 25k to 55k in that time.

Just started a new job. Same money, but it's the dream job I've wanted for 15 years.

It will have less promotion prospects, so I might end up applying back to company no. 2 in another 5 years. They'd defintely have me, and I reckon I could come back at a higher grade than I left.

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Comrade_Durge@reddit

Every 2 to 3 years. If I stayed with past employers I would gotten around 4-5% pay rise a year AT BEST. With job hopping this is usually 10-20% if I find the right role.

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Effective_Seesaw_215@reddit

Could you share in which area you live and which kind of job you do? I struggle to find enough roles in the Midlands

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Comrade_Durge@reddit

I am in London, working in insurance.

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What kind of insurance and do you recommend the career? Looking to pivot after 4 years of (unrelated) office work. Not sure whether to restart (late twenties now), but have heard good things about insurance

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Comrade_Durge@reddit

Non-life insurance, company underwrites very broad spectrum of risks from Terrorism, Aviation, Space to Structured Credit or Marine.

I really like it in the industry and there are a number of roles available within itbsuitable for different backgrounds- underwriting, actuaries, IT, finance, legal, PAs, analysts etc. it is quite welcoming industry to people from non-insurance backgrounds, but you need to start from the bottom effectively, but the career growth is quite quick if you are good.

Hours are fairly reasonable (9-6 on average) and the pay is generally decent once you grow into the role. So yes, I would recommend.

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Jolly-Avocado0@reddit

Rarely. The autistic in me can't cope with the changes.

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e817kenley@reddit

The autistic in me doesn’t want change jobs, until everything and everyone becomes so unbearable I have to change jobs.

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Redgrapefruitrage@reddit

Not autistic but I don’t like change. If I’m happy in a job, I’m going to stay until a much better opportunity turns up. My last job I was there 5 years.

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JayR_97@reddit

Unless I get a new manager whos a total asshole, I really dont see myself leaving.

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WinglyBap@reddit

For me often. ThenADHD in me can’t stand the monotony and loves finding new stuff to learn.

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Jolly-Avocado0@reddit

Oh the adhd in me gets very frustrated tbf. Hoping some meds will help tho

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ReallyIntriguing@reddit

I'm starting to wonder if I'm autistic in some way or some traits, is there a place to start for someone who isn't clearly autistic?

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Jolly-Avocado0@reddit

YouTube and reddit are both good starting points.

There tonnes of creators making really helpful posts online. I'm Autstic Now What and Orion Kelly are 2 youtubers I really like.

Have a look at the diagnostic criteria and what they actual mean.

You can take questionnaires (which are used as part the diagnostic process) such as AQ-10 (or AQ-50), RAADS-R tk give you an idea.

https://www.autism.org.uk/advice-and-guidance/diagnosis/assessment-and-diagnosis/criteria-and-tools-used-in-an-autism-assessment

https://www.autistica.org.uk/what-is-autism/what-is-autism

Oh, and avoid avoid autism speaks.

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frostatypical@reddit

Beware of social media misinformation. So bad that even scientists are studying it

Tiktok autism inaccuracy

The Reach and Accuracy of Information on Autism on TikTok - PubMed (nih.gov)

A problem across all social media:

View of Quality, reliability and misinformation in mental health and neurodivergence content on social media: a systematic review

Also, studies are showing those tests like AQ and raads perform very poorly and are highly misleading. Especially if you use the sketchy site embrace autism

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Jolly-Avocado0@reddit

Oh yeah, I've seen a lot about Embrace Autism recently

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frostatypical@reddit

Very dodgy indeed. Unfortunately they have managed to make their site the first thing that shows when someone looks up these tests. For others that might not be aware have a look on Threads or:

Embrace Autism responded to evidence-based criticism with legal threats. Beware. : r/AutismTranslated

I have found reason to suspect Embrace-Autism are using sock accounts on Reddit : r/AutismTranslated

Its run by a ‘naturopathic doctor’ whose main autism training was an online certificate, and who is repeatedly under ethical investigation and now being disciplined and monitored by two governing organizations (College of Naturopaths and College of Registered Psychotherapists).

https://cono.alinityapp.com/Client/PublicDirectory/Registrant/03d44ec3-ed3b-eb11-82b6-000c292a94a8

Public Register Profile - CRPO portal scroll to end of page

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mildperil_@reddit

Ditto. Barring catastrophe, I’ll be here until I die.

