What’s the longest you’ve ever worked at the same job/company? How many years was it? Did you work there for five years or less? 10 years or less? 20 years? 30 years? More than 50?! (Wow!)
According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, in January 2022, the median employee tenure at jobs for women was 3.8 years. For men, it was 4.3 years. The median employee tenure was higher among older working adults than younger ones.
Tell us how many years in a row you worked at your longest job. Feel free to leave a comment saying what that job was, if you feel like sharing.
20 years, 3 months and 2 days. U.S. Air Force. Retired out.
Self employed dairy farmer for 39 years.
Dairy farming is a rough life. I admire you.
I agree with Tom!!
Tommy…I believe you have said you were an OTR Trucker? My in-laws were team OTR for decades. If they weren’t on the road they were under their truck repairing! 365 day a year job. I used to tell them it was worse than dairy farming because at least the farmer is home! 🙂
Hi, Tommy and Robert. My uncle was a dairy farmer for decades. When I went up to Bellingham (from Seattle) to spend a few days with my cousins every summer, his schedule and all of the work involved were eye-openers for me. He was Dairy Farmer of the Year for Washington state, one time. I wasn’t surprised. One funny memory was when I was little and he was still, literally, hand-milking all of the cows. My sisters and I were treated to fresh, warm milk right from the cow (my uncle was a good shot!). Can’t get much fresher than that! Take care. 😀 –Diane
Great story, Diane! Love the “good shot” comment. 😀
Glad you liked it, Tommy.👍 And I can still remember the sound of the milk hitting the pail, as my uncle sat on his little stool and hand-milked all of those cows. Very time-consuming, for sure. Have a good evening/night. 😀 –Diane
IowaDairyFArmer on FB provides an interesting look at current dairy practices in the U.S. With his robots and only a couple of relatives to help, he maintains a practice with his father and brother. The cows go the milking robot which feeds them a little treat each time they go thru. I especially love his responses to the vegans. My one fear is that someone will se me picking up a jar of vegan spread & think I’m a vegan, which I’m not!! I’m just very allergic to milk & eggs !!!!.
22 years. U.S. Army. Many different positions. Only two wars.
Self employed for 44 years . I was the boss did not have to listen to any corporate crap. Loved every bit of it.
24 years, USAir Force. Had 3 different jobs, the longest just over 10 years.
26 Years US Navy Engineering, 20 Years local Hospital Maintenance Department
I did my first work for a new startup software company as a university student in the fall of 1979, and became fulltime upon graduation in 1982. Still there, semi-retired.
I had four jobs in the early 70’s. Because of the recession at that time and layoffs, these only lasted a few years. I finally got a job at the local hospital as an electronics tech in the facilities/maintenance dept.
I retired after 33 years in that position.
I spent 10 years in the Air Force, the first four years loading cargo planes the last 6 years as a computer programmer. After that I never worked for the same company for more than five or six years.
22 years U.S. Navy (Ret.), 15 years Dept. of the Navy (Ret.).
Air Force 20 years, 23 years state service, 5 years quality controlfood service.
22 years, 3 months to the day in the US Air Force (Retired) and then 18 years for Procter and Gamble (Retired)
35 years being a food photographer doing cookbooks, advertising and packaging for a major food corporation. Best career in the world. Could not have had a more creative, fun, fullfilling job and to top it off- got paid for doing it!
That’s awesome!!!!
I worked about 33 years for the same company, but in many different jobs.
Seems like a lot of us Air Force Veterans. The 33 years was working for the Army
Worked 23 yrs for one bank but worked a total of 42 yrs in the industry. Also retired from the Army Reserves with 24 yrs of service.
The first 17 years of my life I worked on the family dairy farm, then 4 years in the Navy. 3 years for a small family Ag business (until it was sold and relocated). 37-1/2 year for a family owned manufacturing business in every position from floor sweeper to department head. 2 years retired (hardest job of my life) LOL!
20 years, US Navy, 20 years self employed after retiring from the Navy.
35 years as police detective …. so glad I’m retired. Couldn’t do the same job now.
Same job? That point is debatable, but I’ll assert that my job changed little over the 24+ years that I did it. Around the edges it did change (i.e., as we economists would say, “there were marginal changes.”), but essentially it did not, despite promotions, changing job series/description, and disorganizations (formally called “reorganization”). Alternately, the degree to which I enjoyed my job, thought that it mattered, declined considerably over the last 6 or 7 years.
38 years with one of the world’s largest Tech companies. Many, many different roles across multiple functions including Accounting, Finance, Distribution, Technical Contracts, and Supply Chain. Worked with teams around the world traveling on five continents.
The best part of any of the roles was the people I worked with. It doesn’t take long to understand that no matter where people are from, their basic desires for life are all the same.
Self employed for 32 years in my own accounting firm. Retired Nov. 2022. Worked for the corporate world 15 years prior. Couldn’t get used to their policies and politics. Made my own rules. So glad I’m not preparing taxes anymore!!! Haven’t looked back!!
Longest single employer – 12 years, 2nd longest 10 years. Top priority was family shelter & food, but #2 reason was doing something I enjoyed spending 1/3+ of my life doing. Biggest reason for voluntary job changes was an employer that started taking me for granted and/or thinking money was my sole motivator.
Longest single employer was 1978-2005. Regional 9-1-1 call center. Started as call-taker/radio operator, finished as Deputy Director with two stints as Acting Director. Now in my 19th year of retirement. Best job I ever had was taking 9-1-1 calls and dispatching police.
26 years combined Army & Navy service time + 34 years teaching high school math + 19 years farming dairy, poultry & crops. A lot of overlap during those years.
