Unconscious Advantage: When Job Hopping Isn’t a Luxury Everyone Can Afford

A recent post I came across praised frequent job changes as a key to career growth.

"Don’t stay too long," it said. "Move fast. Keep growing."

And while that advice might work for some, it doesn’t tell the whole story.

For many professionals, especially temporary workers, migrants, and those from underrepresented communities who moved their entire families to follow the job, uprooted their children, and struggled with intercultural challenges, career mobility isn’t just about ambition or readiness. It’s about legal restrictions, financial realities, and deeply rooted systemic constraints.

When your job is also your right to stay, when nothing is waiting for you back home, and when the expectations are high and heavy on your shoulders, everything changes.

Imagine being highly qualified, holding a master’s degree, and working in an international organization, but knowing that your residency permit is tied to your current job. Leaving might mean losing not only your income, but also your right to remain in the country. And the stress that comes with it affects both you and your family.

This is the lived reality for many professionals on temporary contracts, sponsored visas, or dependent permits. A job change isn’t a bold leap. It’s a gamble.

We also know the other side of the story. Some companies move their top talent to other markets for experience and exposure. Their terms are clear, going home to a job is guaranteed, and they arrive in a prepared location with all the support systems in place, housing, car, driver, and amenities that make relocation easy. Most likely, not for you.

Flexibility Is a Privilege

Recently, I spoke with young African professionals navigating exactly this tension. Their backgrounds are rich, their qualifications impressive but their options? Limited by forces outside their control.

A move that may look like “career progression” for one person could be interpreted as “instability” for another. In some places, you might need to stay in one location for five years before being eligible to apply for permanent residence or a passport. I know this reality well.

We don’t talk about this enough. Because in many circles, mobility is assumed to be a strength when, in fact, it is a privilege.

Career Advice That Ignores Context Isn’t Advice. It’s Bias.

When we celebrate job-hopping without recognizing its hidden conditions, we create a narrow, exclusionary idea of what “success” looks like. And that leaves a lot of people behind.

We reward those with safety nets and strong passports. We overlook those carrying extra risk, obligation, or paperwork. Career growth should be possible even for those who stay put longer than they’d like.

By the way, this is not limited to people from far-flung countries. I know a woman who didn’t get a promotion because, for family reasons, she couldn’t relocate to headquarters. In today’s world of remote work and flying in and out, she was still passed over. Someone local got the job. That’s not about qualification. That’s about privilege.

Let’s Expand the Conversation

This post explores how well-meaning career narratives often ignore the invisible privileges that shape access, opportunity, and perception. Because true inclusion isn’t just about who’s in the room. It’s about who gets to move within and beyond it.

Need Space to Rethink Your Own Path?

Are you standing at the edge of a leap of faith, ready for change but unsure what comes next? As a coach, I help individuals reflect, explore their options, and move forward with clarity and confidence. If you’re considering your next step and want a space to think it through, you’re welcome to reach out.

🤝 Connect with me here on LinkedIn or visit www.peggygrueninger.com