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Wise-Youth2901@reddit

I'm the opposite. I get bored easily.

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MidnightRambler87@reddit

The older I get, the more I can agree with this sentiment.

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PermanentSend1983@reddit

I'm 43 with 20 years experience in my industry. Gained 13 year experience in public sector then switched to private.

Went from £45k to £60k when I moved from public to private. Stayed for 2 years then moved companies to an £80k role. I was there for a couple of years, moved again to £93k and secured a good bonus and executive share scheme (total compensation circa £140k). I have 2 final interviews this week for similar paying roles but better progression and different industries so the change would be nice, and one next week for a £170k role which I was approached for and asked to apply by the company (I'm a consultant and they're one of my clients). One of the things I told them to do was recruit someone into this type of role and they're asking me to do it.

If I stayed in the public sector I would be earning about £60k with overtime. I know this because my wife is in the same role I left behind. Job hopping has worked for me. It's draining but I don't think I will ever be in the position where I am not at least casually looking. I'm already planning where my next job is going to get me, and I haven't even finished the interviews yet.

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sihasihasi@reddit

As rarely as possible - it terrifies me. Every job I've ever had, I've only left because I was made redundant (all but one because the place closed down).

Last two jobs were 7 & 14 years.

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MichaelBealesBurner@reddit

Too often

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turdinabox@reddit

Same

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Homeless_User32@reddit

Like never. Been there for 6 years. Don't care about promotions , bonuses etc. I'm retiring in 5ish years .

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ReallyIntriguing@reddit

So you worked 6 years in your whole working life and now your retiring? So 1 job

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Homeless_User32@reddit

Prior to coming to the UK I would change plenty of jobs but since I moved here and started my stock n shares ISA , which has put me on track to retire early , I can't be bothered switching jobs, especially when my job is 10 minutes commute and pretty chill. Why would I risk it ?

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ihatepickingnames810@reddit

If you’re early in your career, longest I’d spend in a role with no promotion or significant pay increase is 3 years. There’s no reward for loyalty

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lost-in-midgard@reddit

I've gone from junior to head of in the same company in the course of 10 years, sometimes loyalty is rewarded.

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ihatepickingnames810@reddit

So that would be the promotions I mentioned in my comment

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QuizzicalSquid7@reddit

It’s amazing these people are getting salary increases and promotions considering they are incapable of reading

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Wizzpig25@reddit

Depends on the company. I’ve been in the same job for 10 years and my salary has tripled in that time.

But you’ll have a pretty good idea whether that’s likely or not. It’s probably unusual.

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PixelBrother@reddit

That would be the ‘significant pay increase’ part of the above comment.

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Wizzpig25@reddit

I was agreeing with you; but just adding an example.

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ihatepickingnames810@reddit

Not really. Your example is a contradiction to my point.

Happy for you. But the more common story is someone gets a job, sits in a role for 5 years then is surprised their salary hasn’t increased above inflation. If you’re getting above inflation pay rises, getting more responsibility and progressing in your career.

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Mazzerboi@reddit

A shameless plug of you getting ‘triple’ pay increase when it wasn’t relevant to the thread at all

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Farscape_rocked@reddit

The longest I've lasted is 4.5 years.

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ReallyIntriguing@reddit

What happens towards the end?

