2011 was a year of change. At least that's what LinkedIn announced to me, informing me that 204 of my colleagues had changed jobs.
204? That sounded like a lot of people changing jobs. Then I looked up my contact list, did a bit of simple math, and figured out it was just over 21%. Now it looks low, because I can't think of anyone I know who's been in a job for more than 5 years. In my industry, a normal number might be 30%. OK, I know a few teachers. I know quite a few attorneys, freelancers and people who own their own businesses. They never change jobs, though if they're good marketers, they make sure to update something on their profiles now and again. And if they're great business people, they open a new business every few years or are asked to be a board member, or something that LinkedIn might consider a job change.
So 21%. Hardly a year of change.
What is the change, though? I think it's a gradual change, and it's a change away from corporate. There are fewer "big company" jobs, generally speaking. More and more people have their own businesses. You hear all these empowerment coaches talking about having your own business as the only way to achieve wealth. There's no question about that. But there's also no question that people need to realize that most of us aren't going to "have a job" for most of our career anymore.
