Why people change jobs in same industry?

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anbm

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I am not sure if it is appropriate to post here...Anyway, "Why people change jobs in same industry frequently?"
Aside from money, one of reasons I can think of is to have more challenge job? Can someone throw in some answers...:)
 
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Some people may be exceptional & continually get better offers from other firms.

Some are easily bored & never like to stay in 1 place long. These guys often change circles of friends, girl friends, move residence often, etc.

Some don't get along well with other people & quickly wear out their welcome wherever they go. They have friction with coworkers, customers, etc.

Some don't take orders well & quickly make it to the top of the foreman's crap list.

A few people have the bad luck to keep going to companies that shut down shortly afterward. I knew an insurance underwriter that had 3 companies close from under him. Similarly, some people work in industries or companies that do well in good times & nearly shut down in hard times. They have to "keep a bag packed" at all times.



These are the examples I have seen over a 35 year period.
 
anbm said:
EE switched to different firms every 3 or 4 years
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I can give a a few reasons.

1. When a company advertises a position, lets face it, it usually sounds quite glamorous. Once hired after a while you find out it never develops into what they "promised" when you where hired.

2. The BBD effect - Bigger, Better, Deal. Usually ends up not what you were expecting.

3. Hired based on expected workload, but that never materializes or the workload drops off, so they leave before they get laid off.

4. Move up the food chain quicker. Unfortunately, within many companies it is more difficult to get raises or promotions internally. Sometimes it's quicker to move up by leaving, and a few years later even come back.

5. Company doesn't have anything to offer usually takes a bit to figure this out.

Lets face it, consulting for EE's or any discipline, can get quite mundane. Some people are OK with doing the same thing day in and day out. But those with ambition get tired of this quickly. After a few years of it, many like a new challenge and therefore look for something else.
 
Nice question...

I don't like changing jobs, and I'm perfectly happy here! I had 3 of my 6 jobs go done hill due to the economy.

The other 2, well, there was little challenge. I was in NYC, and before I was used to doing 100-200K buildings, but in NYC they do small tenant fit-outs 3K. They told me it's a challenge, because we do them rapidly. No thanks....B-O-R-I-N-G....

I had just gotten my PE and I was ready to actually do something challenging. However, my NYC job took advantage of my license. The day after I passed they asked for my license number (which it takes 4-6 weeks), and then I got no raise but more responsibility!! Then they wanted me to do inspections, because I was the only EE in the firm with a PE in NJ. I had enough...

Coming here (this place is the best job ever), I learned to do MV, substations, and water treatment plants. I work with the greatest people on earth, and I plan to stay here as long as I can. I'm challenged everyday. I can't say I'm the perfect engineer, and there's a lot I do not know about MV still, but some how (going to be religious here) with God's help, I'm able to do the work given to me.
 
Boss was impossible to work with and/or around.

In my last position I personally was not teated too poorly, but only because I was performing. There were however junior people around me who were, to be blunt, junior, so they were still not peak performers. In my opinion you have to have the pipeline full of those for when us old fogies want to quit. But in this place, the boss treated them like $#!7. He would yell at them, treated them like childern, constantly made them fear losing their jobs and ridicule them behind their backs, sometimes expecting me to join in on it and accusing me of coddling them if I didn't. I found it difficult to be around and to be part of. A similar ($) offer came along at a better place and I took it. My blood pressure has dropped back down to normal...

I also went from a commute to San Francisco (60 minutes each way, 90-120 on bad days), to "commuting" 1-1/2 miles from my house. BooYah!
 
Jraef said:
Boss was impossible to work with and/or around.

In my last position I personally was not teated too poorly, but only because I was performing. There were however junior people around me who were, to be blunt, junior, so they were still not peak performers. In my opinion you have to have the pipeline full of those for when us old fogies want to quit. But in this place, the boss treated them like $#!7. He would yell at them, treated them like childern, constantly made them fear losing their jobs and ridicule them behind their backs, sometimes expecting me to join in on it and accusing me of coddling them if I didn't. I found it difficult to be around and to be part of. A similar ($) offer came along at a better place and I took it. My blood pressure has dropped back down to normal...