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MCL-Jonathan@reddit

Don’t change now that the economy is bad

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PolarLocalCallingSvc@reddit

I've run the same company for a few years now. The employees I've hired have never left for another job. But then I do offer them regular pay reviews and actually follow up on promises of pay rises within the space of a week not years, they are given flexibility on where and (within reason) when they work, if they do come into the office they get a decent coffee machine and free soft drinks from the fridge, if they travel to the office their expenses get paid, if they have to go to client sites I book their travel so they're never out of pocket more than the cost of a dinner, they're given time off for training and have constant access to sites like Pluralsight, etc.

Basically I believe if employers value their staff properly, they will be inclined to stick around.

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Valleyman1982@reddit

Agreed. I have a voluntary staff turnover of 7%. I trust my staff, they trust each other and I hope they trust me to do the right thing.

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PolarLocalCallingSvc@reddit

Absolutely mate. Trust is a strong thing.

The worst jobs I've had have been where the employer has promised something then not delivered. That's arguably worse than not promising something to begin with.

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namur17056@reddit

You sound like a really good boss. You should be proud of yourself

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PolarLocalCallingSvc@reddit

Thank you. I'm not perfect but I spend a lot of time thinking about it. I want people to be happy. No doubt one day someone will get a six figure job offer and I won't be able to compete but I think people are treated well here and paid above average.

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PsychoticDust@reddit

Why yes, I would like to apply to work for you!

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Robot_Coffee_Pot@reddit

...do you have any vacancies because you sound like a legend.

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PolarLocalCallingSvc@reddit

Sorry, but no. Longer response: https://www.reddit.com/r/AskUK/s/LAuW2VcYaC

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IgnorantLobster@reddit

Are you hiring?

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PolarLocalCallingSvc@reddit

Unfortunately not. I've recently hired somebody and that's our gap filled.

If you're a software engineer with AI experience or a test engineer with automation experience then feel free to ping me a message.

I will consider hiring junior devs and test engineers and investing in training etc but sometimes it's dictated by clients who want people to hit the ground running. Larger organisations can (and should) hire more junior colleagues and train and mentor them up. I would love to, and have done before, but sometimes it's just not possible.

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sugarrayrob@reddit

You sound like the ideal kind of boss.

High expectations backed up with the appropriate level of support. Wish more were like you.

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PolarLocalCallingSvc@reddit

I am fortunate to run a small business to be fair. If my business became enterprise level I can see how this could quickly fall apart.

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Kris0r@reddit

Every couple of years on average, to ensure decent progression

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spunkkyy@reddit

I've stayed in my role for almost 4 years. I've been in our team longer than most employees other than a few people higher than me. Ironically with everyone else leaving, it's set me up well for promotions, as I'm the most experienced now and have built all the relationships with the external stakeholders. I still feel I've worked hard as well, but I think it's helped me with promotions. Had a big one last year, and looking at another coming up soon which I'm very well positioned for.

If you had of asked me 3 years ago, I definitely wouldn't have thought I'd be in the position I am now. I think it's actually helped me that a lot of people are quite transient now with their careers.

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CodeToManagement@reddit

I’m on my 8th in 15 years some were long stints others were short.

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WorldlyMarket7070@reddit

Usually only a year max, usually less. Only stayed in 1 job for 2 years and I left that one in 2021. My current job I've been in for just over a year now so this will be the second longest I've ever been in a job. Currently looking for another one as well

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urgentassistance@reddit

2/3 years max. I'm on Job number 5 after 10 years of work. 25K - 95K

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TrashLost3835@reddit

I don’t have a plan, depends on the employer, conditions, role and how I am performing. However, I’d like to think loyalty works both ways.

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Frequent-Cobbler4232@reddit

If they don’t up your pay beyond inflation, 2/3 years.

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Bibblejw@reddit

I generally change when there's a driver. It's sometimes a money thing, but not massively often.

Excluding early part-time roles, my career went:

- Analyst - 11 months - Left because they were looking to railroad into a 24x7 role with little uplift.

