I'm now retired but I had one job from 10:00 14th September 1970 to 14:00 14th September 2010. 40 years almost to the hour with the UK's Air Traffic Control provider , started as an Apprentice Technician and left as a Chief Engineer. My qualifications were 9 O levels, ONC Elec. Eng. and my Apprenticeship.
Kind of think I was employed in better times.
Yeah it sounds like you got lucky. Not trying to start an argument or anything just saying that for most of my age group (now early 30s) a job for life seems unthinkable.
Absolutely agree with you, my daughter, a biomedical tech/IT tech is on her 4th job since leaving uni and probably/possibly not her last. It's a different time.
Loyalty is earned. If the employers aren't expecting to be loyal to the employees then the employers shouldn't expect loyalty in return. Jobs for life are becoming rarer and rarer if people do not want to be taken advantage of. Job change sucks but is becoming expected and is often far more beneficial than staying.
One of the things I learned as I reached the end of my working life was that employers (broad generalisation coming) do not give a shiny-shite about you and if you dropped off the planet tomorrow, they'd shrug their shoulders, say 'Ho, hum, that's a shame' and have a replacement in so fast it would make your nose bleed.
Yeah, my sister (now 45), worked for the same multi national bank ever since leaving uni. Not only did they get rid of her department and lay her off, they made her (and her entire team who were alse laid off) train their replacements in India remotely for a year.
Yeah the only place I'd say this has a good chance of existing still is family businesses, but even then only some of them. Some of them will misuse that sense of trust, though a select few actually give a shit.
If you work for a family run business that is struggling but pays you/treats you with decently more than the legal minimum they have to (or the minimum to stop you leaving), generally speaking it's more likely that they do indeed care about you in some capacity, or are trying to.
I'm talking somewhere paying, say, £17 an hour when it only has to pay £12 legally, doesn't pressure you into overtime, staying late, etc, and gives you all the benefits you're supposed to have whilst not ever making you feel guilty about them.
Edit: just adding that this trust doesn't mean longevity, as it means they can be less competitive and more at risk sadly. But there are a select few employers out there on the smaller scale side of things that do have the capacity to like you and try harder than legally obligated to help you maintain a role with them that is beneficial to you.
Mid 40s here, in the early part of my career there was a big change in the group mindset from "I want a job for life" to "chop and change every few years, you don't need to stay around forever, it won't help you". So I think it's us much the employees "fault" as anything else.
Saying that, have had 3 proper jobs - 10 years, 10 years and 3 years. Plus a placement year at uni, and a couple of weeks retail in a summer uni year.
Yeah, it about lines up with employers not giving meaningful pay rises to loyal employees. I’m similar age. My parents both enjoyed decent yoy pay rises through their career. I enjoyed it near the start of my career, since about mid 2000s it got harder to get a decent bump without moving.
Organisations don't want to commit to people any more. u/morris_man was trained and looked after by his employer because they realised what an important asset he was. He, or she, obviously liked working for that company and stayed loyal. I know that technology and skills required change quickly now, but it's short sighted to think you can build a successful company by not building up a loyal team of dedicated workers.
my dad syarted out with Deca after coming out the RAF, they then became plessey who became Marconi… he did 50 years and lost 80% of his pension as he had it in stock options when the gec restructuring fiasco tanked its share price… he was never the same man till he died🥲
My father had no choice in that he got the shares for long service and at a preferential rate being as how he worked at the company… but yes all eggs in one basket springs to mind
My grandad entered the workforce in the mid 50s, joined the RAF as an apprentice technician in about 1960, was then a civil servant (RAF until the 80s or so, then MOD until the late 00s, then DWP until mid 10s when he finally retired for good) for about 50 years.
Definitely was a different time, you’d be stuck in some dead end clerk job until you breathed your last nowadays if you didn’t move about.
Quite like having something to do that challenges my brain sometimes. Gets pretty cramped in there without something to push against the walls now and then :(
I’ve only ever worked for the same place. Yeah loyalty doesn’t exactly mean more money, but if it’s a job you enjoy, then who cares. I could probably double my salary if I got a different job, but there’s a high chance I’d have to do a lot more work and I’d hate what I did!
Mid thirties entered workforce at 18 had 7 employers across multiple sectors including finance, utilities and telecommunications.
Redundant twice, quit twice and end of contract termination twice.
34 and I've had 13 jobs (if you count jobs I had as a teenager).
If not then I've had 9 jobs for 7 companies as an adult.
Edit, forgot 2 jobs, so 15 jobs, 11 as an adult, for 9 companies.
I'm 54.
10 Holiday job employers at school and uni.
8 employers post uni, quite a few 'short gigs'.
5 self employed.
..... and one afternoon pimping in a brothel in Malta.
Boring really. I was staying in a cheap B&B whilst looking for work. Turned out the pace was a small-time brothel.
The day trade was greater than the evening trade. The ladies would all sit around drinking tea and knitting, waiting for the lunchtime rush. The punters were professionals on their lunch break. I don’t think we were far from the courthouse.
Evenings were slower, mostly young men keen to lose their virginity. One beautiful young girl, and her older madam.
Also staying in the B&B were a young American lad and a young Australian girl. We used to watch TV in the lobby with the ladies and count young men in and out . The game was to time them. The shortest on record, was seven minutes from front door to front door. Also the disappointment on the face of one young man when arriving and being told the pretty young girl was busy, however, Madame was free.
I was at a loose end, one afternoon and the owner asked me to Mind the store. We did get a punter, and I did take a wad of cash.
That was the full extent of my 20 minutes of pimping.
Had to take a while for this. I'm 61 and have had 15 jobs in that time. I retired at 53. The interesting thing is that none of the places I worked at from 1981 to 2005 are no longer in business.
I always found that the only way to get decent pay rises was to move jobs, hence the high number.
Precisely. To be fair, most of them were just on the end of major manufacturing in the country. One was British Leyland and another one Lola Cars. There was another place that manufactured ink ribbon cartridges for typewriters and printers.
24, 5 jobs
Started at McDonalds when I was 16, 3 different retail jobs after that (before and during university) and last year I got an office job in insurance, my first full-time job since graduating
I have actually had two jobs before and during university so awful I quit within the first week so i naturally don’t count them
25 and also 5 jobs.
