Found out the average person changes jobs 12 times in their career, and it made me feel better

I was reading a report from the Bureau of Labor Statistics the other day, just feeling a bit down about my own job hopping. I saw a stat that said the average person holds about 12 different jobs in their lifetime. I always thought I was being flaky with my four moves in ten years, but that number really surprised me. It turns out switching around is way more normal than I believed. It made me stop worrying so much about my own path. Has anyone else found a career fact that made them relax a bit?

3 comments

3 Comments

the_leo15d ago

Ever hear about the guy with 30 jobs?

abbyf7915d ago

Oh man, that stat is a total relief. I read something similar about how the whole "one job for life" idea is basically gone now, which honestly makes sense. It's not about being flaky, it's about finding what actually works for you as life changes. That old pressure to pick one thing and stick with it forever just sets people up to feel bad. Hearing that helped me chill out about my own weird work history too.

andrew_shah15d ago

Remember my uncle who worked at the same plant for 40 years, abbyf79? He told me the only reason he stayed was the pension, and he hated every single day after year ten. Makes you realize that sticking with one thing isn't some noble goal if it makes you miserable. His whole story just proves your point about how that old model was broken for a lot of people.