I changed jobs ten times in 10 years until I found the career I wanted

Image caption: Brittany Harris worked in 10 different jobs at 6 different universities until she found her passion.

Article Information

Author, Alice Kantor; Role, Business Reporter

Published one hour ago

Reading time: 5 minutes

Brittany Harris Nelson describes her career path so far as being like a "frog moving on lily pads," referring to "lily-padding," a term for job hopping.

Regarding her career path, the 32-year-old American says, "Every step brought me closer to where I wanted to be in the end, even if the path wasn't always straight."

Today, Brittany works in a mid-level administrative position at Wake Forest University in Winston-Salem, North Carolina, a position she had long aspired to.

To get there, she revealed a long journey lasting ten years across a large number of university jobs, but she considered each job a new phase to acquire specialized skills that would help her in her career advancement later.

Overall, Brittany has held 10 different jobs at six different universities over the past decade, beginning as a part-time student before working in three full-time positions.

She also held positions as an office manager, university admissions counselor, and student advisor, before reaching her current role as Assistant Director of Student Engagement.

Brittany did not disclose how much she currently earns, but says her salary did not increase much after changing jobs. However, she gained additional benefits, such as extra paid leave and larger employer contributions to her retirement fund.

She says: "Every role I held previously helped me build skills and perspectives I didn't have yet, and these experiences combined contributed to preparing me for the work I do today."

Skip most read and continue reading

"How did Israel recruit former Iranian President Ahmadinejad?" - The New York Times

Air defenses activated in Tehran and explosions in the north and west of the country, and Trump says "Iran will soon be defeated"

Messi leads Argentina to the World Cup final and a matchup with Spain in an "unprecedented" closing encounter

Why do mosquitoes bite some people more than others?

Brittany was not the only case that went through this experience.

Gen Z hops between jobs frequently

Skip the podcast and continue reading

Worth noting

In-depth explanation of the most prominent events and topics, to help you understand the most important variables around you and their impact on your life

Episodes

Podcast End

Employment specialists have observed the emergence of a new work trend among Gen Z (those born between 1997 and 2012), called "lily-padding," which means "job hopping."

This term refers to young people moving between jobs in pursuit of improving their skills and increasing their chances of obtaining higher positions and better salaries, rather than settling in one job at a single company. The main goal is to significantly enhance their opportunities in the labor market.

Data appears to support the prevalence of this phenomenon among young people at the present time.

The average length of service for a Gen Z employee in the first five years of their career is only 1.1 years, compared to 1.8 years for Millennials (born between 1981 and 1996).

This rate rises to about three years for older generations, according to a 2024 global survey conducted by recruitment agency Randstad, which included 11,250 workers.

A more recent 2025 study showed that increased job mobility leads to higher salaries, at least in the UK.

The study, conducted by the financial firm Wealthify, stated that people who changed jobs four or more times over the past decade received an average salary of £39,276 per year, compared to £30,088 per year for other workers, an increase of 31 percent.

Those who describe their career strategies as "just crawling" are always looking for the next opportunity.

This is the case for Adam Smiley Poswolsky, who is now a 42-year-old public speaker and author who lectures and writes about how to improve workplace cultures.

Adam, a resident of San Francisco, USA, says that the traditional concept of career advancement based on staying in one company and climbing the ladder did not work for him. He explains that his goal was to seek "meaning and purpose" in his work and life.

To achieve this, he moved between government, non-profit, creative, and even corporate work, and held several jobs within 15 years.

His jobs included Project Leader at the Peace Corps, a US government agency that allows young Americans to volunteer abroad, and he also worked as an English teacher at Harvard University.

Among the jobs Adam held were location scout for Warner Bros, film producer in New York City, working on Barack Obama's successful 2008 presidential campaign, public speaker for a youth leadership program, and a fellow at a think tank.

Image caption: Adam Smiley found his passion working as a public speaker for a youth leadership program.

Regarding his career, Adam says that throughout these years he sought work that interested him and developed skills that helped him get to where he is now: writing books and working as a well-paid public speaker.

He explains: "In every one of my jumps, I was very clear about being ready for something new, but I also identified the set of skills I was carrying with me from one experience to the next."

In the end, Poswolsky emphasizes that he is happy because he found flexibility and happiness through this career evolution rather than a hierarchical corporate structure.

He adds that he eventually managed to recover the $70,000-a-year salary he was earning at the Peace Corps when he was 28.

Regarding this job, he says: "The skills I learned in that government job helped me as a writer, which then led me to write a book, which in turn led me to my current career as a professional keynote speaker."

"People want variety and speed"

Nicola Grant, Head of HR at British insurance company Hiscox, says she has noticed a broader shift in how people think about their careers.

She explains her idea that individuals, especially early in their careers, increasingly want to gain broad experience more quickly, rather than following a single linear path. They are "building a skill set."

She also found that there is a greater willingness among younger employees to leave their jobs if they feel their development is slowing down or their options are limited.

She says: "Expectations have changed. People want variety, speed, and to build relevant skills; it's about the desire for growth."

She added: "This ultimately benefits both the individual and the organization."

Lucy Kemp, Brand and Communications Strategy Lead at IT company La Fosse, who is also an employee performance testing specialist, agrees.