Considering moving on from my first job

BlackDragon · 17 Jan 2012 at 21:30

Hi guys,

Looking to just air my thoughts and get some advice.

I've been a software engineer at my company for 2.5 years, and it is my first job since graduating.

After getting a bit frustrated with work the other day, due to problems that probably a lot of software engineering departments will have, I decided to contact a few recruitment consultants.

Having calmed down a bit, I've attracted interest and can agree to some interviews, but I now feel a bit apprehensive about leaving my first job, and doubting my reasons for changing job. There's nothing seriously wrong with my department/company that affects my job, other than the usual software engineering department issues (although having no other personal experience to compare it against), and I could probably carry on doing this job for a while yet.

Now that these potential job interviews have come up, I am reflecting on my job and trying to decide if I have enough justification to leave other than for a change of scenery, learn something new, and a salary increase.

Basically there's nothing major that screams at me that I don't want to work here any more, but the idea of being in a new job is exciting, however if I switch jobs I could find I hate it. Has anyone been in a similar situation, and what did you do? How long did you stay in your first job? What made you leave?

whitecrook · 17 Jan 2012 at 21:34

are you a risk taker? Do you like the new and unknown, or the comfortable familiarity of the the known?

After 2.5 years, that's a good stint, why not?

What more justification do you need?

Where do you see yourself in 2.5, 5, 10 years? What do you need to do in order to do that?

fobose · 17 Jan 2012 at 21:37

I've been thinking of changing jobs ever since I started. This August will be my tenth year at the company (although I was promoted to supervisor 2 years ago but basically same job and extra stuff).

I think about leaving at least 3/5 days of the week, and have done for the last year now. There are so many annoying, frustrating moments but no matter how many bad points I can think of I only need one good one to stay.

So here I am... coming up to 10 years later

Sorry to bore you with my story

lol.

mollymoo · 17 Jan 2012 at 21:38

If you have a goal, something to achieve that you feel will make you happy then go for it, learn something new and climb the ladder. I wouldn't let money be the driving force though, you spend most of your life at work so happiness at work should be the primary motive.
I've been ther in high paid high skill jobs, at the end of the day I was miserable. Now I'm in a low paid moderately skilled and moderately challenging job that I enjoy and I've never been happier, I love it.
So it all depends on what drives you. happiness through your work or happiness through being loaded. If you feel you can acieve happiness in your work and get paid shed loads then your doing well.

[FnG]magnolia · 17 Jan 2012 at 21:39

trying to decide if I have enough justification to leave other than for a change of scenery, learn something new, and a salary increase.

Many, many people take on new roles for just one of the above let alone all three.

dowie · 17 Jan 2012 at 21:43

You'll get a better idea once you've actually gone to the interviews, found out a bit more about the other places and what they're offering you. Tis always good to periodically put your CV out there from time to time even if you're perfectly happy where you currently are. You never know what is out there and if someone offered you a significant raise or a position with more responsibility or freedom then you might well change your plans.

Tis also a good check to ensure you're getting roughly market rate where you are now and to get a good idea of what other companies are currently looking for and what else is out there etc... Obviously you don't want to constantly change jobs (unless you're contracting) but its worth sticking your CV out there every couple of years, you never know when your department/team might be cut/you might face redundancy. If you're not on linked in already then its usually a good idea to get a profile - you don't need to stick all your details in but your company name and the area you work in alone can often draw inhead hunters. You can also browse profiles of people who work at companies you might be interviewing at perhaps get an indication of the sort of people they hire. glassdoor.com is also a useful resource - the employee reviews of companies can be very telling.

Amp34 · 17 Jan 2012 at 22:43

Is the "new job" going to be better paid
Is the "new job" going to be closer/easier to get to
Is the "new job" likely to be more interesting

???

If yes then maybe you should think about moving on?

HangTime · 17 Jan 2012 at 22:57

BlackDragon said:
if I switch jobs I could find I hate it

A common fear that everyone will have to some extent, but you can't live your life/career like that. Just make sure you get a pay rise so then even if you hate the job, at least you are earning more money until such time as you move on again.

One thing you talk about is "usual software engineering department issues", but only ever having worked for one firm, can you really be sure that those problems exist in all companies? If you are sure, and that is what is making you want to leave, then maybe you aren't in the right line of work anyway. But I suspect that what you will find is that at other companies, not all problems will be the same, some will be handled differently etc. Some companies won't even have a designated "software engineering department" for example, they might have developers more integrated into the business, others might be small companies where instead of a department there is just you sorting everything out yourself.

It is very easy to get blinkered into thinking that an industry is, nay, MUST be the same everywhere, but that often isn't the case. Particularly in terms of non-technical aspects such as reporting lines, methodologies used etc. When I made my first company switch I discovered this firsthand.

Stumble Bum · 17 Jan 2012 at 23:07

Think i'm in the exact same scenario, still haven't decided what i'm going to do, stay or look for a new better challenge with more money.

Still i'm quite happy as literally 2 hours ago I passed my tax exams and qualified which puts me in a much better position for finding a new job!!! February will be decision time.

BlackDragon · 17 Jan 2012 at 23:09

Thanks for the advice so far, all.

HangTime said:
A common fear that everyone will have to some extent, but you can't live your life/career like that. Just make sure you get a pay rise so then even if you hate the job, at least you are earning more money until such time as you move on again.

One thing you talk about is "usual software engineering department issues", but only ever having worked for one firm, can you really be sure that those problems exist in all companies? If you are sure, and that is what is making you want to leave, then maybe you aren't in the right line of work anyway. But I suspect that what you will find is that at other companies, not all problems will be the same, some will be handled differently etc. Some companies won't even have a designated "software engineering department" for example, they might have developers more integrated into the business, others might be small companies where instead of a department there is just you sorting everything out yourself.

It is very easy to get blinkered into thinking that an industry is, nay, MUST be the same everywhere, but that often isn't the case. Particularly in terms of non-technical aspects such as reporting lines, methodologies used etc. When I made my first company switch I discovered this firsthand.

I remember making a post on OCUK a while ago regarding these issues, and I've spoken to a few people regarding these issues and it does seem like these issues are common (at least to those people). Although I agree it may be handled differently, and the problems might not be as severe.

I shall think about this all for a bit longer. My decision is made slightly more difficult due to being recently involved in a new major and potentially exciting project, but it all depends on where it goes in the near future.

BlackDragon · 17 Jan 2012 at 23:10

Amp34 said:
Is the "new job" going to be better paid
Is the "new job" going to be closer/easier to get to
Is the "new job" likely to be more interesting

???

If yes then maybe you should think about moving on?

Yes, no, and yes. So sounds like I should go, but as I mentioned in my previous post I shall ponder a bit longer due to a recent development at work.

Thanks for the advice so far.