Expectations change after working for a few years

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I have had 20+ jobs in my ...career...

The job I have now is the third longest that I have been able to hold a job; at about 3 1/2 years. The second longest job would only be two months longer than the one I have now, and the longest would only be 14 months longer than the job I have now.

It is about this time that I run into problems, as people start to consider you to be permanent staff, their expectations change. They expect more, for me to start climbing the corporate ladder, show more leadership, and do more. The problem is, I have not changed. I am still the same as I was yesterday, last month, or the day they hired me. I do not have the interpersonal skills to climb the social corporate ladder to the top, nor do I want to. I want the job I have now to stay the same.

So this is where I fall down. The expectations change in response to _______________________ and I am left hold the bag.

Can anyone give me some advise of how to meet this challenge. I really have no clue what to do when expectations change, I am still me for better or for worse.

Are you formally diagnosed?

There's nothing wrong with an employer expecting more of "lifers" (people staying long-term with the company), but those expectations should have been spelled out long before you were going to be expected to meet them.

This the the reason for the "where do you see yourself in X years" question in interviews.

AS or not, you should be willing to grow and expand your abilities. It's good for you in the long run, but if your AS makes you uncomfortable, the company should be helping you to grow in a way you can handle.

They could work with you to identify areas of growth they think you are well-suited for that you feel you can handle.

They can focus on your growth in baby steps that you can process so it's not too much at one time.

They can accept that you are not a "career-driven" person looking to grab the next rung on the corporate ladder as soon as it comes available like others might do.

They can understand that you are an asset when used as the person who gets things done reliably and not a person who's looking to climb higher and higher as fast as possible. Those types of people aren't ever happy doing the routine tasks in the company because they feel held back.

Ever wonder why some people excel doing mediocre work even if they aren't AS? It's because that's what they like, and some places pay them very well for it because none of the other "superstars" do that task so effectively...nor are they inclined to invest the time in the role to become as effective. Such people are sometimes very well compensated for a relatively mediocre task because the company knows they'd need 3-4 new people to replace that one person's efficiency.