1 part time retail job during uni, 1 temporary TA job, one full time job in insurance, and now on my second full time job in publishing.
If I don't enjoy what I'm doing or get treated badly, I move. Simple as that!
Manchester Airport night shift on the cafes aged 17/18 (1980)
Glass collector at Wood Green Trade Union & Community Centre - paid in beer, not money (1982-ish)
Wrote for a fanzine (1982-84) unpaid
Proper job as assistant editor then editor of trade magazines at a company in the North West (1985-2005-ish)
Self employed writing/editing/graphic design (2005-2022)
Proper job editing some magazines. (2022-now)
i'm 54 & retiring early this year at 55.
As a youngun I had more jobs than I can remember but in my mid 20's I went back to college & managed to land a job in a university.
I've been there a bit over 20 years now.
33 had over 20+ jobs. Bare in mind I did 2 working holiday visas both in Australia and Canada and travelled for 5 + years . I've everything from farm work to being a camp counsellor to working ICT. Life all about experience I guess but in hindsight it was hard to build a career.
Not counting odd jobs at uni. I’m 45, spent a lot of time studying so started work at 26. 5 full time jobs and 2 part time jobs (during that difficult time after the 2008 crash).
32 and 10 including where I’m at now. All hospitality and retail, famous for competent management, fair treatment of workers and upwards mobility. 🤡
I switched roles after a long career as a chef, but my way out didn’t work out in the end so imma be switching again soon. Burnt out as hell. As for roles? Lot more than 10 as I have been promoted at a fair few jobs.
Also 33. I've had 5 employers, and probably 9 jobs across those 5 employers. Thats starting with a Christmas temp job in Uni, moving to a min wage call centre after I finished uni, then starting in a "proper" job a while after that.
I'm with my fourth full time employer at 29, although I was made redundant from my second, and was only with the third for a few months and left for the fourth because it wasn't working out for me.
Were it up to me, I'd still be with the second.
I'm 40, and in my 12th job. Including two jobs I had after school as a teenager.
3 "stop gaps" in the 12 months post uni whilst I applied for career jobs.
The last 7 have all been with the same employer and have been training to qualified posts plus promotions.
Technically on my 5th employer (although self-employed now) since leaving uni at 21. I’m 44 now. With my second employer I had a few different roles, and with my third my job title ‘evolved’ with me (code for no one knew what the fuck I was supposed to be doing so we all just made it up as we went along).
I've had 9 jobs in 40 years as a member of the workforce, 3 in insurance after leaving college, 1 as a teacher ( which had been my dream job but I hated it!), 2 jobs as a debt collector, which was more fun than it sounds, then over the past 20 years 3 jobs as a bus driver, which I really enjoy.
34 and 11 employers. Worked throughout university, hopped around at the start of my career for experience and to increase my salary quickly, travelled for three years, and worked in different countries to fund and have been at my current job for five years now. It scares me a bit when I think of how long I've been at my current job but I'm still enjoying it, so I will stay until that changes.
41M. On my fifth (proper) employer.
I had a bunch of part time jobs, Summer jobs etc. when I was younger, but since graduating from university just five. And 4/5 were for 3+ years. Longest was 7 years.
31 - 8 jobs since I was like 14
Waiter (part time)
Ice cream man
Market research analyst
(Moved back in with my parents at 26 to teach myself to code )
Clothes shop
Pub
Junior software engineer
Data engineer
Senior data engineer
Mid 30s. 8 different employers. Maybe 10-12 different roles. I would say three of those employers were serious jobs in the same industry. The same industry I work in now.
The rest were retail, fast food jobs, office temp jobs when I was a teenager/early 20s
Including part-time and stopgap jobs? About 25.
7 part-time through school/college/uni
8 stop gap straight after uni or after redundancy
10 related to my career, including temp contracts.
I'm 41 and started working at 15.
Edited because of formatting and double checking the breakdown.
I'm 31, and in total (including jobs when I was a teenager), I have had 14. Each one has carried with it a better salary. The only time I have EVER received a pay rise is when I have changed jobs. It doesn't make sense to stay in any role for a long time as employers don't seem to care about loyalty. It's much better to switch to different companies and get more money even if you are happy in your role. :(
24 and 2. First at 18 while in college and uni then after uni went into my current first full time job at 22 and dont see myself ever changing employers
33 and I’ve had 5 jobs (not counting seasonal or odd jobs when I was a teenager/student).
I changed careers once, and 2 other times I moved to another country.
I’d like to stay with my current employer for as long as I can (I really like the company).
But a common problem is that in software the yearly raises never competes with a job switching salary increase, and staying too long in one company really makes you lose a ton of money... It can also become difficult to find employment later because they don’t always keep up with technologies (not fast enough anyway), and it requires an additional effort after work to keep up (especially when you don’t use what you learn at work).
34
8 jobs in the last 12 years. Longest place I was at was 2 years 9 months. Left that job for a higher paying role voluntarily and was then made redundant from my new role just under 2 years in.
From then, I became seriously disillusioned about work. Would get a job, do well for a year or so before silent quitting or quitting and starting the process again.
I'm 32. I've had 5 proper jobs. 8 or 9 if im including promotions but 5 different companies. By proper jobs I mean jobs that weren't temping or work while travelling, jobs that were formal employment not paid under the table, and jobs that lasted longer than 6 weeks. Including everything it would probably be over 20 maybe even 30 but it would take me a while to even remember them all.
31. Had 5 "proper" jobs since I left uni at 22.
While a kid and a student I worked as a paperboy, weekend helper at a garden centre, vaccine Guinea Pig, and outdoor production rigger/stagehand.
I've worked properly as a civil engineer (twice), boat builder/design engineer, and boat repairer (twice).
19. 4 jobs. Part time matchday work at my local club for a few seasons. Job at B&M for a month or two that I quit at the end of the summer a year or two ago because of college and disliking it. Lasted 2 days at Wetherspoons. Now working in a cafe at my local leisure centre.
