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a great article, we software engineers are impatient and we tend to job hop often. Being an effective engineer is about more than knowing how to build systems a

a great article, we software engineers are impatient and we tend to job hop often. Being an effective engineer is about more than knowing how to build systems and code, it also requires deep domain knowledge into your company's business and existing systems and this knowledge takes years to cultivate at the same company. All the superstars at my current company have been here for a while.

dominotw 4y ago
> we software engineers are impatient and we tend to job hop often. This has been the only way to increase our pay beyond measly 2-5% growth if you stay at the same company. I would love to not jobhop and become a 'superstar' but making half the pay of your peers is really intolerable.
- gabereiser 4y ago
  Especially in the last 5 years. 2-5% bumps for 10-20% inflation… gotta love math.
gabereiser 4y ago
We job hop for a number of reasons. The primary one being compensation when their current job isn’t keeping up with inflation. Another is lack of promotion when you went above and beyond (as you were coached to by your manager, for that promotion). Another reason (which is why I do) is that life for some of us isn’t as stable. I move. I’m forced to sometimes because of rent. Sometimes that means having to find a new, cheaper, city to live in. Sometimes it’s to relocate for that new position. Next time you see someone who has worked at several companies over a decade, ask why and understand their reasoning. I would love to work at a company for 20+ years. I can’t stay put in the same position for that long.
- claytongulick 4y ago
  If we're doing honest self-reflection as an industry, another reason I see programmers job-hop is because they don't want to sleep in the bed they made.
  - gabereiser 4y ago
    There may be some of that but that hasn’t been my experience. Most of the time it’s because of comp or as another poster reminded me, bad manager. If people are leaving because they coded themselves into a corner, the code review process where you are is broken.
- silvestrov 4y ago
  Another common reason is when you get new manager(s) and they don't respect the insight which "All the superstars at my current company have been here for a while" have. Often the superstars are just normal people who really knows the business well and therefore what makes sense to implement and what should be skipped. When you earn enough money for a decent lifestyle, then I think this becomes the major reason for a lot of people to jump ship: you join a company but leave a manager. https://getlighthouse.com/blog/people-leave-managers-not-companies/ https://getlighthouse.com/blog/people-leave-managers-not-com...
  - gabereiser 4y ago
    I totally forgot about bad managers. Thanks for reminding me. I’ve only left two jobs in my career due to bad management.
- zmxz 4y ago
  While I agree with the reasons you outlined, my experience so far shows that number one reason is being the impostor. Most people I've had displeasure to work with job hopped because they got the job through lies, which showed when faced with bearing responsibility and having to finish the project, I've seen many just jump the boat.
  - gabereiser 4y ago
    That hasn’t been my case at all. If you have that, maybe your interview process is broken.
abhishekjha 4y ago
>All the superstars at my current company have been here for a while. Exactly. And isn't that memorisation by repetition? If you will come across something often you take a good guess on how it works.
- macintux 4y ago
  Quoting Groundhog Day: “Maybe God isn't omnipotent. Maybe he's just been around so long, he knows everything.”

dominotw 4y ago

> we software engineers are impatient and we tend to job hop often. This has been the only way to increase our pay beyond measly 2-5% growth if you stay at the same company. I would love to not jobhop and become a 'superstar' but making half the pay of your peers is really intolerable.

gabereiser 4y ago
Especially in the last 5 years. 2-5% bumps for 10-20% inflation… gotta love math.

gabereiser 4y ago

We job hop for a number of reasons. The primary one being compensation when their current job isn’t keeping up with inflation. Another is lack of promotion when you went above and beyond (as you were coached to by your manager, for that promotion). Another reason (which is why I do) is that life for some of us isn’t as stable. I move. I’m forced to sometimes because of rent. Sometimes that means having to find a new, cheaper, city to live in. Sometimes it’s to relocate for that new position. Next time you see someone who has worked at several companies over a decade, ask why and understand their reasoning. I would love to work at a company for 20+ years. I can’t stay put in the same position for that long.

claytongulick 4y ago
If we're doing honest self-reflection as an industry, another reason I see programmers job-hop is because they don't want to sleep in the bed they made.
- gabereiser 4y ago
  There may be some of that but that hasn’t been my experience. Most of the time it’s because of comp or as another poster reminded me, bad manager. If people are leaving because they coded themselves into a corner, the code review process where you are is broken.
silvestrov 4y ago
Another common reason is when you get new manager(s) and they don't respect the insight which "All the superstars at my current company have been here for a while" have. Often the superstars are just normal people who really knows the business well and therefore what makes sense to implement and what should be skipped. When you earn enough money for a decent lifestyle, then I think this becomes the major reason for a lot of people to jump ship: you join a company but leave a manager. https://getlighthouse.com/blog/people-leave-managers-not-companies/ https://getlighthouse.com/blog/people-leave-managers-not-com...
- gabereiser 4y ago
  I totally forgot about bad managers. Thanks for reminding me. I’ve only left two jobs in my career due to bad management.
zmxz 4y ago
While I agree with the reasons you outlined, my experience so far shows that number one reason is being the impostor. Most people I've had displeasure to work with job hopped because they got the job through lies, which showed when faced with bearing responsibility and having to finish the project, I've seen many just jump the boat.
- gabereiser 4y ago
  That hasn’t been my case at all. If you have that, maybe your interview process is broken.

abhishekjha 4y ago

>All the superstars at my current company have been here for a while. Exactly. And isn't that memorisation by repetition? If you will come across something often you take a good guess on how it works.

macintux 4y ago
Quoting Groundhog Day: “Maybe God isn't omnipotent. Maybe he's just been around so long, he knows everything.”