Medical practice is a set process and it's most likely that you'll be doing essentially the same job the day you stop practicing as you were doing the day you began. Most physicians are planning for retirement from the very beginning. In the nonclinical world, you'll want to shift your thinking to what you're starting. The Career Lifecycle moves in groups, three to five years, five to seven years and beyond seven. Each cycle represents a new start, whether you actually leave the company you're working with or if you venture into the marketplace for a completely new start.