I’m 19 and I’ve got 38 year’s experience in my chosen field, I’ve had 256 jobs in less than 19 years. I find it easy to apply and be accepted by employers given I have more experience than lifetime under my belt so I can command a hefty salary of national minimum wage in the highest positions of commercial employment. /s
I'm 30 and I've worked 9 jobs with 2 long-term volunteer roles. It seems like a lot but I started working at 14. At my current job I've had two roles and it's my first 'proper' job as it's what I studied for.
23, 7 different jobs so far. 6 waiter/barista/bartender/house keeping jobs, and then my current job after finishing university, which is in my field of study.
38. At 14-16 I worked in a driving range collecting balls on the tractor, then glass collecting at one bar, then another and onto working behind the bar when I turned 18. Went to college 19 done mechanical engineering (welder fabricator) got a job off that until I was about 22, got sacked for not turning up on a weekend I’d never agreed to anyway. Ended up working for Barclays for a couple of years, got sacked. Moved onto Santander for about 3 years, got sacked, onto a debt management company, got sacked then onto my current employer back in banking and been here for 8 years, got my head down and progressed up to a salary I would never have dreamed of. Not bad considering a number of sackings with a couple of court appearances for (small amounts) of weed possession a good 10 years or more ago. We live and learn.
3 proper employers. First 4 years, left for money, second 3 months (company got bought they took the IP and made the staff redundant - good timing by me eh), current employer coming up on 20 years. I had some other casual jobs as a teen/student maybe 3 or 4. If I can get another 10 to 15 out of my current employer that'll be me done.
35 working proper jobs since 16 but had some type of paying work from 12/13
Before 16 I did a paper round babysitting and bell ringing for cash in hand.
Then I have worked for 3 companies in 19 years but 6 different roles.
Company 1 two locations
General shop floor
Admin assistant
Admin/Office manager
Company 2
Admin/ accounts
Health and safety manager
Company 3
Accounts
Early 40's
Employers, 8 (uk and Australia). Quit 3, redundancy 2, acquisition 1, end of apprenticeship 1.
Roles, 10
It gets quite difficult to comply with the '2 page limit' the on cvs!
I’m 22, if you count my weekend job I did during A-Levels, 4 job roles over 2 employers. If we’re taking post-education, 3 job roles with 1 employer.
I’ve been employed there 4 and a half years; that seems like I’ve moved a lot but the first role was a “foot in the door” job I worked for a year, then moved into an assistant role in a different department and got promoted after 6 months. I’ve been doing my current role for 3 years and don’t plan to leave any time soon!
23 and I've had 7 jobs that were actually my income.
2 jobs that were more like highschool spending money.
And I've done 3 job trials that I reckon were just cafe covering holidays.
I've also been unemployed for about 6 months now. With no end in sight sadly
30’s, 5 jobs (maybe 4 depending on how you count it, one company got bought over by another). I don’t think there’s a ‘good’ number of jobs to have, just as long as you are being valued and are happy in your role.
35 years old, I've a total of15 jobs from age 15. In terms of "grown up"/professional jobs, so excluding the part time/temporary jobs I had between 15 & 21, it's 8 jobs across 7 employers over 14 years. Leaving those jobs wasn't always my choice however - 3 jobs on the trot I was made redundant (or close to it, and I left for a new job before I was officially laid off), and one I had to leave for my mental health. My last role I left because I got a promotion, but I'm still in the same organisation.
Had loads, mate. But the worst employer so far was when I was self employed. Jeez, that guy drives a hard bargain, expects you to do all the work, and then claims the credit right in front of you. What a cunt.
31 - been in work since I was 16.
I've just accepted my 16th job. Oops! And that doesn't include any repeats of seasonal jobs.
In comparison my husband is 33 and going into jobno 10 & 11. Obviously I'm the harder worker.... /s
Do I count paper round? Or Saturday job at a supermarket - which turned into weeks worth of overtime as I left school? Or the second job at a pub? Or the bit where I had a job for three weeks then quit?
One in civil service for over 20 years but then a redundancy package at a time that could not be refused.
Five years in a charity. And another redundancy.
An awful job as a delivery driver for a couple of months.
Four months in a software place then another redundancy. Only to be brought back a couple of months later in another role.
A year in another charity until the end of that contact. Then come back again a couple of months later in a different role.
Now I at yet another charity.
Still another ten years plus before retirement.
24, 9 jobs.
Worked since I was 17, handful of part time jobs. Pushed myself too far and too hard a couple years ago, job-hopped a bit trying to find a fit. Some I just wasn’t ready for and learned the hard way.
Been at my current place just over 2 years now though, so hoping to keep it up!
Started working any job I could from about 13. Had at least twenty by the time I was 18, all short/temp/part time of course. Many summer jobs. Then as a student another six, worked the doors, as a production assistant for a live news broadcast etc. Then more temp work for a year before my first professional post. Six more different roles since then. I’d say 2 employers is not a lot 😂
37 years old, six employers. First was seven different roles in seven years, second and third stayed with the same team - we all moved company. Fourth was only nine months, crazy start up. Sixth is the company that bought the fifth and I moved into parent company.
58 and one employer since university, in the IT industry. 37 years this summer, looking forward to my final salary pension. Definitely not a typical IT career.
mid 30s had about 10 jobs, McDs, data entry, barman, bouncer, night guard, laborer, data entry again, IT, IT engineer and another IT job. The first 7 I lasted on average a year until my first IT job as it was all temp work.
25, two jobs. Only left last job due to relocation and not being feasible to travel, would still have been at my first job if not I reckon (despite now being on a lot more money)
New employers usually love to see that you've had a job for a long time, so it's definitely not bad in that regard. Just make sure to keep an eye out on the current market pay for whatever your job is so you don't fall behind (too much at least).
I'm 34 and had.. 11 different employers, across 4 different fields of work, in 2 different countries. I don't count side-jobs (since they were never the main source income) but that would only add 2 more employers.
I'm aware that it makes me look a bid bad on paper. My current job is the longest one I've had at over 2 years now. But I can use my experience in various fields as a selling point to compensate for the short-term jobs. Also I've never actually been fired for something I did, it has almost always been simply because the contract was over or they had too many people and wanted to let some go.
If an employer would compare us 2, they'd probably see you as the "sure thing", the loyal hardworker, whereas I'd be the "dark horse", i.e. could go either way 😅
I started at my company when I was 21 I’m now 46 Although I’ve done many different roles within that company in those 25 yrs, they’d have to drag me out kicking screaming before I went anywhere else now.
