Here's the deal. I went to college for just over 2 semesters, I dropped out, got a job doing tech suppport but quit after about 20 months, I was involved in some volunteer work also, but stopped after about 16 months, my next job was at a bank and I quit after 18 months exactly. Now I'm doing customer service/dispatch and I'm ready for a new job after just under 2 years. I feel like I can only keep a job for about 1.5-2 years. I'm wondering if this is something that anyone else has dealt with or if it's just some weird thing in my life. Part of the reason I've quit is so that I wouldn't get fired due to poor punctuality or stupid mistakes. It gets to a point where I hate my jobs and I probably hyper focus on the bad parts so that I can't stand being there anymore. Maybe it has nothing to do with ADD and I just have a bad attitude but I'm curious. Any comments appreciated

Well ... I don't really have the time frame problem you do. The longest I have held a job was 5 years to date. But that might be due to the fact that even though I get bored easily, I have a phobia about being late ...

I doubt that my information gave you any help. I wish I could offer you some more ...

I'm the same way. I can't stay in the same job for more than 3 years. Typically I get bored after about 2 years while gradually losing motivation. I need to continuously learn something new. As soon as I'm not learning, I get bored and would dwell on the negative aspects of the job. Going to work would get to be such a chore that I would actively look for a way out. I would just have this internal restless feeling. Luckily, I've worked at large companies that allowed me to transfer to another department (which is the same as changing jobs). So, on a resume, I've worked at one company 10 years(5 different jobs) and another company for 6 years(3 different jobs).

Since being treated with meds, I'm going on my 3rd year in my current position and don't have as much urge to change.

I get an itch to move house every two years. Since we moved to Germany that is not an option, so I rearrange furniture or start on a big reorganize/declutter jag, but it's not the same. I don't really know the cause of this restlessness, but it's always two years. Never really thought about it before. I guess it is kinda weird. hmm...

I'll tell you, I change jobs a lot, but not really by choice. My fiance says I have a black curse for jobs, lol. I was working at a school, then transferred so I couldn't work there, ok. Well, I was working at a Kindergarten school, and the town budget got cut, along with my job. Then I was working at a Greyhound Racetrack and it got shut down by the state, so did my job. And most recently I was working at a coffee shop and after only three weeks they needed to change the hours and close early, with my job...

Do I pick jobs that makes this happen? I don't know, but all this was only since Jan so... black curse? I may begin to think so...

Hello Cen, wow I'm glad I'm not alone. I too feel restless in about 2 years that I feel I have to change. I can't stand being "boxed in" for 8 hours straight for 5 days a week. I feel I have to change enviroment.

I have these thoughts of being fired for mistakes. I work at a processing center for a large bank. I accepted this job because I needed it to pay off bills. However, I believe I have a learning disability that I have trouble analyzing financial accounts. Why I wonder what I got myself into. The worse part we all have to be crossed trained, and that is my biggest fear. I just learned yesterday my sup will have me probably train a new employee on my new task, which will be great, but how am I going to train since I have been struggling with it myself especially how to detect check fraud. I had to Google search on it, but still, doesn't help much. My other coworker caught on that she has been given a task much more delicate and is doing ok. ME? nah....I feel they think of me DUMB.

Whatever they give me, I fear of mistakes in which in turn will get me fired. I rather quit then they fire me. I already made mistakes in another task, that they took it away from me. That incident made me feel DUMB, more so when the supervisor talks out loud so that the whole department will know about your mistakes.

My longest job was 5 years but with a 1 year break from it inbetween. My situation is not just being bored, but what the heck am I doing, when I don't even have a clue what I'm doing in regarding to my task. Having been there for now 1 year and 3 months, I still don't understand when reading someone's account. All I know just to make sure it is debited. People tell me to hang on, but I can't no longer. Many say, your new your learning? Learning What? they don't even train people, just do this and that way. Some who have no banking experience were able to catch on, but not me. I do feel dumb, and I do feel it is time to move on.

I too feel I can only stay at a job for a a year or 2. I realize I can't handle office cubicle jobs, because they make me feel depressed. So your not alone, CEN.

Welcome, and let us know how your doing.

My longest job was 10 years , since then I have been job hopping .... trying to find my niche . Reliability and Puncutuality are my greatest strenghts but it was my attitude/poor customer service that sometimes got me fired .

My longest jog was 6 years.

Before and after that the average has been about 2 years.
In the 80's I was a Field Service Engineer and the only way to really get a substantial pay raise was to jump ship every two years and sell the training that your current employer paid for to the next employer.

After that, many of them were not anything I had control over. Several companies laid off entire workforces or just went out of business.

It used to be that the "norm" was to get a good education and good job and stay there until you retire. That was the OLD days. Companies are sprouting up, merging, dying, or just plain don't care about their people these days.

So, cut yourself a break and even congratulate yourself for staying 20 months in a job that offered you little challenge and no variety.

There are robot like people who can work the same job day in and day out and never get "bored" with it. And still they have the same curse.

It's part of being a global economy with greedy, power hungry, people running the show. Accept that you are not the problem.

The way I've been able to deal with it, emotionally, is to look at my accomplishments over a ten year period.
The jobs I had were just tools that I used to get my next job.
So, wherever you are now....get to know as many people there as possible and take advantage of EVERY training related benefit your company has to offer....and USE them to make you better for the next job.
Because you can rest assured that they are using YOU for whatever they can squeeze out of you.