[Porsche-O-Phile]

Have to agree with the above. I've never stayed at any one place for more than about three years and it has paid off handsomely each time I jumped ship.

It's like being in high school dating again - have fun while you're involved and try to get the most out of it, but realize that the other party is doing the same and ultimately one of you is going to dump the other - so there's always a subtle pressure to make sure you're the dumpER, not the dumpEE.

I've already decided that my current job is my last. I will stay until I either quit or they dump me at which point I will work for myself. I'm now at a point where I can and where (aside from the crappy economy) I really don't need anyone else anymore. The economic climate is the only thing keeping me from going "all in" on my own practice right now - it's just too risky. Otherwise I'd have done it a year and a half ago when my last job went kaboom.

Yes it sucks. It's even harder when one considers how much harder it gets as one ages. I also think there are a lot of unintended consequences of this trend (companies treating employees like chattel and employees jumping ship all the time because they're constantly expecting to be schit-canned at the drop of a hat). People are more transient, neighborhood and community bonds are virtually non-existent. Everyone's a carpetbagger. It discourages homeownership (especially if homes are losing value or only breaking even or one can rent for the same or less, all of which are the case right now). It is more disruptive to family life. Etc. etc. etc. This is a serious problem and is causing a lot of problems that we don't want to talk about as a society.