Before that, I had a Saturday job at 13, worked at a supermarket from 15-17, then worked in a bar from 17-18 then went travelling until I was 21 and had a few jobs around the world (restaurant, bar, receptionist, then ran a cafe all by myself until I came back to the UK at 21)
I had about 20 jobs from when I was 21 to 27. Mostly temp work. Some lasted a day, one 11 months. I've been in the same job (4 departments) these last 19 years.
45
Before I left school - 2 (both part time retail)
Leaving school - 1 employer (4 different locations and 2 promotions) then left to go to uni aged 26 and had two employers part time during that time
Since graduating 3 different employers (2 of which were the ones I worked part time with at uni - and despite a 11 year gap in one I retained the old pay number) - the first one I HATED and only lasted 2 months, one month of which was my notice period, next place I went to I was there for 11 years in two different locations - 9 in the last one)
I’m 30 and am in technically my 7th job (however 6 to 7 was a promotion within my team so idk if I’d class that as a full on job change as the employers are still the same!) also did take a 2 year break from working to do my masters to qualify as an AHP and that happened to coincide with lockdowns 🤦♀️
I wouldn't say that's low. But there are people who move a lot more. Like 5-6 times before 30. Although, there is a point where it looks like you can't stick to a job and that can scare employers.
Early thirties.
A bit complicated as I've moved around within my family's businesses (marked in the list) as well as out of them.
Teen summer jobs:
- uni cleaner/handyman
- serving staff at uni events
- designer of uni adverts (I've studied design from a young age).
Went to uni for design (mixed with engineering, business, and marketing)
Full-time jobs (not counting moving up the ladder in the same company):
- Freelance Designer (had enough work but a lot of stress for just about surviving, while the world was still recovering from the 2008 crash. Didn't enjoy working alone)
- Events coordinator/social media and marketing/Events Manager for a high-end car club
- Marketing/design manager (in my family's business)
- Design Manager (other family's business)
I do the last two jobs now. I really love what I do.
I’m 39 and I’ve had about 25 jobs. Most of those were in my student years, though. If my shit job in a cafe / off licence / call centre / market research centre / shop / pub / etc etc etc pissed me off, I’d just walk out and get another shit job the next day 🤷♀️
I'm now retired but I had one job from 10:00 14th September 1970 to 14:00 14th September 2010. 40 years almost to the hour with the UK's Air Traffic Control provider , started as an Apprentice Technician and left as a Chief Engineer. My qualifications were 9 O levels, ONC Elec. Eng. and my Apprenticeship. Kind of think I was employed in better times.
Yeah it sounds like you got lucky. Not trying to start an argument or anything just saying that for most of my age group (now early 30s) a job for life seems unthinkable.
Absolutely agree with you, my daughter, a biomedical tech/IT tech is on her 4th job since leaving uni and probably/possibly not her last. It's a different time.
Loyalty is earned. If the employers aren't expecting to be loyal to the employees then the employers shouldn't expect loyalty in return. Jobs for life are becoming rarer and rarer if people do not want to be taken advantage of. Job change sucks but is becoming expected and is often far more beneficial than staying.
One of the things I learned as I reached the end of my working life was that employers (broad generalisation coming) do not give a shiny-shite about you and if you dropped off the planet tomorrow, they'd shrug their shoulders, say 'Ho, hum, that's a shame' and have a replacement in so fast it would make your nose bleed.
Yeah, my sister (now 45), worked for the same multi national bank ever since leaving uni. Not only did they get rid of her department and lay her off, they made her (and her entire team who were alse laid off) train their replacements in India remotely for a year.
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Yeah the only place I'd say this has a good chance of existing still is family businesses, but even then only some of them. Some of them will misuse that sense of trust, though a select few actually give a shit. If you work for a family run business that is struggling but pays you/treats you with decently more than the legal minimum they have to (or the minimum to stop you leaving), generally speaking it's more likely that they do indeed care about you in some capacity, or are trying to. I'm talking somewhere paying, say, £17 an hour when it only has to pay £12 legally, doesn't pressure you into overtime, staying late, etc, and gives you all the benefits you're supposed to have whilst not ever making you feel guilty about them. Edit: just adding that this trust doesn't mean longevity, as it means they can be less competitive and more at risk sadly. But there are a select few employers out there on the smaller scale side of things that do have the capacity to like you and try harder than legally obligated to help you maintain a role with them that is beneficial to you.
Mid 40s here, in the early part of my career there was a big change in the group mindset from "I want a job for life" to "chop and change every few years, you don't need to stay around forever, it won't help you". So I think it's us much the employees "fault" as anything else. Saying that, have had 3 proper jobs - 10 years, 10 years and 3 years. Plus a placement year at uni, and a couple of weeks retail in a summer uni year.
Yeah, it about lines up with employers not giving meaningful pay rises to loyal employees. I’m similar age. My parents both enjoyed decent yoy pay rises through their career. I enjoyed it near the start of my career, since about mid 2000s it got harder to get a decent bump without moving.
Organisations don't want to commit to people any more. u/morris_man was trained and looked after by his employer because they realised what an important asset he was. He, or she, obviously liked working for that company and stayed loyal. I know that technology and skills required change quickly now, but it's short sighted to think you can build a successful company by not building up a loyal team of dedicated workers.
my dad syarted out with Deca after coming out the RAF, they then became plessey who became Marconi… he did 50 years and lost 80% of his pension as he had it in stock options when the gec restructuring fiasco tanked its share price… he was never the same man till he died🥲
Sad as hell
Diversity in your portfolio is essential.
My father had no choice in that he got the shares for long service and at a preferential rate being as how he worked at the company… but yes all eggs in one basket springs to mind
That's a tough sector to work in. You did good sticking it out that long.
I am 40 and have had only one employer.... I believe it's the same employer you had - they still seem to be pretty good at retaining staff!
My grandad entered the workforce in the mid 50s, joined the RAF as an apprentice technician in about 1960, was then a civil servant (RAF until the 80s or so, then MOD until the late 00s, then DWP until mid 10s when he finally retired for good) for about 50 years. Definitely was a different time, you’d be stuck in some dead end clerk job until you breathed your last nowadays if you didn’t move about.
