maybe they found what they were looking for? my very limited personal experience tells me that is not always more money. As your reasons to leave vary widely, also many reasons to stay.

I assume most people don't do the legwork to actually interview for new positions.  You've got me thinking though, if you said I'd be making 40k more in 3 years by job hopping 4 times... 

On the other hand, under that schedule I'm guessing you never finished a single project?  That'd feel... I don't know, weird? to me...  All our projects, from SD to Cert. of Occupancy take like 18 months minimum, plenty at the 5 year mark.

4 jobs in 3 years, jeez, that must look terrible on the resume.

Well,  there's also the explanation that maybe some folks (if not most folks) actually a) enjoy their work; b) are paid fairly (if not well) for their contribution; and c) are making steady upward progress in their firm.

How long since you graduated?

Maybe they stay because they're not leaving. Maybe they're not leaving because they have a permanent contract, a mortgage, medical is covered, they want to see their projects through from sketch till opening or maybe nobody else wants to hire them...

People fear change.  

Making the change requires effort.

Other options aren't available in all locales.  

Comfort.

Most projects take several years to complete... Seems odd that someone would jump if already fully involved in a long term project... unless you're just hired to plug staffing holes when they arise.

Exactly, right now I can poop on company time without much hassle, if I move to another company I don't know what will happen. 

I know these toilets, they are well plumbed and I know I won't block them. In another place I never know what I'll get, could be horrible plumbing.

Maybe they figure the grass isn't really any greener anywhere else.

Hey, I say if you can jump ship every nine months and and hike the salary 10k each and every time, go for it.  In a few years you'll be making, what, half a million?  By then you can buy Archinect an shut down the pesky comments section.

I thought this generation (millennials) job hops more than any other previous generation? I've had three architecture job over 4.5 years; just switched about 3 months ago. Looking to stay put. Nice pay bumps did happen every hop. Job hopping is definitely probably the best way to get more pay.

golden handcuffs. our firm is employee owned and very generous with stock options... but you don't get them all until you hit 5 years. i also miraculously found a place that doesn't work me to death, pays overtime, and gives decent raises every year. i'm not 100% sure i could find that elsewhere (in the same city)

like another person said, i also like to see projects i work on get built, and this more often than not takes a couple of years.

After working at architecture jobs where I mostly dreaded going in (horrifically boring or 55+ hour weeks as SOP or no room for growth) for about 5 years, having a job now that I feel pretty good about most of the time...is really valuable. There are clear professional development opportunities here both self-initiated and given to me by management and until I run out of "runway" it really doesn't make sense to throw away a good thing for a total unknown. 

That said I'm aware I'm somewhat underpaid, but right now I value the credibility I have, the pleasant environment and the opportunities for growth more than dollars. 

ha, I knew this would get a discussion going, but it really is a legitimate question on my part.  For background:

2004 - $14 hour coop, hired to build a model

2005 - $10 hour, down to $9 due to 10% across the board pay cut,  made more bartending on fri and sat nights

2006  - 46k, stayed for 6 years, was at 56k when laid off during m.arch.

2013 - 55k, finally got a new job after grad. Doing giant "lifestyle" centers.  Left to finish idp, was pissed about a $500 raise, they offered to match other offer + a bonus when I gave notice but I left anyway.  I was a little surprised when I found out, after leaving, that my share of the new ESOP would be 20k.  

2015 - 65k, small developer jobs.  did a ton of small restaurants and strip mall type projects. 

2017 - 75k, current job, almost done with a 7 million dollar municipal project.  Considering leaving to the owner side, working for a former co-worker from my second job, new place would be 85k

My response is in a lot of ways similar to ivorykeyboard, but no stock options. We have profit sharing which has ended up (along with paid OT) to have above market total compensation for my experience level. Plus being treated with respect goes a long way, and so does that feeling of seeing your work built. I've tested waters lately, but will probably end up staying where I'm at.

Seems like the OP started this mostly to toot his own horn. Careful what you ask for. There's always someone with a bigger horn.

good point, I suppose my second post could be horn tooting, I mostly posted it because there seemed to be doubt about my thesis

I would just say that there are different routes to career happiness. You've found one that works for you, and for that you should be grateful.

I think people stay for comfort. It is taxing to look for a new job - you have to look sharp/be sharp and prove yourself unlike showing up for work everyday where you can be half asleep and do fine. Having to learn a new CAD and file systems and project delivery and office standards especially after you get older and ingrained a bit is hard, I at least find I want to revert to older firm standards -- the first firm I worked at was over 100 years old and had pretty tight systems and going to a less sophisticated firm can feel constricting. Are these jobs similar enough that you aren't having trouble assimilating? My average is 3.5 years at a job... long enough to learn, not long enough to pick up too many bad habits, ha. In hindsight, I would have hopped more when younger to increase chances of finding a better fit for me and experience the rapid increase in salary. 

I've been at my job for almost five years now and have worked on almost every team in my office. Every time I move teams or even just go help out on a different team, I have to prove my worth all over again even though I have more experience than 1/3 of the people in my firm. I don't move jobs partially because I don't want to go through the year or more of proving myself by picking up redlines for 40+ hours per week when I can stay here and be given more responsibilities, time on site, and opportunity to interface with clients. 

I have often contemplated looking for new opportunities, and sometimes have been pushed to my breaking point and began looking. But most issues in my office can be solved by a conversation or two. I stay because the rough patches I have had have easily been resolved as a result of good upper management, I am still learning here, the projects are mostly good with caring clients, my input is valued, and I genuinely enjoy interacting with my coworkers both professionally and socially. The pay situation really really blows but I'd rather enjoy my day to day than make a ton and hate going to work everyday. 

Before I took my current job, I passed up a job in a firm that was closer to where I used to live, for more money that I was on, and for a permanent position, when I had been contract for 4+ years.

The reasons for passing it up were simple: they were going to pay barely more than I was earning already, for a working week that could be standard but could be anything (they expected me to sign a waiver to the 48 hour week), with no mention made in the contract of any overtime. Any raise would have had to wait until I'd been there more than a year, and I really would have been exchanging one CAD monkey position for another.

I couldn't do any work for myself (it would have been 'in competition' apparently), and the firm gave me vibes that weren't pleasant. Too much of a factory when I'd been running projects, and there was no mention of what I would be doing, beyond being CAD guy again.

So, I kept looking, and ended up with my current job, for which I've moved countries along with my family.

Not perfect by any means, and has its frustrations. The Health Insurance is pretty worthless too, which has been a problem given I'm currently paying for healthcare for my wife out of my pocket (thats the last years savings gone)

But, I'll probably go from this to something better paid when the job does finish in 3 years or so time, and the experience has been immense.

Being paid now twice what I used to be, and with housing also paid for, I also managed to pay down tax bills, overdraft and student loans in short order, so am solvent for the first time in years. I can also afford things like holidays, and to do further study.

[A MSc in Quantity Surveying, at UCEM via onlie study, an accredited Level 7 course. It's actually really interesting given I'd like to be getting in Project Management, and expands on a lot of areas that Architects aren't trained very well in. Some elements are even directly applicable to Architecture, and certainly I'm using them in my current job, where construction management and design management knowledge is coming into play. On my 5th of 8 subjects and I haven't even got to the QS bit yet.]

The point is, it isn't always worth changing jobs, the right one has to be there, and for the right reasons.

That varies for a lot of people, and is far from being the same for everyone and their own personal circumstances.