- Specialist - 9 months - Frankly just didn't gel with the org. Moved back to my actual speciality.

- Analyst - 2 years - Moved because of multiple issues with mergers and shifting requirements.

- Consultant/Manageer - 8 years - Moved because multiple successive management layers were causing issues and multiple rounds of cost cutting.

Looking back, I could have probably toughed out the analyst one and I might have ended up better off in the long run. The second one I probably could have, but, frankly, I'd have been miserable. The third one I could have hung around, but there was a salary consideration there (50% uplift). The fourth one was 2 months ago, so remains to be seen, but I could see the writing on the wall for it.

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badgerkingtattoo@reddit

I am self-employed so same job for 9 years so far 🤣 before that I changed more or less once a year because I didn’t like anything I tried tbh

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Valleyman1982@reddit

Honestly been in the same job for 21 years now. They’ve been good to me and I don’t see myself ever moving.

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StatisticianOne8287@reddit

I’ve been here for 10, planned on longer as we have 4 day weeks etc.

But writing is on the wall with the figures, so I’m leaving. Shame, love it here.

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Madyakker@reddit

Same, I'm 53 and worked for 3 companies since leaving school. I've been at my current employer for 20 odd years.

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double-happiness@reddit

I've almost always been sacked, resigned, came to the end of a fixed-term/temp contract, or been made redundant. The one and only time I moved on was after 6 months.

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PsychoticDust@reddit

I'm looking right now but the market isn't great. I'm essentially a manager responsible for client onboarding and customer service for a small but very successful company. I earn £41K and definitely want more.

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Rough-Promotion7135@reddit

Not enough ://

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Brief-Ship-5572@reddit

So funnily enough, yesterday I made a list of all the jobs I've ever had. Turns out I leave a job every 1.5 years. I am going to be 28 and have not made any career progress so I don't know what to do. Right now, my current job is a dead end part time Receptionist role.

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No_Ring_3348@reddit

I get incredibly bored after 3-5y in the same role and tend to move on, longest I've ever stayed in one company is 7y and that's because I got a promotion halfway through my time there. It has never held me back, quite the contrary in fact.

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tiggat@reddit

2 to 3 years

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CreativeAdeptness477@reddit

Not at all. My sanity wouldn't be able to cope with the 2 year probation thing, and my social anxiety makes interviews a problem. Right now I'm secure in that regard. And I like my actual job in principle, and I live close enough that I can walk in in 15 minutes if necessary. It's not exactly the best paid but the other convenience aspects outweigh that right now. A minor pay increase would involve more travel which at current fuel prices would probably cost more than the pay increase itself, as well as the loss of personal time to additional travel. Changing jobs just for a change of environment is not an option. I don't go to work for the scenery or the ambiance. I go to do a job, whatever that job is.

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bounderboy@reddit

27 years and counting

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EchoesOfZhivago@reddit

When I'm made redundant, when a better one comes along, or when it becomes unbearable. My three rules.

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inevitable_dave@reddit

Currently way too often. 6 jobs in 5 years, and I'm going to be handing in my notice in a few weeks. Granted, three of those were absolute shit shows and one where I was working so remotely they forgot I existed.

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Sea-Climate6841@reddit

I joined the army straight from school at 16, and spent 22 years in. Effectively changed roles every 2-3 years, which provided a good variance in type of work and location, but still technically the same job.

Been in consultancy now for a year and love it, probably because of the amount of projects available all offer something different, so could see myself with this new company for a long time - subject to change, though.

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explodinghat@reddit

Job-hopped until I found a role with the right pay:responsibility ratio. Been here 3 years now, the longest I've held a post. It's an industry and department that's constantly moving so it keeps me interested.

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Focusboy50@reddit

Previously 3-5yrs. Now I'm in my 40s and getting comfortable I don't fancy the upheaval any more. I feel I've peaked in my potential and hope I can stay here long enough to get kids through school and secure a comfortable retirement.

