When is the right time to change your job or business?
It is said that people should try to change jobs every 7 years so that they don't fall into a routine.
(E.g., a change can diversify work contacts, allow a person to learn new things, broaden their horizons.)
BUT...
Even though I am a person who likes diversity, on the other hand, I have to disagree here:
A career is built over several years, and if you want to climb the career ladder through several positions, it will take you longer to achieve something.
The economy is currently not such that you can wake up today, quit your job and have a new one tomorrow. Often, people can't find a job after 2 years.
If you want to hone an industry well, you have to do it for years.
And when you run a business, time passes completely differently, e.g. you have to decide quickly whether to close your business so as not to waste your savings, or vice versa, you have to dedicate a decade to it to be great, e.g. the company I work for started having its first employee after 3.5 years cause until then it couldn't afford it.
According to you, when is the right time to change jobs/business and if at all?
[I think that if you like your job, you will last quite a long time.] :)
Replies
When you feel like you're spinning like a hamster on a wheel and you don't have time for your family, life, and you have too much money in your wallet that you don't have time to spend it!
I don’t think the right time is based on years. It is when the learning has stopped, the direction no longer matches who you are becoming, or the opportunity cost of staying becomes bigger than the risk of changing.
Sometimes staying longer is the smarter move because compounding takes time. But staying only because it feels safe can also become expensive quietly.
I think the right time isn't based on years. It's when your learning curve starts flattening while your curiosity keeps growing.
If you're still learning, being challenged, and genuinely enjoy the work, staying for 10 or even 20 years can be the right decision.
On the other hand, if you've stopped growing, dread Mondays, or your values no longer align with the company or business, changing sooner may be the better choice.
One question I often ask myself is: Am I leaving because I'm running away from something, or because I'm moving toward something better? That answer usually makes the decision much clearer.
For me it's not really about years, it's when you wanna grow and you get blocked somehow. That's usually the sign. But for me it wasn't even about changing jobs really. I kept working and started building my own thing on the side, three years in now. You don't always have to pick one, if you like where you are you can just grow next to it. :)