Time For Something Different
Average retention of software engineers is actually quite low: “Around 50% of software engineers only stay at a company for two years before switching to somewhere new.” The money topic aside, I’ve spoken to several people who mused that after two or three years in the same workplace, “it’s just time for something different”. Frankly, I’ve never quite understood why that would be imperative.
It’s time for something different because ... ?
It’s time for something different so that ... ?
Asking for those extensions of the “time for something different” was often met with a shrug and an emphasis on the “just”: “it’s just time for something different”.
Back in May, I had a conversation with my coaching trainer Maik (on here: ?Maik Frank, PCC ? ), who asked me about my start earlier that month at a new company, and the steepness of the learning curve. (Hint: it was very steep, and that wa expected, good, and fun.) Maik proposed that the learning curve when starting at a new company usually takes the shape of an S curve, plotting amassed knowledge over time, with a very steep gradient right at the beginning as new information comes flying from all directions. It makes sense intuitively: starting a new job, you learn a lot in a short time. Eventually, the curve flattens out at a high level: after a while in the same workplace, you’ve learned all the things needed to be able to do your job really well. Depending on the nature of the job and the complexity of the company, that can be one to three years.
Then what?
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Is that, the point in time where someone realises they’re experiencing a flatter learning curve, the moment where they think “it’s just time for something different”?
It could be. But does that something have to be in an entirely different workplace, with all the anxiety and insecurity coming with a new job and environment? Can’t the different be found where you are?
In the rare case where you think you can’t learn anything more about the company, I’d argue that’s actually really good. You can spend less time learning about the company, and more - much more - thinking freely, learning seemingly unrelated things, connecting dots between those, and truly innovating. Having such a vast amount of knowledge at your disposal can lead to emerging new insights - which means you’ve learned something again. The curve flattens, but the weight of what’s learned “up there” can be much heavier than further down the slope.
There are careers like the one of Christian Klein, who joined SAP in 1999, aged 19, and has been working there ever since. He has worked there in different functions over the years, and is now CEO. Without ever having met him to ask him about this, I’m sure he always found something different.
(This text was first published in my personal blog.)
Marketing Director | 15+ Years Boosting Growth & Brand Visibility in SaaS, eCommerce & B2C
2 年Great point, Michael. But after reading an article I have sort of a impression that employee itself have to focus on that. What about employer-side?! In my point of view it is similar to relationships: it couldn’t be only one party’s fault if something goes wrong.
Founder and CEO @ IntelliCoach Pte Ltd ? ICF-accredited coaching skills training for Leaders & HR Professionals ? Exec Coach ? ICF PCC Coach ? SHRM-SCP ? Father of 4 ?? ? Rooted in ???? & ????
2 年thanks for the shout-out, Michael! It seems quite predictable: 1) Year 1: Onboard, climb the steep learning curve, you build a puzzle...you go from 'nothing to good'. You start contributing meaningfully after 6-9 months. 2) Year 2: Full bloom in role, it's still fresh and exciting. You now have the work network and knowledge to be really good at your job, while you still grow in meaningful ways. The puzzle is pretty complete. You go from good to great. 3) Year 3: Reusing and perfecting. Routines set in, ways of working are established. You are great at what you are doing, but the degree of 'new' every day/week/month diminished greatly. You refine 'great'. Work is more predictable than you like some times. I think it's quite understandable to look for a new S curve to jump on at this point, and this might be IN the own role, in the same department, in the the same business line. I have met engaged people who were in the same role for 10-15 years, but on closer look, did something totally different almost every year. :) (pic from an HBR article: https://hbr.org/2022/01/manage-your-organization-as-a-portfolio-of-learning-curves)
Chief Technology Officer @ SWIAT | Decentralized Finance
2 年True words, Michael. In many cases, there are many possibilities to start new exciting things without having to actually leave the company. Intrapreneurship, for instance, is one of my favorite options.