So get out your seat and jump around! Jump around!
Jump around!
Jump around!
Jump up, jump up and get down!
Jump! Jump! Jump! Jump! (Everybody jump)
Jump! Jump! Jump! Jump!
Jump! Jump! Jump! Jump! (Everybody jump)
Jump! Jump! Jump! Jump!
Jump!

Remember that ol’ song?

When I started my career transition, I had an old school mentality about “job-hopping.” I’d always heard you needed to stay at each job at least 1 – 2 years otherwise, you’d get a bad reputation for being a job-hopper.

So I stayed. And stayed. And stayed. And stayed some more until I painted myself into a corner. I was so niched into a tiny field that I couldn’t see a way out. It took me a few years but I finally figured it out. I figured out how to jump around and I took full advantage of this new superpower.

When I took that last job in engineering, it was miserable. I had tried to transition careers before but got sucked into one last job with Zeiss. I didn’t even last a year.

Then Bank of America hired me as a contractor.

And 7 months later, I left my 8-month contract, and Wells Fargo hired me as a permanent employee.

And 11 months later, Microsoft recruited me.

So count ’em up. From May 2017 – Oct 2018 (18 months total), I had four different jobs (left Zeiss > BofA > WF > MSFT). Connect with me on LinkedIn and see it all! I broke all the rules of having to stay in a job for a minimum of 1 – 2 years. 

I committed career suicide by jumping around.

I showed the world that I didn’t have staying power.

I showed employers that I wasn’t reliable.

I had a bad reputation as a job hopper.

And along the way, I doubled my salary.

Oh, and if I’m good enough for Microsoft, then I think my job-hopper reputation must be ok.

So now whenever a client asks about job hopping, I tell them my story. I remind them that employers generally pay more to bring someone in from an outside company than they will to retain a current employee.

Once you’re in, you’re in. Most people get comfortable, they get lazy and don’t make the effort to move. Employers know this. But if the company wants good talent with a diverse outside perspective, they’re more willing to pay more for it.

And if you’re willing to take charge of your career, take risks, and move into roles where you’ll grow, you’ll get rewarded both professionally and financially.