WASHINGTON, DC - JUNE 26: Director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases ... [+]
Few people can say they advised seven U.S. presidents on the HIV/AIDS epidemic, West Nile virus, Ebola, Zika, and most recently, Covid and Monkeypox—a monumental responsibility that fell to Dr. Anthony Fauci, who is stepping down from his post running the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases this month.
Perhaps even fewer can say they’ve stayed at the same job for over 50 years. When Fauci exits his post, he will bid farewell to a celebrated career in public health that started at the NIH in 1968. But far from retiring, Fauci has said he plans to mentor the next generation of scientists.
Fauci may be one of the last of a dying breed of workers. According to a 2021 study by Careerbuilder, Baby Boomers stay at the same job for an average of 8 years, while Generation X stays for five years, and Millennials and Gen Z stay put for two years. A 2016 Gallup poll named Millennials the most “job-hopping” generation, with 21% reporting they had changed jobs in the last year.
Fauci’s long and storied career shows a full life cycle of a job—through changes in managers, roles, and responsibilities in an ever-changing world. Whether the idea of staying at the same organization gets you excited or makes you want to run for the door, there are both advantages and disadvantages to working at the same organization for the bulk of your career.
Building Relationships
Creating lasting professional relationships doesn’t happen overnight. Building relationships is vital for career success, and in order to build relationships, you need to build trust. When you’ve worked at the same company for a long period of time, you’ve built a lot of trust. Your colleagues know what you’re capable of, which makes it easier for both of you to do your jobs.
When President Biden was elected, one of his first calls was to Dr. Fauci. Since Biden had been Vice-President, he already knew and respected Fauci. Biden, once he took office, and Fauci were able to make great strides in addressing and treating Covid.
Building Your Reputation
Just like you can’t build relationships overnight, you can’t build your reputation overnight. One of the biggest advantages of working at the same organization is upward mobility. Managers need to know they can count on you and that you have the experience and knowledge to take on more challenging tasks. It’s time-consuming and stressful for managers to hire for a role, and they are far more inclined to promote someone within the organization that they know and trust.
At NIH, Fauci started as a clinical associate in the Laboratory of Clinical Investigation (LIC) and was promoted to Head of the Department six years later. In 1980 he was promoted to chief of the NIAID’s Laboratory of Immunoregulation and was later named Director of the NIAID in 1984. Fauci was able to rise through the ranks because he had built a reputation as a skilled and knowledgeable scientist.
Consistency And Stability
Each time you start a new job, you have to get used to new colleagues, new managers, new policies and procedures. Restarting this process every two years makes it hard for you to settle into your role, and a lot of time and energy is wasted ramping up and learning new systems. Once you’re firmly established in your new role, you can focus on more important tasks, tasks that will help you get promoted in the future.
Fauci has advised every U.S. President since Ronald Reagan. While Fauci has had to deal with very different Presidents with very different personalities, a constant has been Fauci’s role, and he has been able to provide the institutional knowledge a President needs.
Career Stagnation
The fear of career stagnation is everyone’s number one concern. If you started in your organization as an admin or in a support role, it could be hard for upper management to see you any other way. It’s hard to be looked at as a leader if you were once the person distributing the mail or making coffee. If you’re watching all of your friends rise up at their companies, you may start to feel like you’re missing out on opportunities for advancement and salary increases.
Being Pigeonholed
Sometimes you’re so good at your job that the organization can’t see you doing anything else. Managers are busy and overwhelmed, and it can be easy for them to pigeonhole an employee. One advantage of working at a lot of different organizations is the ability to adapt. It may make it hard for you to change jobs in the future because you don’t have up-to-date technical skills or industry knowledge.
Getting Too Comfortable
Everyone likes to be comfortable and in many aspects of your life, being comfortable is critical. When it comes to your career, being comfortable may stop you from pushing yourself to learn new skills and grow as a leader. Imagine being let go; would your skills translate to another company or role? Being challenged at work is important, and being at one company for a long time may prevent you from broadening your horizons, and you may be missing out on a role or company that would be a much better fit.
Fauci may not have experienced these disadvantages in his 50+ year career. Fauci knew he wanted to be a doctor while he was in high school, which isn’t always the case for most young people. If you’re lucky enough to know what you want from the beginning of your career, then staying at the same company might be the right choice.
If you don’t know what you want to do, then job hopping might be the best way for you to better understand yourself and what you want for your career. The key is, no matter how many jobs you have in your life, to continue to challenge yourself and once you know what you want, keep that as your north star throughout your career.
