An increasing number of people change their career during their work life. What are the reasons for this? Is this a positive or negative development for the society?
It is irrefutable that more and more people are willing to switch careers during their working life. There are several factors responsible for this phenomenon. While I agree this trend is beneficial for the individual, for the society its effects are mainly detrimental.
There are some strong motivations behind the decision to switch careers. The first reason is undoubtedly money. The cost of living has increased dramatically in the last few decades and there are many careers, which are not as lucrative as in the past. There is also no questioning the fact that money is the main motivation for work today as people are much more materialistic than in the past. Sometimes, changing job profile is also done to increase one’s skill set and to open the doors for new job opportunities. Secondly, people are very impatient today and they easily get bored doing the same thing every day. Changing careers is a means to break the monotony of life. In other words, a change in a career can be a liberating experience for some people. They change jobs for self-fulfillment and job-satisfaction, which they might have lacked in their previous job.
Despite the benefits for an individual, I believe that people changing careers often affects society adversely. The main drawback is for businesses in society. A large amount of money is spent on training and educating employees, but all this money gets wasted when individuals change jobs. It not only impacts companies’ profits but also the development of the society as it affects the taxes the companies can pay to the government. Another major impact is on the community spirit and social bonding. People who change careers seldom form close bonds with their colleagues. Also, a change in career is often associated with a change in residence, which means it negatively affects the social bonds with the neighbors. Hence, it is not surprising that societies are more and more selfish and self-centered today.
In conclusion, I would like to reiterate that although there are many advantages that a change in career brings for an individual, the trend affects the communities negatively.
