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Ask HN: How often do you switch jobs?

by hellohihello135 on 12/4/23, 3:00 PM with 5 comments

I have been working at the same company for the last 8 years. It’s pretty much my first job out of college. It’s very comfortable and I mostly stay in my comfort zone all the time. I’m starting to worry that by staying at this company I’m not not growing as quickly as people who switch companies every 2-3 years.

  • by iteria on 12/5/23, 1:36 AM

    I would recommend everyone jump every 1-3 years in early career just because it's hard to gain upper level skills when people see you as a junior and also you don't yet know what kinds of companies exist to see what you like and don't like. After that, I say stay until you're bored, burnt out, or feeling stagnant.

    That said, if you're being promoted and given responsibilities at the pace you would have had you bailed then it's no problem at all really, although I think it puts you at risk of being afraid to leave you job when you emotional should and makes you inflexible in other types of work environments.

  • by jasmes on 12/4/23, 3:09 PM

    Depends a lot on whether you’re transitioning between different roles and work styles when you go to a new company.

    I think there is a bit of a glorification of being outside your comfort zone amongst tech workers, and a lot of FOMO about staying put simply because it is technically possible to be hugely rewarded for taking career risks. However unlikely.

    IMO if you’re secure in a job that you enjoy and you like the culture there… that’s a perfectly valid way of being employed.

    You mention not growing as fast being a concern — growing towards what? More pay, more influence, more skills? It’s a question worth examining when talking about this.

  • by buro9 on 12/4/23, 3:20 PM

    Whenever the job no longer challenges / interests me.

    Which in my early career, when personal growth was mostly on the technical front, was every couple of years... but in my later career, when personal growth was mostly soft skills, complexity and nuance, has been more in the ~6 year region.

    I think the important question is whether you're still learning, and whether you find joy in the environment and people, when the answer starts to be no you should move on (though I understand a lot of people stay put if it aligns to their financial priorities but I just quit and go make myself happy instead)

  • by stonemetal12 on 12/4/23, 3:57 PM

    I like to stay at least 5years. That way you get a chance to support something you built. If you move on quickly, you never get to see how your engineering decisions pay off in the long run.

  • by billybuckwheat on 12/4/23, 6:22 PM

    Used to be that I switched every 2-3 years (on average). Sometimes because the work was no longer challenging. Sometimes because I just couldn't handle working for a jerk manager or CEO. And sometimes because another company offered more money.

    Now I tend to stay in a job for as long as I can -- I've been at my current one for the past 6 years. It's not the perfect or dream job, but the work is better than OK and the pay's not bad.