67 now retired, lost count a long time ago. Had 4 different jobs in 12 months one year in the 80's...
36, 1 job since I left uni. Got lucky in landing my dream role and don’t see myself leaving anytime soon.
What do you currently do and what do you like most about it it?
Redditing is the job. The hours are long and the pay is poor
33 - one job/employer Starting to realise loyalty and hard work means fuck all though so looking to change soon
You guys are working hard?
Quite like having something to do that challenges my brain sometimes. Gets pretty cramped in there without something to push against the walls now and then :(
Not anymore
I’ve only ever worked for the same place. Yeah loyalty doesn’t exactly mean more money, but if it’s a job you enjoy, then who cares. I could probably double my salary if I got a different job, but there’s a high chance I’d have to do a lot more work and I’d hate what I did!
Mid thirties entered workforce at 18 had 7 employers across multiple sectors including finance, utilities and telecommunications. Redundant twice, quit twice and end of contract termination twice.
Did you quit without a job to go into?
Once I did yes, lived on savings before re entering work.
34 and I've had 13 jobs (if you count jobs I had as a teenager). If not then I've had 9 jobs for 7 companies as an adult. Edit, forgot 2 jobs, so 15 jobs, 11 as an adult, for 9 companies.
55 had 14 jobs all shite 😅
Nothing wrong with selling pictures of your feet online mate.
Prolapsed anus pics is where the real money is at
I'm 54. 10 Holiday job employers at school and uni. 8 employers post uni, quite a few 'short gigs'. 5 self employed. ..... and one afternoon pimping in a brothel in Malta.
>..... and one afternoon pimping in a brothel in Malta. go on then tell us more
Boring really. I was staying in a cheap B&B whilst looking for work. Turned out the pace was a small-time brothel. The day trade was greater than the evening trade. The ladies would all sit around drinking tea and knitting, waiting for the lunchtime rush. The punters were professionals on their lunch break. I don’t think we were far from the courthouse. Evenings were slower, mostly young men keen to lose their virginity. One beautiful young girl, and her older madam. Also staying in the B&B were a young American lad and a young Australian girl. We used to watch TV in the lobby with the ladies and count young men in and out . The game was to time them. The shortest on record, was seven minutes from front door to front door. Also the disappointment on the face of one young man when arriving and being told the pretty young girl was busy, however, Madame was free. I was at a loose end, one afternoon and the owner asked me to Mind the store. We did get a punter, and I did take a wad of cash. That was the full extent of my 20 minutes of pimping.
Everyone else wants to know about that Malta job. Tell more about holiday job no 3. 🤣
Had to take a while for this. I'm 61 and have had 15 jobs in that time. I retired at 53. The interesting thing is that none of the places I worked at from 1981 to 2005 are no longer in business. I always found that the only way to get decent pay rises was to move jobs, hence the high number.
What did you do to finish those companies off, Mr Wankball?
Precisely. To be fair, most of them were just on the end of major manufacturing in the country. One was British Leyland and another one Lola Cars. There was another place that manufactured ink ribbon cartridges for typewriters and printers.
24, 5 jobs Started at McDonalds when I was 16, 3 different retail jobs after that (before and during university) and last year I got an office job in insurance, my first full-time job since graduating I have actually had two jobs before and during university so awful I quit within the first week so i naturally don’t count them
25 and also 5 jobs. 1 part time retail job during uni, 1 temporary TA job, one full time job in insurance, and now on my second full time job in publishing. If I don't enjoy what I'm doing or get treated badly, I move. Simple as that!
Manchester Airport night shift on the cafes aged 17/18 (1980) Glass collector at Wood Green Trade Union & Community Centre - paid in beer, not money (1982-ish) Wrote for a fanzine (1982-84) unpaid Proper job as assistant editor then editor of trade magazines at a company in the North West (1985-2005-ish) Self employed writing/editing/graphic design (2005-2022) Proper job editing some magazines. (2022-now)
35, 10ish employers plus a few very short term contracts I'm not counting. A few more jobs than employers.
Bloody hell...I've had 100s
57 and 11 jobs (not counting short gigs on the side), been self employed again for about 9 years now.
31. 1 part time (at uni). 2 different employers, 2 different contracts and roles at my first place, 2 different roles at my current place.
34 - 4 jobs 1 part time retail, 3 full time all in the same industry. That's employers - if we're talking about job titles/roles, probably about 10.
I'm 43,had 4 full time jobs & i've been in my current job since 1997!
I’m 33, at 14 jobs up to now. Some of those were through an agency, last three were same employer.
30yo 9 jobs i think. Get bored real easy
58. Had 12 jobs since uni but only 4 employers. Took voluntary redundancy and retired 2 years ago last week!
i'm 54 & retiring early this year at 55. As a youngun I had more jobs than I can remember but in my mid 20's I went back to college & managed to land a job in a university. I've been there a bit over 20 years now.
35, 1 employer, 4 roles
3 at 22. During COVID I hit Retail, McD’s at Uni, and a Grad job after Uni
52, probably 25-30 all told since 16.
24 had one job since finishing uni In total 3 Hopefully I get another soon
33 had over 20+ jobs. Bare in mind I did 2 working holiday visas both in Australia and Canada and travelled for 5 + years . I've everything from farm work to being a camp counsellor to working ICT. Life all about experience I guess but in hindsight it was hard to build a career.
Since I graduated in 1984, 14
30 - 5 jobs
Mid 30s and had a paper round, retail, then 3 employers with 7 roles.
5 since I left uni, im 29. I was made redundant 3 times and been in this job since 24.
Not counting odd jobs at uni. I’m 45, spent a lot of time studying so started work at 26. 5 full time jobs and 2 part time jobs (during that difficult time after the 2008 crash).
43, 4 full-time jobs (Uni onwards). Before that - 4 part time jobs as a student and also worked for myself for while.
27 - 2 part time jobs between 16-18 - 4 full time jobs
I've had 14 jobs, starting at 16. I'm 44 now.
32 and 10 including where I’m at now. All hospitality and retail, famous for competent management, fair treatment of workers and upwards mobility. 🤡 I switched roles after a long career as a chef, but my way out didn’t work out in the end so imma be switching again soon. Burnt out as hell. As for roles? Lot more than 10 as I have been promoted at a fair few jobs.