I also went from a commute to San Francisco (60 minutes each way, 90-120 on bad days), to "commuting" 1-1/2 miles from my house. BooYah!
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Yes, I should have thought of such things. I have worked for a few people that were jerks, not only in electrical work. If a business cannot keep help & no former employee speaks well of it, that is a sign. I knew of 1 EC in our area that I never heard anything good about over a 20 year period. They managed to keep going, but I don't think they every kept any long term people.
 
My first job was as a field service engineer. I learned so much over the first 3-4 years but the travel was a killer. Had to have some work / life balance.

One other job was great, fun every day, new interesting challenging work, but the industry had a real down turn and I left right before the company went under.

Lots of good reasons to change out there
 
I knew some folks in the semiconductor business who company hopped every couple of years because they got a substantial raise every time they did it. Some were in their second or third stint with the same employer as I was and were taking home quite a bit more than others (like me) who had started about the same time in similar positions but who had remained "loyal".
 
Unfortunately "loyalty" pays less & less these days. I worked in a large corporation that downsized a lot of career people. These had been people to come early, work late & come in on weekends to meet deadlines. They saw the co. through several bad storms, then were dismissed like temps. I doubt any of their kids will ever give 110% to anyone, after seeing Mom or Dad get the shaft.
 
I have switched a couple times, quality of life, new challanges, focus on what really interested me were factors. Don't see me ever switching again, really found what I enjoy.

Career path.jpg
 
I have a family full of plumbers. A lot of them switched from a field position to an office position when the knees (or some other joint) started going bad. It's called getting older. Not fun, but better than the alternative.:happyyes:
 
Jraef said:
I also went from a commute to San Francisco (60 minutes each way, 90-120 on bad days), to "commuting" 1-1/2 miles from my house. BooYah!
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I kind of like my commute. In the morning I go from my bedroom down the hall about 10 feet to my office. When ready to go to the shop it is about 100 feet from the house.
 
G0049 said:
I have a family full of plumbers. A lot of them switched from a field position to an office position when the knees (or some other joint) started going bad. It's called getting older. Not fun, but better than the alternative.:happyyes:
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I never envied a plumber. They do similar hard tedious labor that we do, plus the nastiest of hazardous materials to handle.

I will never be a threat to a plumber's job!
 
jmellc said:
I never envied a plumber. They do similar hard tedious labor that we do, plus the nastiest of hazardous materials to handle.

I will never be a threat to a plumber's job!
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Service calls for wastewater pumps can be just as nasty for the electrician sometimes.

Had a call one time for a pump at a hog confinement, the pump was a submersible that pumps from a in ground holding tank to a tanker trailer. Pump panel was in close proximity to the discharge piping. When we got it to run we found out the hard way there was a loose or bad fitting in the piping. My helper was between me and the leaking fitting and shielded me from most of it, I still had to ride with him in the truck afterwards though.
 
kwired said:
Service calls for wastewater pumps can be just as nasty for the electrician sometimes.

Had a call one time for a pump at a hog confinement, the pump was a submersible that pumps from a in ground holding tank to a tanker trailer. Pump panel was in close proximity to the discharge piping. When we got it to run we found out the hard way there was a loose or bad fitting in the piping. My helper was between me and the leaking fitting and shielded me from most of it, I still had to ride with him in the truck afterwards though.
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That was misery for sure, wasn't it?

I used to work for a co. with a plumbing division. Slow days, I sometimes worked as plumber's helper, drilling holes, nailing on plates or brackets, etc. On a Thur afternoon, word came out to our electrical job that a local college had a sewage line break. Our plumbers were headed over & needed all available help. Luck had it that Thurs was my apprenticeship class night & we were having a test that night. I said "much as I'd like to help, I can't miss my test tonight". I had not had the shots plumbers usually take against diseases & wasn't about to go swimming in raw sewage.
 
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