Can i Switch Jobs Every Year in Software Career?

In this post you will know the best thing every software developer think about this question like can i switch Jobs every year in my software career. Yes of course… you can… The job market is completely changed. Companies are not getting talented people.Ask any recruiter, they will tell their story. Every good candidate ends up with minimum 3–4 job offers when he look for change. Thus, in this situation, HRs, Managers are overlooking your number of companies. Actually its getting well understood that people who are sticking to companies for 5+ yrs are those who can’t get offers. Having said that Few tips need to be noted.

• Job Hopping can be done to limited time only. Finally, one has to settle down. This period can easily be stretched to experience of 10 yrs in today software development. Later, you will be moving to either architect /manager roles which demand stability.
• Try to add Big names like to your CV. That is a must for a job hopper. Because when things are not right, they will save you.
• Have solid excuse for every switch. If you are climbing ladder with improvement in brand, that would be best.
• Have solid command on your skill set and confidence. Try to prove your 1 yr worth than in comparison to existing employees. Be ready with your detailed contribution in every old company.

 From what I’ve seen, I would suggest that you don’t.

Here’s what I see from people who change jobs frequently and in a short time:

They think they have a lot of knowledge in various technologies because they’ve seen and worked in parts or sections of that technology in their career. Unless they’ve continued working on that same technology in other jobs, they have superficial knowledge. It takes time to really understand something.

They don’t understand the idea of maintenance. They create codes that aren’t very maintainable. I mean, why would they. They won’t stay there long enough to care about maintainability and future proofing for 5 years or so.

They don’t create codes that are testable. They don’t do TFD. It takes effort to create the tests and they’re more interested in creating and then leaving, so why would they bother.

They may not have had the opportunity to create a mid to large project from scratch. Creating a new project is different from working on an existing project. It’s a different beast and I’m not talking about the coding. It takes design, planning, and constant back and forth between managers, engineers, owners, and users. They have to create a language based around the project for efficient communication between all parties. They have to think about the UX. They have to think about security. They have to think about resource availability. They have to think about training and IT support.

And, after many years of job hopping, they don’t get job offers anymore. And, they’re not happy about their workplace. They never seem to be.

So, please for your sake do not change jobs every year. I would suggest once every three years until you find a really nice place. But, if you do want to change jobs frequently then try consultant work. It’s more excusable when managers look at your resume.

There are companies that specialize in hiring and managing consultants. And, some people are very happy with consultant jobs.They don’t have to deal with office politics and worry about competing for that team lead or PM job. And, they get to meet different managers and engineers, and they can create a strong network.