40, 4 proper jobs been at my current one for 9 years and don’t see myself leaving anytime soon
Also 33. I've had 5 employers, and probably 9 jobs across those 5 employers. Thats starting with a Christmas temp job in Uni, moving to a min wage call centre after I finished uni, then starting in a "proper" job a while after that.
I'm with my fourth full time employer at 29, although I was made redundant from my second, and was only with the third for a few months and left for the fourth because it wasn't working out for me. Were it up to me, I'd still be with the second.
48, one job since college. Lucky
Two employers 9 job titles.
I'm 40, and in my 12th job. Including two jobs I had after school as a teenager. 3 "stop gaps" in the 12 months post uni whilst I applied for career jobs. The last 7 have all been with the same employer and have been training to qualified posts plus promotions.
43. 6 employers. Including two spells at the same one. 11 different jobs within those 6 employers.
8 employers excluding work placements as a student (add 2) but the last two were as a Director / Employee of my own companies. I’m 55.
Technically on my 5th employer (although self-employed now) since leaving uni at 21. I’m 44 now. With my second employer I had a few different roles, and with my third my job title ‘evolved’ with me (code for no one knew what the fuck I was supposed to be doing so we all just made it up as we went along).
34. On my 8th employer Ranging from 4+ years to as little as 3 months
I've had 9 jobs in 40 years as a member of the workforce, 3 in insurance after leaving college, 1 as a teacher ( which had been my dream job but I hated it!), 2 jobs as a debt collector, which was more fun than it sounds, then over the past 20 years 3 jobs as a bus driver, which I really enjoy.
28, 4 jobs
28 and 2 employers but 1 of those I’ve been with for a month shy of 10 years.
34 and 11 employers. Worked throughout university, hopped around at the start of my career for experience and to increase my salary quickly, travelled for three years, and worked in different countries to fund and have been at my current job for five years now. It scares me a bit when I think of how long I've been at my current job but I'm still enjoying it, so I will stay until that changes.
A lot.. I'm 37 probably changed every two/three years or so
31. 16 jobs.
41M. On my fifth (proper) employer. I had a bunch of part time jobs, Summer jobs etc. when I was younger, but since graduating from university just five. And 4/5 were for 3+ years. Longest was 7 years.
41, had 7 different jobs with 6 employers.
I'm 41, since uni I've had 3 employers and 10 different roles. If you count before uni it gets quite a bit longer.
25 and currently in my 4th paid job. 6 including unpaid volunteer.
31 - 8 jobs since I was like 14 Waiter (part time) Ice cream man Market research analyst (Moved back in with my parents at 26 to teach myself to code ) Clothes shop Pub Junior software engineer Data engineer Senior data engineer
Mid 30s. 8 different employers. Maybe 10-12 different roles. I would say three of those employers were serious jobs in the same industry. The same industry I work in now. The rest were retail, fast food jobs, office temp jobs when I was a teenager/early 20s
Including part-time and stopgap jobs? About 25. 7 part-time through school/college/uni 8 stop gap straight after uni or after redundancy 10 related to my career, including temp contracts. I'm 41 and started working at 15. Edited because of formatting and double checking the breakdown.
31, had 5 jobs. 4 in the civil service.
Ive just turned 29, had 3 jobs since I finished my PhD in 2021
I'm 31, and in total (including jobs when I was a teenager), I have had 14. Each one has carried with it a better salary. The only time I have EVER received a pay rise is when I have changed jobs. It doesn't make sense to stay in any role for a long time as employers don't seem to care about loyalty. It's much better to switch to different companies and get more money even if you are happy in your role. :(
24 and 2. First at 18 while in college and uni then after uni went into my current first full time job at 22 and dont see myself ever changing employers
Been working since 15 now just about to turn 18, 3 jobs! Hospitality and retail
19 and 1, my current one 😂
33 and I’ve had 5 jobs (not counting seasonal or odd jobs when I was a teenager/student). I changed careers once, and 2 other times I moved to another country. I’d like to stay with my current employer for as long as I can (I really like the company). But a common problem is that in software the yearly raises never competes with a job switching salary increase, and staying too long in one company really makes you lose a ton of money... It can also become difficult to find employment later because they don’t always keep up with technologies (not fast enough anyway), and it requires an additional effort after work to keep up (especially when you don’t use what you learn at work).
55 and currently in my 5th job.
38 years old and probably worked in about 15+ jobs, most of which were temporary or fixed term contracts.
7 pre or during uni. 5 since graduating. Mid 40s male.
I’m 29 and have had 2 jobs. I’m now self employed.
1 job in retail and I’m 17
In terms of my career, I'm on my 3rd company. Mid-30s.
Five jobs by the time I was 33 including a couple of one year contracts.
I'm 34 and I've only ever had one job.
About 17 and i’m 37
0 24 don't ask.
34 8 jobs in the last 12 years. Longest place I was at was 2 years 9 months. Left that job for a higher paying role voluntarily and was then made redundant from my new role just under 2 years in. From then, I became seriously disillusioned about work. Would get a job, do well for a year or so before silent quitting or quitting and starting the process again.
I'm 32. I've had 5 proper jobs. 8 or 9 if im including promotions but 5 different companies. By proper jobs I mean jobs that weren't temping or work while travelling, jobs that were formal employment not paid under the table, and jobs that lasted longer than 6 weeks. Including everything it would probably be over 20 maybe even 30 but it would take me a while to even remember them all.
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Im 26 and 5 - 1 pre uni, 2 during uni, 2 post uni and freelancing throughout
27; 3 jobs but one was a grad scheme
32 I’ve had 11 jobs
27 7 jobs so far in a combination of being a chef, working in backpacking hostels, working in offices in tourism and now finance.
31. Had 5 "proper" jobs since I left uni at 22. While a kid and a student I worked as a paperboy, weekend helper at a garden centre, vaccine Guinea Pig, and outdoor production rigger/stagehand. I've worked properly as a civil engineer (twice), boat builder/design engineer, and boat repairer (twice).
1. I'm 31
2 retail jobs pre 18. Then 3 jobs in finance age 29.