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yearsofpractice@reddit

Hey OP. 50 year old married father of two here. I’ve done corporate middle management bullshit all of my life. For me, it averages around 2.5 years.

That’s the amount of time it takes for the shitty “pay reviews” to start making me fall behind inflation and also for the latest fucking re-org to slither into view.

Most corporate companies these days are just rancid PE-owned PIP factories that have a strategic horizon of next quarter’s financial results…. So I cut my cloth accordingly.

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btwright1987@reddit

Been at the same job for 18 years now.

The company has changed a lot (for the better) in that time but they seem to care about employees more than most, plus career opportunities are there.

I don’t see myself ever leaving the company.

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damyco@reddit

2-3 years, unless they offer good pay rise I'll stay longer - other wise I'll hop for a nice bump

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Digital-Dinosaur@reddit

I spent 7 years in my first job, then realised I was stagnating with no hope of promotion (you'd need to wait for someone to die or leave, it was public sector).

So I left and gave changed jobs about every 2 years since

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KarmaIssues@reddit

1-2 years. I feel like I have commitment issues but it's been great for my savings.

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Ok_Situation_1525@reddit

I think people should do what makes them feel comfortable. For example if you are happy in your role have no desire to move then why would you? If you are unhappy always try and see what’s out there. I know so many people who seem to always moan about their job, they have worked the same place for many years and have never looked elsewhere.

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oneyeetyguy@reddit

Once every 1.6 years on average.

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MintBerryFondue@reddit

***Sigh....***
Every year and not by choice. I always ended up with either a contract job or the company that pays well but was inhospitable to work in.

I really love my last job and was planning to stay for for 2 more years, but I had to leave because the lead tenant had decided not to continue with the tenancy anymore since the landlord had raised the rent prices and had found someone else.

At this point my CV is starting to look unemployable.

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Royal_Hospital4818@reddit

The idea of spending thirty years in one workplace feels tied to an older economy that offered stronger pensions, stability, and gradual progression. Modern careers look more fragmented. People move for pay, flexibility, mental health, location, or simply because staying still no longer guarantees security anyway.

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Wise-Youth2901@reddit

Funnily enough, job churn was more of a thing 30 plus years ago. Our economy and job churn actually slowed down in modern times. There was loads of job churn/ redundancies going on 30/ 40 years ago.

https://www.resolutionfoundation.org/press-releases/economic-change-facing-workers-has-been-slowing-for-decades-reducing-damaging-job-losses-but-also-leading-to-fewer-big-pay-rises/

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Historical_Project86@reddit

It's working out at 6-10 years. Reasons:

Ericsson went tits-up in the late 90s. 6 years
Move back my home town for cheaper housing and better schools. 7 years.
Went out on a limb instead of rotting until retirement. 10 years.
Probably RIFed soon due to a "strategy pivot". 8 years.

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EatingCoooolo@reddit

As long as they’ll have me as I have been contracting for many years now.

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Wait-Whos-Joe@reddit

Im riddled with adhd in civil service, been at this role for under a yesr snd cabt see myself here much longer without sideway moving or promoting

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sugarrayrob@reddit

Every 2 years. It's normal in my industry and you won't get a pay rise or a promotion by staying in the same place.

Redundancy is also very normal, so the idea of loyalty is only held as important by much older people in some companies.

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Equivalent_Word3952@reddit

So I didn’t change for over 12 years then I changed careers and stayed less than two years! Currently at my fourth job and might stay much longer than third job, depends on vibes and culture of the company

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Astronaut_Level@reddit

Not often enough. Just changing jobs after 4,5 years. In this job market my strategy going forward will be to keep applying as this is the only way to increase pay

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GabberZZ@reddit

When I get made redundant due to company takeovers. So about 4 times in a 35 year career in IT.

I'm loyal and lazy.

