Ask HN: How often do you switch jobs? 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. |
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.
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.
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)
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.