The spiraling toilet of despair

I hate to admit that I have been at my job for 5 years, because it reminds me of just how apathetic I am towards my career.

5 years.  That puts me spiraling towards the crap in the middle of the toilet of despair.

A co-worker once encouraged me to, "get out while you still can!"  We then spent the next half hour drawing on my white board just how sucked into this place different employees are.  At that time I was still fresh out of college and just needed to gain experience and then escape to greener ($) pastures.  I was maybe 1/3 of the way to the interior of the toilet bowl.  My co-worker spent his time studying for the nursing classes he was taking.  He was near the outer rim of the toilet bowl with an escape route clearly in his sight.

Now is probably where I should explain that the company I work for is static.  The world around us changes, but we do not.  I think 80% of the people working here have been doing so for 20+ years.  There is no room to climb the ranks because the ranks are never vacated.  While occasional new hires exist, they leave for better offers quickly and no action is taken to retain young talent.  In my department alone (a department of 9 people currently) in the 5 years I've been here, there have been 7 engineers under the age of 30 who have left for better jobs. 

I should add to that statistic, but instead I'm treading water closer to the middle of that putrid toilet, with escape appearing more difficult thanks to the economy, a house, and an increase in apathy.

I have found it too easy to go through the motions, collect a paycheck, and die a little each day from the monotony of this place.