Committing to a career
Share
Tweet
February 2, 2023
I always love going to the years of service celebration at the courthouse. It’s amazing to see how long people have been at their jobs, and definitely an accomplishment worth recognizing.
With my parents’ generation, it seems like most everyone stayed in the same job for decades. It wasn’t unusual to have the same job for 30 or 40 years. I remember hearing a statistic in college that the average person would have seven jobs in their working career. A 2021 study by the Bureau of Labor Statistics found that people born between 1957 and 1964 held an average of 12.4 jobs.
The ceremony at the courthouse last week honored employees with 5, 15, 20 and 30 years of service to the county. With today’s job market, even one year is worth celebrating. People are always looking for the next great opportunity, which is thrilling. But there’s something to be said for people who stay with the same company and in the same role for decades. That is a type of dedication we don’t often see from younger generations. Instead, younger generations are taking more chances with their careers and trying new things.
This week we celebrate the start of The Ledger’s 119th year. I worked here for three years in high school, then two years after I got divorced and moved home, and now I’m nearing six years of owning the business. Nearly 11 years total with The Sanders County Ledger is by far my longest commitment to employment. I always knew I wanted to be in journalism. After college, I kept advancing my career, moving on to bigger roles at larger newspapers. Eventually, I just wanted to be home. I’m glad I took the opportunity to explore the U.S., living and working in different areas. I learned a lot about life, and about journalism.
When I came home to Sanders County in 2008, I felt comfortable that I could be here forever. I took chances, met amazing people, worked incredible jobs in fun cities, and then I came home. Though I definitely had more than 12 jobs in my career, I am now content to own Sanders County’s local newspaper for 10 or 20 more years.
— Annie Wooden
Reader Comments(0)