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anonoaw@reddit

Longest I’ve ever stayed at a job is 3 years. Every move has given me more money and/or been a promotion. Internal promotions in my field rarely happen because you basically just have to wait for one person to leave and then have an entire team apply for the open position.

I’m coming up 3 years in my current role but I have recently moved to a different project team which basically feels like a new job.

I probably won’t leave my current employer until I can just quit corporate work full stop, but I’ll move around where I can for the variety otherwise I get bored.

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ratttertintattertins@reddit

I stopped doing this when I reached about 33. The gate on my earnings is no longer about simply finding a position but more about jobs above mine being horribly stressful. I now earn about as much as it's possible to earn while doing the kind of work I enjoy so my tenure at companies has grown longer. My last two companies were 7 and 8 years respectively. I've been enjoying the stability.

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anonoaw@reddit

Yeah that’s basically where I am. I’m 31 and have two young kids. My current workplace pays well, is super flexible, and has a great pension. It would take a LOT more money for me to consider moving, and even then I’m not convinced it’d be worth it because I’d almost certainly lose flexibility.

Plus I’m absolutely jaded about corporate life now and am plotting ways I can quit altogether, so moving jobs is just more effort than it’s worth.

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Pleasant-Doctor-5711@reddit

i keep telling myself i'll start looking and then another year passes

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Blandiblub@reddit

Been in the same company for 31 years, joining them at 18yo. It's big enough to move around different jobs within it. Been in current role for 13 years though. This is mainly because during my time in this role, I've had two children and the nature of my job/shifts works well for us for childcare, etc, so it wouldn't be helpful to change at the moment.

I'll probably retire from this company.

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Wishmaster891@reddit

Around 2 years to progress but my last job was 2 yrs 7 months and just got made redundant a couple weeks ago

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VolcanicBear@reddit

When I'm bored. Current job is 5.5 years and I don't see me getting too bored for a while.

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811545b2-4ff7-4041@reddit

In my career I've changed jobs after - 2.5 years, 6 years, 9 years, and now currently 6 years into my current job.

First job - changed career direction, Second job - left because I was given a new manager who was a dick (and for more money), third job - left for 50% payrise.

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Scarred_fish@reddit

53m - never. Same job since I left shool. That said, the roles have been incredibly varied and has changed so much over they years.

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AnyOlUsername@reddit

Not often. I don’t intend on leaving my current unless something better comes along.

My work/life balance is awesome atm and I’ve been getting consistent pay rises and career progression in the 5 years I’ve been here. I’m on \~£10k per year more now than when I started.

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CommunicationDry9294@reddit

I've been with the same employer for 16 years in the museums' sector.

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Acceptable-Till-5174@reddit

Staying at one company for years used to signal stability. Now it sometimes just means your salary fell behind the market.

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Olshka@reddit

Really depends on your career path and what you’re trying to achieve (eg career ladder moves up, more money, both, one etc). First job I stayed at for 9 years and I realise now it was far too long but they also looked after me in a way, so it wasn’t wasted time. Since then it depends on the Company. I’ve been looking for places where I have good Bosses / feel valued so I tend to stay a bit longer, it’s not great for financial gain but it’s good for my work life balance (and sanity).

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Plastic-Location-598@reddit

Every 2/3 years when I can justify to an employer why I should be getting more OR if the current employer starts taking the piss with workload, work/life balance, whilst not giving me what I'm fucking owed.

Sorry, its been a tough couple of weeks and my disdain for capitalist society, that is in fact, crumbling around us while the rich keep getting richer, is getting the better of me.

Not to worry, it's nearly the weekend 🤣🤣🤣

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Orrery-@reddit

It used to be 2 to 3 years, but I am now building a portfolio career. One main job, 2 days a week. I do consultancy and several part time, evening jobs. These are in governance, so depending on the time of year I am super busy and super quiet.

I also lecture 20 weeks and 2 weekends a year.

A job will let you go at a drop of a hat, better to have options

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