←back to thread

Hopping too many startups in a row?

20 points 15characters | 1 comments | 21 Oct 24 01:07 UTC | HN request time: 0.202s | source

The last 3 positions I've held have been SWE at relatively small startups. Within 2 years of being at those companies, big changes occurred prompting me to hop for job security (didn't secure next round of funding, C-suite got replaced, etc). For me, this is the nature of startups- fast turnaround and turnover. I thought this was normal until my last interview where a recruiter was looking for stronger explanations as to why I haven't held a position for 3-4 years recently. Being clear that it wasn't a positive sign to them. Is it really that strange, or were they maybe used to bigger company culture and expectations? Not going to risk my own security riding a sinking ship.
1. sam0x17 ◴[21 Oct 24 17:23 UTC] No.41906260[source]▶
2 years is actually fairly long in the startup world imo, most startups (by %) don't even last that long. The average across the SWE industry (not just startups) was hopping every ~2.5 years a few years ago, and I believe it's worse now. I only start to scrutinize if I see a pattern of several in a row of < 8 months, tbh.

If anything, I tend to judge people a little bit who stay in the same place more than 3-4 years in this industry. Staying somewhere that long you end up with very insular views and limited exposure to new tech and ideas outside of your bubble, and beyond that, I am a bit wary of someone who isn't motivated by the financial incentive of a diagonal upgrade every 2-3 years, or somehow doesn't see that potential. Being able to effectively advocate for yourself and by extension your ideas I see as an essential skill for SWE.

Also, I think failed startup experience is super valuable, perhaps more valuable in some cases than coincidentally riding a unicorn and now falsely believing that every little thing you did along the way (or your cherry-picked list of "favorite" things you did) is actually repeatable, useful advice and/or a blueprint for future success.