if you consider yourself indispensable, you are a fool. As you described, the corporate model is downsize to make the bottom line look good to investors. That means jobs are lost to attrition or layoffs and you are taking on additional responsibilities at no increase in pay and sometimes after having your salary cut. So you just keep walking through the next door to see what new opportunities await. You cannot be shy in today's market. I started hiring myself out as an independent contractor five years ago and wish I had made the move a long time ago.