They Don’t Teach Corporate in College

Chapter 10

Exit Stage Left

The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics has said that the average college graduate has more than eight different employers before she reaches age 32. This means that, in general, twenty-somethings are changing jobs every 15 months. No doubt about it, this is not your parents’ corporate world. Many people their age spent decades working their way up the ladder in the same company—a career path that is virtually unheard of today. The job-jumping craze of the late twentieth century may be over, but the market will continue to be fluid as company loyalty decreases and a forthcoming labor shortage opens more opportunities for driven young workers.

Once you’ve been in your first position a year or two, it may be time to think ...