Employee Tenure

Two weeks ago, my dad announce that he was leaving his current job for a new one. This was a little bite of a shock for me, because my dad has only been in his current position four months shy of two years. Dad historically stays in a position for six to seven years, so less than two is somewhat abnormal. My father-in-law on the other worked for over 30 years for the same employer before he retired.

This change has prompted me to think about my own tenure. In August I will have completed ten years with my current employer. This is a drastic difference from the nine months I spent in my first full-time job. Honestly I figured I'd spend two to three years with this employer, before I would have moved so that my bride could pursue a Master's degree. Ten years later, I'm in my third position with this employer, and my bride hasn't made any noise about wanting t pursue a Master's degree.

According to the Department of Labor, the average wage and salary worker has been with their current employer for 4 years. The same report indicates that older workers (defined as 55 to 64 year olds) have been with their current employer for 9.3 years while younger workers (defined as 25 to 34 year olds) have been with their current employer 2.9 years.

So why all this talk about employment tenure? For me it is an opportunity to stop and take stock in what I have vs what I don't have. About a year ago I realized that I was eleven years away from my oldest attending college. Obviously a lot can happen (or not) in eleven years, but I started contemplating how I might be able to assist my kids in paying for their college. Since I work for a university, I receive a significant discount for my kids to go to college. Now this benefit isn't realized until my kids enroll, however without this discount I'm unsure how I will be able to assist my kids to attend college.

Another thought that comes to mind is that I've become quite accustom to the lifestyle that has developed around my current employment. To change jobs, would mean a significant change to this lifestyle, especially if I have to move to another city. I don't think we could stay a single car family. I'm confident I wouldn't have the luxury of coming home in the middle of the day to stay with my sleeping son so that my wife can take my other kids to speech, and I'm not eager to uproot the family from their friends. About five years ago, I was talking with an organization in another state about a position. In the midst of this conversation, more specifically talking with my wife about the opportunity, my bride made it abundantly clear that she was not in favor of a drastic change like that.

As a father and a husband, I'm committed to ensure that my family is cared for. I'm also in need of being challenged and rewarded in my vocation. When these two statements are mutually exclusive, something will have to changed. For the most part, today I'm fulfilling both in my current employment. I do not look forward to the upheaval that would accompany an employer change. Of course it needs to happen, I'll confront my own apprehension for the betterment of the family and my own career.