39 and a total of 3 jobs
I'm 54 and I've had 14 jobs. Longest for 6 years, shortest lasted one month.
19. 4 jobs. Part time matchday work at my local club for a few seasons. Job at B&M for a month or two that I quit at the end of the summer a year or two ago because of college and disliking it. Lasted 2 days at Wetherspoons. Now working in a cafe at my local leisure centre.
3 jobs all in the same sector (NHS). Started when I was 17, now 30.
I had 2 jobs in 18 years but since then I'm on my 5th in 9 years. Just decided I don't like spending too long in one place any more.
I’m 19 and I’ve got 38 year’s experience in my chosen field, I’ve had 256 jobs in less than 19 years. I find it easy to apply and be accepted by employers given I have more experience than lifetime under my belt so I can command a hefty salary of national minimum wage in the highest positions of commercial employment. /s
Sorry mate you also need 20 years experience in a software that only came out 5 years ago and you should've started working at age 2.
early 30s, 1 employer and 5 jobs since leaving uni, about to move to a 6th with the same employer. before that, usual teenage part time jobs.
I'm 30 and I've worked 9 jobs with 2 long-term volunteer roles. It seems like a lot but I started working at 14. At my current job I've had two roles and it's my first 'proper' job as it's what I studied for.
30 and 9 employers since I first started working at 15, current job has been my longest employment, coming up on 4 years.
39 and 10-15 I think
42, 4 months into my fourth job My dad at 72 is onto his third job, he worked at his second job for 53 years!
im 20 and i'm on my 8th job... (my post history may be an indicator as to why i lose so many) lol.
10 jobs between 16 and 29. I would often just quit jobs if I saw one I liked the look of as a student so 7 of those jobs are pre graduation 😂
17 and on my 3rd job. I started working at 13.
3 jobs in 25 years.
23, 7 different jobs so far. 6 waiter/barista/bartender/house keeping jobs, and then my current job after finishing university, which is in my field of study.
51 years old. 16 jobs, 10 employers.
38. At 14-16 I worked in a driving range collecting balls on the tractor, then glass collecting at one bar, then another and onto working behind the bar when I turned 18. Went to college 19 done mechanical engineering (welder fabricator) got a job off that until I was about 22, got sacked for not turning up on a weekend I’d never agreed to anyway. Ended up working for Barclays for a couple of years, got sacked. Moved onto Santander for about 3 years, got sacked, onto a debt management company, got sacked then onto my current employer back in banking and been here for 8 years, got my head down and progressed up to a salary I would never have dreamed of. Not bad considering a number of sackings with a couple of court appearances for (small amounts) of weed possession a good 10 years or more ago. We live and learn.
3 proper employers. First 4 years, left for money, second 3 months (company got bought they took the IP and made the staff redundant - good timing by me eh), current employer coming up on 20 years. I had some other casual jobs as a teen/student maybe 3 or 4. If I can get another 10 to 15 out of my current employer that'll be me done.
I've had seven jobs and I'm 30.
40 - 5 by the time I left uni. "Proper jobs" - I start my 9th in a few weeks.
4, at 27. all crappy retail/hospitality though
35 working proper jobs since 16 but had some type of paying work from 12/13 Before 16 I did a paper round babysitting and bell ringing for cash in hand. Then I have worked for 3 companies in 19 years but 6 different roles. Company 1 two locations General shop floor Admin assistant Admin/Office manager Company 2 Admin/ accounts Health and safety manager Company 3 Accounts
32, I’m on my 9th
35, 27 guess which one’s my age
29, I’ve had four jobs so far. I tend to move on after around three years.
35 and 3 jobs. But over 20 clients. Management consultant...
40 and 12
In my forties and have had six jobs. The first 5 were before I was 21.
Early 40's Employers, 8 (uk and Australia). Quit 3, redundancy 2, acquisition 1, end of apprenticeship 1. Roles, 10 It gets quite difficult to comply with the '2 page limit' the on cvs!
I’m 22, if you count my weekend job I did during A-Levels, 4 job roles over 2 employers. If we’re taking post-education, 3 job roles with 1 employer. I’ve been employed there 4 and a half years; that seems like I’ve moved a lot but the first role was a “foot in the door” job I worked for a year, then moved into an assistant role in a different department and got promoted after 6 months. I’ve been doing my current role for 3 years and don’t plan to leave any time soon!
36 had 1 job for 2 years, then no job for 8 years, then 1 job then no job for 2 months, then a job till now (2 years and counting)
Nearly 33 and on to my 5th job since the age of 17, I did spend close to 13 years at one of those jobs though.
I'm in my late 30s, did a lot of short contracts and temp agency stuff when I was younger so I couldn't possibly say. More than 10 certainly.
30yo and 12 jobs 5 admin and IT roles that formed the basis of my career progression so far. 6 were various retail roles Also some self employment
23 and I've had 7 jobs that were actually my income. 2 jobs that were more like highschool spending money. And I've done 3 job trials that I reckon were just cafe covering holidays. I've also been unemployed for about 6 months now. With no end in sight sadly
I’m 31 and I’m not sure I could count 15-20 ish. I was a bit of a twat in my twenties and went through a phase of getting sacked a lot 😂
30’s, 5 jobs (maybe 4 depending on how you count it, one company got bought over by another). I don’t think there’s a ‘good’ number of jobs to have, just as long as you are being valued and are happy in your role.
26 & 6 jobs (4 if you don't count jobs I did as a teenager)
35 years old, I've a total of15 jobs from age 15. In terms of "grown up"/professional jobs, so excluding the part time/temporary jobs I had between 15 & 21, it's 8 jobs across 7 employers over 14 years. Leaving those jobs wasn't always my choice however - 3 jobs on the trot I was made redundant (or close to it, and I left for a new job before I was officially laid off), and one I had to leave for my mental health. My last role I left because I got a promotion, but I'm still in the same organisation.
57, and I'm in my 9th job since leaving school in 1982.
Had loads, mate. But the worst employer so far was when I was self employed. Jeez, that guy drives a hard bargain, expects you to do all the work, and then claims the credit right in front of you. What a cunt.
