Generations ago it was common,and usually desirable,to find a job for life. Those who changed jobs and locations frequently were seen as untrustworthy and undependable. However,today it has never been more common to change jobs,and the concept of a job for life has largely disappeared. The following will explore the reasons behind these developments and go on to evaluate whether or not there are benefits to this new attitude to career development.

The primary reason for the increase in job switching is the changing nature of work itself. In most countries,there has been a shift away from a primarily industrial and agricultural work environment to a much more diversified 1 one. In the old days,for the thousands toiling in factories there was little point in changing jobs as the alternative would likely be very similar. In addition,jobs with large companies were highly stable and pensions extremely generous in the past,making it financially worthwhile to stay-put. The meagre 2 pensions of today are less likely to instil such loyalty. Finally,a significant portion of the working population today are university graduates who have much higher expectations of what they can expect from the job market than generations previous 3 . If they don't feel valued or feel the work is beneath them 4 they won't think twice about moving.

There are of course downsides to changing jobs. First of all,by spending only a few years in a particular job at a time,there is less time to truly master it. Many young people aspire to be a jack of all trades,yet true to the proverb,they are the master of none. There is also less time for a junior employee to work their way up the hierarchy. If they keep changing jobs every few years they could find themselves in junior positions for their whole career.

However,the thought of spending one's entire working life doing the same thing is simply unthinkable to many. Most young people today value experiences and personal fulfilment above stability and security. By doing a variety of jobs it is possible to build up a formidable bank of experience and develop the transferable skills that are highly regarded by employers. Someone building their whole career around one narrow skill could suddenly find themselves surplus to requirements due to advances in technology and unable to find employment elsewhere. For many the safest approach is to diversify. This is not only the most effective way of dealing with the complex and fast-changing modern workplace,but also the most rewarding.

A less stable and more complex workplace is the main reason behind the increased tendency to change jobs,although increased aspirations are also a factor. It can be argued that regularly changing jobs can damage career prospects,but while this was true in the past,in today's far more dynamic work environment gaining a wide breadth of experience is the best bet 5 .