Either “a lot of overlap” or you’re about 100 years old, John! Have a great day, and a wonderful and healthy 2024. 😀 –Diane at RVtravel.com
Worked in Tech for 2 different companies,18 years before being RIF and replaced by a 24 year old fresh out of college. When they came to me six months later to hire me temporarily to train the newbie I told them no thanks.
Good for you, Tom!👍 Have a great day, and a terrific and healthy 2024. 😀 –Diane
Does it count if the company changed? In one place, I had the same desk for nearly 10 years, and 4 different business cards. Not much better the next place in 9 years, there were only 3 company name changes.
Started the business from scratch 29 years ago and still going strong. Love what I do and even though I get offers monthly, I’m still having far too much fun. Great staff and excellent management means I only go to the office 2 days per week anymore and we travel (RV) 6 months per year average. I think 1 or 2 more years is where I find my finish point but even that scares the crap out of me.
I hear you, Cancelproof! Retirement can be challenging…. finding purpose and doing things you enjoy while staying active is a tall order. That’s why my husband and I love work camping, I guess. Travel safely! And thanks for chiming in.
Cancelproof, I was scared when retirement time came around. I found these and posted them on my mirror about a year before I retired. They are still there, as. new “adventures” seem to pop most every day.
“You don’t have to see the whole staircase, just take the first step.” MLK Jr.
“Sometimes we stare so long at the door that is closing that we see too late the one that is open.” Alexander Graham Bell
My entire life, I have found much inspiration in, and owe much of my success to that inspiration, which was gained through the wisdom of others, and including yours now with that message. Thank you. Tricky business flipping the OPEN sign on the door over, one final time.
After 41 years, the hardest thing I had to do was to close that office door behind me for the last time. Oh, but the things I learned, the people I met, the accomplishments …! I took all of those with me. AND, I am still so busy that there are still not enough hours in a day.
Self employed for just over 35 years as a small specialty contractors with 2-4 crews with our own flat bed work trucks.
Retired myself in 2020. I worked in the same trade the 7 years prior to that.
I was lucky enough to work for the World Famous San Diego Zoo for over 20 years and loved every moment of it. I still count myself as “part of the family” because that’s what we were called (and treated as such). Best job I ever had! Great Zoo and great people!
We worked on a couple of the enclosures and cages at the zoo as well as the Wild Animal Park, and youre right, they were really good people to work with and for !
My first job (and favorite) was stay at home Mom. 20 years. Then the great Home Depot for 8.
41 years at same place and in the same department. After my education was interrupted for three years by the Army in 1966, in 1969 we moved to Florida and I went back to school to finish my degree and got a part time job working in the Housing Facilities Department as a student, got my degree, and ended up retiring as the Director of Facilities.
Retired after twenty years in the US Air Force and then retired after twenty four years and eleven months at a battery manufacturing plant.
My longest job was my last when I settled into a cushy Public School District Facilities maintenance job; 13 years with good health insurance and a minimal but helpful pension plan. The previous 30 years were profitable and exciting with major changes every few years. I don’t regret a thing but frankly, ending my working years doing what I had always dreaded was the best thing that could have happened to me.
When I retired from the Air Force in ’93, I got hired as a government contractor and worked at the Air Force Research Laboratory, Kirtland AFB, NM, for 20 more years although employed by probably five different companies.
35 Years a Teamster. Great pay and benefits and for the past 20 I haven’t had to be back at work on Monday.
Also the last company was 4.56 minutes from home, swell commute. Especially in Seattle.
31 years at Sandia National Laboratory as an electrical engineer
Air Force 20 years, State Service 23 years and quality control 5 years fast food industry. Done. The best was the first 20.
42 years as a union plumber with the same company. Defined pension plan + IRA + SS = living the good life!!
24 years with American Airlines. Retired as an MD-80 Captain.
I really loved my 24 years at my Hospice. I’m a nurse. Every time a position offered no more challenges I could transfer to another position. Nver did anything with dietary, although I assisted Maintenance with recycling. My BS troop where I was assistant Scoutmaster got the profits from recycling, and once when we were short-staffed the receptionist accepted my offer to answer the phones and assist walk-ins, & even that was fun for me. I’ve been a team nurse, been a Team Leader., a Preceptor, written inservices, worked with the volunteer staff to be a speaker when needed. (For example I’d say when working on a power of attorney, it really means you should contact an attorney) Every
Continued from below. Every I worked, it was like solving a puzzle. We usually accepted conditions that people would put on their enrollment, as long as it wasn’t something ridiculous like having a team leader as their assigned nurse. So this one patient’s condition was to continue their monthly blood transfusions. Their pain level was 11 out of a 10 point pain assessment self reported. Some people thought they were being ridiculous but I believe people. They know what is going on with their bodies far better than anyone else.
so they reported being allergic to all opioids, all steroids, all NSAIDs, acetominophen, etc.
I remembered that bone pain was being treated with
treated, which also required a 3 day hospilization. Being an advocate of KISS – Keep it simple, stupid, we put them on oral didronel sort of the great grandmother of Fosomax. which my MIL was using for arthritis. They did that for 30 days. When the time came to type and cross match for their transfusion, they were no longer anemic. I did that with three more patients, one had a medium response, and one none at all. Hey, you can’t always bat 1000.
41 year Kroger. Just retired for Cancer
So sorry to hear about your cancer, Richard. We wish you luck and strength to sustain you through treatments, and for the best possible outcome. Take care.🤗 –Diane at RVtravel.com
My longest is 12 years for a scientific equipment company, but as I was a software engineer I think it should be counted in dog years. The number of software people that came and went in that time was incredible.
15 yrs as a pharmaceutical rep in a great company BUT felt like I was not achieving anything substantial for my soul. Left and volunteered at a local VA emergency room to get clinical hours prior to getting accepted into a physician assistant program. Have been a PA for 12 years in oncology…best move ever.