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Ask HN: If I don't like my job, should I “job-hop”?

1 points by silent_cal ↗ HN
Hi all - I just got my first "big" job as a programmer for a large corporation. I thought I would enjoy the stability, but I find I'm getting pretty stressed out by the constant pressure to hit corporate targets. I'm thinking about looking for a better fit, but I haven't even been here for a year yet. I don't know if I should stick it out, change my mindset, or look for something else and risk being a "job-hopper". What do you think? Thanks for your help.

5 comments

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sharemywin
I doubt anyone will hold it against you if you can find a better opportunity. And you do it once. So if you see something that really sounds interesting then go for it. if not, than stick it out.
AnimalMuppet
"Do it once". If I may expand a bit...

If you leave, you have to stay at the next place. You can't leave there after six months. Doing that twice in a row looks really bad on your resume.

But if everything lines up perfectly, sure. "I left because I saw a perfect opportunity" flies better than "I left because I couldn't stand the old place."

AnimalMuppet
I would lean against leaving, or at least against leaving now. Leaving too quickly looks bad on your resume; it may close some doors down the road. Also, things can change. Lots of things feel difficult after a few months that won't feel all that bad after a couple of years. But also, corporations change too, as managers come and go.

But I only said that I would lean against it, not that you should definitely stay. How bad an impact is this having on your mental health? It's not worth doing serious damage to your mental health for a resume that looks better. I can't tell you whether you just need a thicker skin, or whether you're risking serious damage.

One thing you might do is plan on leaving at, say, two years. Then, when pressure comes to hit whatever corporate goal of the moment, you can have a different perspective. "I'm leaving in a year and a bit. I don't have to care about your goal, and I don't even have to care about your performance review if I don't work overtime or whatever to try to reach your goal." At that point, you're a tourist, not a resident. The customs of the locals are quaint, but not something you have to live by.

johnny99k
I left my first big job after a year. I was stressed out every day to the point where I would just come home, eat dinner, and then lay in bed the rest of the night.

Leaving was the best decision I ever made.

In the current job climate, I would have a job lined up before leaving.