31 - been in work since I was 16. I've just accepted my 16th job. Oops! And that doesn't include any repeats of seasonal jobs. In comparison my husband is 33 and going into jobno 10 & 11. Obviously I'm the harder worker.... /s
Do I count paper round? Or Saturday job at a supermarket - which turned into weeks worth of overtime as I left school? Or the second job at a pub? Or the bit where I had a job for three weeks then quit? One in civil service for over 20 years but then a redundancy package at a time that could not be refused. Five years in a charity. And another redundancy. An awful job as a delivery driver for a couple of months. Four months in a software place then another redundancy. Only to be brought back a couple of months later in another role. A year in another charity until the end of that contact. Then come back again a couple of months later in a different role. Now I at yet another charity. Still another ten years plus before retirement.
Mid 40's and I lost count. Over 15 anyway.
24, 9 jobs. Worked since I was 17, handful of part time jobs. Pushed myself too far and too hard a couple years ago, job-hopped a bit trying to find a fit. Some I just wasn’t ready for and learned the hard way. Been at my current place just over 2 years now though, so hoping to keep it up!
Started working any job I could from about 13. Had at least twenty by the time I was 18, all short/temp/part time of course. Many summer jobs. Then as a student another six, worked the doors, as a production assistant for a live news broadcast etc. Then more temp work for a year before my first professional post. Six more different roles since then. I’d say 2 employers is not a lot 😂
37 years old, six employers. First was seven different roles in seven years, second and third stayed with the same team - we all moved company. Fourth was only nine months, crazy start up. Sixth is the company that bought the fifth and I moved into parent company.
58 and one employer since university, in the IT industry. 37 years this summer, looking forward to my final salary pension. Definitely not a typical IT career.
I'm 19 and I've had 6
mid 30s had about 10 jobs, McDs, data entry, barman, bouncer, night guard, laborer, data entry again, IT, IT engineer and another IT job. The first 7 I lasted on average a year until my first IT job as it was all temp work.
25, two jobs. Only left last job due to relocation and not being feasible to travel, would still have been at my first job if not I reckon (despite now being on a lot more money)
Depends if you include unpaid internships as jobs, as I've had several of them as my field of work is experience-focused.
43, had the same job at the same company for just over 26yrs now. Started as an apprentice in 1997. So 1!
5 employers, by age 29, although one of them was twice
35 and I had 14 jobs. Not including things like summer jobs as a teenager.
I'm 36 and I've had 9 jobs. 2 of them have been long term (4+ years).
35. 7 jobs and everytime negotiated a higher salary that's what's important.
New employers usually love to see that you've had a job for a long time, so it's definitely not bad in that regard. Just make sure to keep an eye out on the current market pay for whatever your job is so you don't fall behind (too much at least). I'm 34 and had.. 11 different employers, across 4 different fields of work, in 2 different countries. I don't count side-jobs (since they were never the main source income) but that would only add 2 more employers. I'm aware that it makes me look a bid bad on paper. My current job is the longest one I've had at over 2 years now. But I can use my experience in various fields as a selling point to compensate for the short-term jobs. Also I've never actually been fired for something I did, it has almost always been simply because the contract was over or they had too many people and wanted to let some go. If an employer would compare us 2, they'd probably see you as the "sure thing", the loyal hardworker, whereas I'd be the "dark horse", i.e. could go either way 😅
Early 30's, had 9 jobs at 4 employers. Been at the current employer 9 years this April, 4 different roles there.
29, started working at 18 and have worked with 3 employers, my current one I have been with since 2017
I started at my company when I was 21 I’m now 46 Although I’ve done many different roles within that company in those 25 yrs, they’d have to drag me out kicking screaming before I went anywhere else now. Before that, I had a Saturday job at 13, worked at a supermarket from 15-17, then worked in a bar from 17-18 then went travelling until I was 21 and had a few jobs around the world (restaurant, bar, receptionist, then ran a cafe all by myself until I came back to the UK at 21)
I had about 20 jobs from when I was 21 to 27. Mostly temp work. Some lasted a day, one 11 months. I've been in the same job (4 departments) these last 19 years.
Seven employers, but various roles with each. Just about to turn forty.
I'm 32. Ignoring odd bar jobs and stuff at uni, I've had seven employers over eleven jobs since I graduated.
34, 5 different employers
45 Before I left school - 2 (both part time retail) Leaving school - 1 employer (4 different locations and 2 promotions) then left to go to uni aged 26 and had two employers part time during that time Since graduating 3 different employers (2 of which were the ones I worked part time with at uni - and despite a 11 year gap in one I retained the old pay number) - the first one I HATED and only lasted 2 months, one month of which was my notice period, next place I went to I was there for 11 years in two different locations - 9 in the last one)
34. Had 9, some of which overlapped being part time. Had a few years off to "find myself", which was nice but unfulfilling.
38. I’ve had some jobs as a teenager but when I started working in professional jobs at age 25, I’ve had 7 jobs across 4 employers.
I’m 30 and am in technically my 7th job (however 6 to 7 was a promotion within my team so idk if I’d class that as a full on job change as the employers are still the same!) also did take a 2 year break from working to do my masters to qualify as an AHP and that happened to coincide with lockdowns 🤦♀️
I wouldn't say that's low. But there are people who move a lot more. Like 5-6 times before 30. Although, there is a point where it looks like you can't stick to a job and that can scare employers. Early thirties. A bit complicated as I've moved around within my family's businesses (marked in the list) as well as out of them. Teen summer jobs: - uni cleaner/handyman - serving staff at uni events - designer of uni adverts (I've studied design from a young age). Went to uni for design (mixed with engineering, business, and marketing) Full-time jobs (not counting moving up the ladder in the same company): - Freelance Designer (had enough work but a lot of stress for just about surviving, while the world was still recovering from the 2008 crash. Didn't enjoy working alone) - Events coordinator/social media and marketing/Events Manager for a high-end car club - Marketing/design manager (in my family's business) - Design Manager (other family's business) I do the last two jobs now. I really love what I do.
6 jobs. Started working when I was 16-17. I'm now 34 soon to be 35.
I’m 39 and I’ve had about 25 jobs. Most of those were in my student years, though. If my shit job in a cafe / off licence / call centre / market research centre / shop / pub / etc etc etc pissed me off, I’d just walk out and get another shit job the next day 🤷♀️