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No doubt about it, switching jobs will definitely get you that immediate compensation increase. But you have to consider all the baggage that a new job comes wi

No doubt about it, switching jobs will definitely get you that immediate compensation increase. But you have to consider all the baggage that a new job comes with. First of all, its a reset on context. You'll start at 0, and you'll have to learn, wind up, and prove yourself again. And its a reset on your team, you'll get a completely new set of people you'll have to learn to work and communicate with. Experience is also valuable, if you're somewhere for a longer period of time, the more things you've likely started and finished. Often times people who switch a lot, end up getting stuck at a terminal level unable to advance further, because they can't go beyond the surface level to really deeply think about problems and see the solutions through. Ultimately I feel like switching jobs isn't entirely about money, but more so driven by a lack of growth and fulfillment in your role.

moduspol 4y ago
> First of all, its a reset on context. You'll start at 0, and you'll have to learn, wind up, and prove yourself again. And its a reset on your team, you'll get a completely new set of people you'll have to learn to work and communicate with. I just went through this starting earlier this year, and it didn't go well. It was a smaller company and even though I knew all the parts of the tech stack ahead of time, there were just a ton of undocumented internal-isms and an overall culture of "just stay in your lane and iterate on JIRA tickets. None of us really understand how to build the software, can deploy the software, or can trace inputs and outputs throughout the system." Among other tedium. I only lasted four months before moving on, but the new job is working out a lot better and pays more, too. So I agree it's not risk-free, but at the end of the day, I was getting paid the whole time and ended up somewhere better, so it worked out anyway.
dominotw 4y ago
Lots of people switch jobs to get a promotion. Its much easier to find a company that will give you a higher level and boomerang back into your original job than fight for a promotion.
drewcoo 4y ago
> But you have to consider all the baggage that a new job comes with. Like compounding comp increases? Honestly, most software jobs, even "tough" ones with lots of domain knowledge are bullshit. It's very easy to jump into a new job and immediately be "highly effective." Sorry you didn't figure this out yet, but those traits can be taught. You are not a lost cause.
- razmooo 4y ago
  > Honestly, most software jobs, even "tough" ones with lots of domain knowledge are bullshit. I agree 100% with this. If you are staying long time at a big corporation, you will eventually become an expert in the domain you are covering. Now, sure you can transfer some experiences to other companies, but mostly the domain knowledge is worthless outside of the company.
  - rightbyte 4y ago
    And yet, ironically, other companies value you more then you current employer.
    - galdosdi 4y ago
      It's because the increasing returns to experience cut both ways and cancel each other out. You're more valuable to your employer after you've been there a while, but the job is more valuable to you too, for the same reasons (assuming things are going well for both parties). You'd be a lot more reluctant to risk switching to a higher paying job from a job you've only been at happily for a month than one you've been at happily for several years.
  - mateo411 4y ago
    It's a good idea to stay in the same industry, then a lot of the domain knowledge will still be relevant. I think you can do very well if you are a developer and you are a domain expert in a particular industry.
- psi75 4y ago
Gareth321 4y ago
This fear of the unknown is the reason many people stay at their company, even when they know they're being underpaid. It's the reason companies are so slow to increase compensation for loyal employees. IMHO, once you're in the new role, it's not so scary. Sure it's a risk, but life is all about calculated risks. Of course you should do your homework. Talk to people from the company, check out their Glassdoor, get some references from the potential employer, etc. My experience is that you can find good jobs and be paid well. I just make my expectations about work-life balance clear in the interviews. I won't work longer than 40 hours a week. If the expectation is more, I'm not your man. My priority is my kids, not work. Sure it has lost me some potential roles, but I've also had some great roles.
- sjducb 4y ago
  I've switched for higher salary 3 times. First two job switches were great #3 was an absolute disaster. Now I'm definitely more cautious about switching jobs.
  - Gareth321 4y ago
    Yeah in the game of numbers, you'll find a bad job eventually.
- wccrawford 4y ago
  >IMHO, once you're in the new role, it's not so scary. Yup. If you're decent at your current job, you'll be decent at the next job after an initial adjustment period. The only time I'd be worried is if I thought I was bad at my job, because I feel like a new company is going to be more critical at first.
  - Gareth321 4y ago
    This doesn't help those of us with crippling imposter syndrome :D
orzig 4y ago
You’re absolutely right, there are uncertain challenges associated with the benefit. But I am reminded of this study where people were challenged to flip a coin when making life decisions, and the random half who took the leap were (more often) happy with their call: https://bigthink.com/neuropsych/decision-making-process/ https://bigthink.com/neuropsych/decision-making-process/
matwood 4y ago
> First of all, its a reset on context. That's a gift and a curse. After working on the same things for years, not being responsible for any of the current woes can be very freeing. My MO early in my career was going into new positions and cleaning up the mess. It seems most like greenfield, but I like cleaning :)
jareklupinski 4y ago
> driven by a lack of growth and fulfillment in your role this; I read the headline as: "People who regularly out-grow their roles earn more than people who are sitting still."

