How Many Jobs Will You Hold Over Your Lifetime?

When it comes to your career, chances are that you won’t be monogamous. Indeed, most of us have different jobs over our lifetimes. And, even though I work from home as a freelance writer, I’ve had other jobs in the past; I’ve had six different employers.

Even though I’m considered self-employed, I’ve done work for other people. I even have long-standing gigs in which I’ve worked for the same people for years. But, even those cases, sometimes it’s time to move on find new clients.

Turns out that I’m not very different from other workers. Few of us plan to stay in the exact situations that we are currently in. The following infographic from the Jobvite Blog spells out the relationship between many employees and their employers:

One of the most interesting factoids on this infographic is that 61% of employed workers are open to looking for, or actively looking for, a new job. There are a host of resources available to those interested in finding new jobs. Indeed, career counselors and career coaches can help you find the next job for you. That’s helpful when you consider that college graduates, on average, will hold almost 10 jobs over the course of their lifetimes.

Another interesting section of the infographic is the one about social media and how it’s used in the workforce. Indeed, many people are turning to social networks; 22 million have used social networks to find the most recent job. Additionally super social users (the infographic terms these as those with more than 150 contacts on any network) find their jobs with the help of social media. Here are the percentages of those who find jobs on:

• Facebook: 25%
• Twitter: 32%
• LinkedIn: 43%

As you can see, a solid social presence can help your jobs prospects. Professionals, especially, can benefit from a LinkedIn profile. Consider this before you write of social media as useless. Your social media presence can actually help your job prospects.

Clearly, though, your social network is increasingly important to your next job. This means that you need to develop relationships with others, and you need to be prepared. When you quit a job, it’s a good idea to do so on good terms, making an effort to ensure that your former boss and co-workers will be willing to become part of your network.

Do You Have the Right Skills?

Another consideration is whether or not you have the right skills for the job. Jobs requiring a Master’s degree are expected to grow 22% in the coming years. And, jobs requiring a professional degree or a doctoral degree are expected to grow by 22%. In some cases, many are looking for those who have developed useful and marketable skills.

However, what I found most interesting is that, by 2015, 60% of new jobs will require skills possessed by only 20% of the population. This means that you need to figure out which jobs are more likely to require specialized skills, and which jobs are likely to be in demand, if you want a good job. Many jobs in the health care fields are expected to grow, since there is an aging Baby Boomer population that needs these services.