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7.1 Career Options: Past and Present

derived great satisfaction from that type of work. Or maybe they have always had a passion
for animal welfare or environmental conservation and decided early on that they wanted to
work in that field later in life. If you have a clear goal or purpose in your life, the information
in this module can help you define career opportunities that will utilize your talents, traits,
interests, or passions and help you mold a career you might enjoy.

However, discovering a career path that matches your personality, strengths, and abilities—
and one that is in balance with the other important aspects of your life—can be a process of
trial and error. As recently as 50 years ago in the United States, young adults would make a
career choice and stay in the same field, the same job, or even the same company until age 65,
when they retired. What used to be commonplace, however, is now the exception. In March
2015 the Bureau of Labor Statistics published the results of its study of people born from
1957 to 1964 and the number of jobs they held from age 18 to age 48. The study showed these
individuals held an average of 11.7 jobs during these years (defined as an uninterrupted
period of work with the same employer). Twenty-seven percent held 15 jobs or more, while
10% held zero to four jobs (see Figure 7.1; Bureau of Labor Statistics, 2015). Young adults
today seem to be following a similar pattern and may even change jobs more frequently. A
study of individuals born from 1980 to 1984 shows that they held an average of 6.2 jobs while
ages 18 to 26 (Bureau of Labor Statistics, 2014). In comparison, those born from 1957 to
1964 held an average of 5.5 jobs while ages 18 to 24 (Bureau of Labor Statistics, 2015). People
change jobs for a variety of reasons, but many people just aren’t sure what they want to do
and move from job to job hoping to find one that is a good fit for them.

Figure 7.1: Number of jobs held by young baby boomers

It has become the norm to change jobs throughout one’s career. Data from the Bureau of Labor Statistics
show that more than half of young baby boomers (those born from 1957 to 1964) held at least 11 jobs while
ages 18 to 48. Almost three quarters of this population held at least 8 jobs during the same time period.

Data from “Number of Jobs Held by Individuals From Age 18 to Age 48 in 1978 to 2012 by Educational Attainment, Sex, Race, and Hispanic
or Latino Ethnicity” [table], by Bureau of Labor Statistics, 2015 (http://www.bls.gov/nls/79r25jobsbyedu.xlsx).

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