moduspol 4y ago

> First of all, its a reset on context. You'll start at 0, and you'll have to learn, wind up, and prove yourself again. And its a reset on your team, you'll get a completely new set of people you'll have to learn to work and communicate with. I just went through this starting earlier this year, and it didn't go well. It was a smaller company and even though I knew all the parts of the tech stack ahead of time, there were just a ton of undocumented internal-isms and an overall culture of "just stay in your lane and iterate on JIRA tickets. None of us really understand how to build the software, can deploy the software, or can trace inputs and outputs throughout the system." Among other tedium. I only lasted four months before moving on, but the new job is working out a lot better and pays more, too. So I agree it's not risk-free, but at the end of the day, I was getting paid the whole time and ended up somewhere better, so it worked out anyway.

dominotw 4y ago

Lots of people switch jobs to get a promotion. Its much easier to find a company that will give you a higher level and boomerang back into your original job than fight for a promotion.

drewcoo 4y ago

> But you have to consider all the baggage that a new job comes with. Like compounding comp increases? Honestly, most software jobs, even "tough" ones with lots of domain knowledge are bullshit. It's very easy to jump into a new job and immediately be "highly effective." Sorry you didn't figure this out yet, but those traits can be taught. You are not a lost cause.

razmooo 4y ago
> Honestly, most software jobs, even "tough" ones with lots of domain knowledge are bullshit. I agree 100% with this. If you are staying long time at a big corporation, you will eventually become an expert in the domain you are covering. Now, sure you can transfer some experiences to other companies, but mostly the domain knowledge is worthless outside of the company.
- rightbyte 4y ago
  And yet, ironically, other companies value you more then you current employer.
  - galdosdi 4y ago
    It's because the increasing returns to experience cut both ways and cancel each other out. You're more valuable to your employer after you've been there a while, but the job is more valuable to you too, for the same reasons (assuming things are going well for both parties). You'd be a lot more reluctant to risk switching to a higher paying job from a job you've only been at happily for a month than one you've been at happily for several years.
- mateo411 4y ago
  It's a good idea to stay in the same industry, then a lot of the domain knowledge will still be relevant. I think you can do very well if you are a developer and you are a domain expert in a particular industry.
psi75 4y ago

Gareth321 4y ago

This fear of the unknown is the reason many people stay at their company, even when they know they're being underpaid. It's the reason companies are so slow to increase compensation for loyal employees. IMHO, once you're in the new role, it's not so scary. Sure it's a risk, but life is all about calculated risks. Of course you should do your homework. Talk to people from the company, check out their Glassdoor, get some references from the potential employer, etc. My experience is that you can find good jobs and be paid well. I just make my expectations about work-life balance clear in the interviews. I won't work longer than 40 hours a week. If the expectation is more, I'm not your man. My priority is my kids, not work. Sure it has lost me some potential roles, but I've also had some great roles.

sjducb 4y ago
I've switched for higher salary 3 times. First two job switches were great #3 was an absolute disaster. Now I'm definitely more cautious about switching jobs.
- Gareth321 4y ago
  Yeah in the game of numbers, you'll find a bad job eventually.
wccrawford 4y ago
>IMHO, once you're in the new role, it's not so scary. Yup. If you're decent at your current job, you'll be decent at the next job after an initial adjustment period. The only time I'd be worried is if I thought I was bad at my job, because I feel like a new company is going to be more critical at first.
- Gareth321 4y ago
  This doesn't help those of us with crippling imposter syndrome :D

orzig 4y ago

You’re absolutely right, there are uncertain challenges associated with the benefit. But I am reminded of this study where people were challenged to flip a coin when making life decisions, and the random half who took the leap were (more often) happy with their call: https://bigthink.com/neuropsych/decision-making-process/ https://bigthink.com/neuropsych/decision-making-process/

matwood 4y ago

> First of all, its a reset on context. That's a gift and a curse. After working on the same things for years, not being responsible for any of the current woes can be very freeing. My MO early in my career was going into new positions and cleaning up the mess. It seems most like greenfield, but I like cleaning :)

jareklupinski 4y ago

> driven by a lack of growth and fulfillment in your role this; I read the headline as: "People who regularly out-grow their roles earn more than people who are sitting still."