DO NOT stay in a job you dislike or a job that this is not challenging you if you do not want to. Do not feel guilty into being miserable or into forcing yourself to go to a job you hate all because someone who is not living YOUR life believes job hoppers never prosper.
Someone once told me speaking in absolutes is ignorant. I could not agree more especially when I hear people say, "Job hoppers never reach a level of mastery". I had no idea every single person on earth had the same learning capabilities therefore everyone reaches a level of mastery within the same time frame. NO WONDER every person on planet earth is as intelligent as Albert Einstein and as wise as Ghandi!
I personally have heard it all before, "You seem to jump from one job to the next quite often", "Why have you worked in so many places", "You wont master a role if you keep moving from place to place" and my personal favorite, "You have a lot going on and I feel you are a risky hire. You may leave sooner than later". While some of these annoying statements might be true, each gets a little bit more laughable with time.
Here is my issue with statements like, "Job hoppers never prosper"...it is oh so far from the truth. In the past 3 years I have had 4 jobs (Pfizer, Bachem, Amgen & Emmaus Medical). I left each job for different a reason:
Pfizer - 9 months: The job was in Groton, CT. I was accepted into a Masters program in Los Angeles, CA and with out a doubt in my mind I packed up my life and headed back home to Cali.
Bachem - 1 month: The job and culture were not the right fit!
Amgen - 4 months: My commute was 2 1/2 hours...ONE WAY. The work was interesting, but the drive in LA traffic made the work un-enjoyable. I also felt my quality of life depreciating by the minute.
Emmaus Medical, Inc. - 1 year, 5 months & counting
I have worked for 11 different companies in my lifetime...ELEVEN. With each new role, I acquired new skills and essentially moved up the ladder professionally. That being said, if I feel I have 'mastered' a role I eventually grow weary and crave more opportunity. If the company has no new opportunities to offer, I leave. If I have something else in the works (i.e. Masters degree) that I know will contribute to my professional success more than my current job, I leave. If the culture is not the right fit, I prefer to save the company money as well as my time and sever the relationship sooner than later. If I feel my state of mind or quality of life are in jeopardy, I leave. I will never say I know everything about the pharmaceutical industry, public health, and regulatory affairs because I choose not to speak in absolutes. Also, that would be a lie. What I can say is, I refuse to stunt my educational/professional growth, deplete my life expectancy, or forgo what I expect in company culture just because a baby boomer tells me it looks bad to have worked for multiple companies.
I know the value I bring to my places of work. I am truly a sponge, capable of soaking up all that is thrown my way. They say the average person becomes comfortable with their job at the 6 month mark. I agree to disagree with this because everyone is different! I normally feel comfortable after 3 months. At Bachem I was comfortable after a day. It truly varies!
DO NOT stay in a job you dislike or a job that this is not challenging you if you do not want to. Do not feel guilty into being miserable or into forcing yourself to go to a job you hate all because someone who is not living YOUR life believes job hoppers never prosper.
I have hopped around a good bit and I am still forging forward. I love my job. I feel challenged everyday. I walk into the office each day and never know how my day will end. I learn something I never knew EVERY. SINGLE. DAY. Sometimes you have to hop around to get to where you need to be. Had I stayed at Pfizer or in any of my previous roles I would have never stumbled upon one of the most mentally stimulating jobs I have had to date.
People want to say job hoppers never prosper, well I'm doing A-OK!