Letters to the Editor
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Some boringly practical advice:
Well, I'm not sure why you're doing this (sticking it to the man, terrified you'll wind up anywhere again for 20 years, pure boredom, fear of rejection, etc., etc.) but I can tell you you better STOP doing it.
Even in a great economy, excessive job hopping begins to look highly suspect to future employers (unless you're being promoted each time and are truly building a career), and in a lousy economy you'll be placed at the bottom of the candidate pile.
So you may just serial-quit yourself into working for yourself by default. If that's what you want, great.
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my two cents
Every time I read this column, I vow I won't get bitter and sarcastic when I reply. Mostly, I fail, but here goes.
I know you won't take this seriously, but honestly, be glad you are so good at getting jobs. You seem to have something that appeals to your bosses, whether it's a character trait or a skill.
Maybe this is a generational thing? I don't know many Baby Boomers who are/were addicted to quitting when the going gets tough. For the record, I'm a Gen Xer. People my age and younger seem to think we're entitled to the best job ever, one that makes us feel "valued" and boosts our "self-esteem." This was the way we were raised, but it's wound up having a bad effect on our careers. Nowadays, I hear, parents of college grads even call up bosses and quiz them on how their child will be treated.
I'm not saying the Boomers don't have their own set of flaws, but they seem to be able to commit to a job, regardless of what it does for their self-esteem.
The reality is that most of us have crappy jobs and have to find our fulfillment elsewhere. That means squeezing in our passions when we have free time, which isn't often. Is this "fair"? No. But so what. I'm not saying stay in a job that's truly abusive, but I'm saying that you may have to find your sources of inspiration and self-worth elsewhere, away from the office.
Good luck.
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Language police here
Words seem to lose all meaning in this column.
Cary, I'm surprised that you as a both a writer and an addict are so accepting of the improper use of the term "addicted"!
Addiction has a very specific meaning relating to a physiological dependence on a substance. You cannot be "addicted" to quitting your job.
This is almost as bad as the people who came up with the term "emotional affair".
Come on, guys -- language is the best tool we've got towards actually understanding what goes on in each others' brains. Lets not blur all the lines just to be dramatic.
Maybe you are really just "addicted" to being a drama queen. Better get some rehab for that.
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Job-hopping isn't the worst thing you could do
Depending on what you do, two-year stints might not be at all bad. I've held six jobs since I finished grad school in 2001 and each of them represented a definite step forward in my career (beginning with lowly office jobs and working my way first into my area of interest, then into my chosen role, then into positions with more responsibilities and higher salary).
If you aren't getting a tangible benefit from every move, think long and hard about making the decision to leave your current job, weighing the positives and negatives. Leaving for a more exciting job, a more prestigious company, or a much higher salary is great. Leaving just to rid yourself of your tiresome coworkers is not, because they don't get any less tiresome at the company down the block. Seniority is not vitally important, but it's valuable, and you have to be careful not to throw it away needlessly.
Also, make a point of learning from experience: ask detailed questions when you interview at new places. Not only is it a good tactic for impressing hiring managers (I asked for what I thought was an absurdly high starting salary at my current job, but I'd so wowed them that they gave it to me without blinking), but it gives you some idea of whether you'll just run into the same problems again.
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You're going to get stuck
You've got a great job, the economy is tanking. Pretty soon, you're going to find it hard to find another job. Maybe not this time, but how do you know the next job will be better? Most jobs are average, if you've got a good one, chances are the next one will be worse.
You can find other ways to be special. Bringing in cookies usually works wonders. Picking up the slack for people out sick. You can volunteer for special projects (and this might be a good route to promotion and pay raises.)
Or you can focus on your friends and family. Do random acts of kindness. Listen to people. Volunteer at a nursing home.
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You think you're addicted to quitting your job?
Well I think you're someone who thinks too much. LW should develop interests outside of work to take some sting out of those "slights real and imagined."
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???
drinking a quart of vodka a day is bad?
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You're the boss of you
Your resume looks like swiss cheese you say? Has someone gotten a copy of my resume again?
It could be boredom, ADD, restlessness, your perfectionist tendencies, your sensitivity or intolerance. Maybe you just want to try a little bit of everything, knowing life isn't very long.
In advertising for example, people move around a lot. Talent seems to be mobile and something that is spread around, rather than incorporated. Don't most people move around a lot now? Once upon a time, I worked for seven photographers, in different capacities, then clawed my way into editing and design.
At that time, I found a job recruiting, deciding that since I didn't have the patience or maturity to stick with any one thing at least I could help someone else find theirs. In any new career path, there was never a feeling of relief, like " This is it!", only a spreading sense of dissatisfaction.
Perhaps some people get so fed up that they become recruiters, career counselors and life coaches. It seems paradoxical. Who knows where your restlessness will lead you! There is usually something big behind the nagging restlessness. I say, go with it but don't jump without a clear picture of how deep the pool is. Is it a glittery illusion or a new opportunity for growth and a solid career move?
I like the idea of working for yourself. Rhetorical Q number nine hundred: How can you make that work, LW? Good luck! I hope you find what you are looking for.