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    It used to be that once you trained in your chosen profession you could look forward to a stress-free climb up the corporate ladder to seniority and a corner office.

    Not any more. Today, the career you thought you had all mapped out has either been stifled in its tracks or has led you down a path where the next ten years are looking vaguely familiar - just like the previous two.

    You want a flexible, dynamic position, which allows for creativity as well as providing a bit of certainty in these unpredictable times. When you reflect on the career paths many of our parents took – many were guaranteed a position at their company and were well rewarded for loyalty with promotions and composite benefits. Now, it is more common to hear of a peer moving to a different site or to a different company and obtaining a promotion and salary increase with the move.

    Is it possible to obtain growth and advancement without moving; or is moving really necessary for career growth? What do you think?

- Steven Burda • (This was taken from a blog post)

Experts' Answers

    Well, it depends on so many variables. What are you looking forward to, when you say career growth ? Is it position, better pay, more incentives, higher challenges or is it just job satisfaction ?

    Also what kind of scope and range the new position brings in relation to your current position.

    At times, your current position may well be good in terms of growth; while growth might have saturated and only a viable option for you would be to make a move.

    Also the fact that you've worked for a half a dozen companies, in say, one year or so, may well work against you on loyalty ground.

    Anyway, I think one needs to weigh his options and play his cards pragmatically here; because not all change is growth and not all movements are forward.

    There are a huge number of variables here. In most cases though you will hit a ceiling. This necessitates a move to advance. My brother seems to be the exception to this rule. He has been with the same company for over 10 years and has achieved progressive advancement into the corner office. His situation though is less common than most.

    Both are possible, but moving is usually done for better offer and position, so moving is usually done to obtain growth and advancement, while if you are a valuable and talented employee for your company, I don't think that it will easy letting you move since you are important for them, and here you can obtain growth and advancement without moving,..If you are strong you can put your conditions.

    Obviously, the higher up the corporate ladder you go, and the more specialized your expertise, the less opportunities are available in any given commutable geographic location. However, the costs of providing relocation assistance has caused many employers to consider candidates that aren't right on target because they are local.

    I think it'll all remain a decision on what career concessions one makes to stay local. Two career families have created a lack of relocation flexibility as well.

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