Tell me about a time when you job-hopped and regretted it...

[Anonymous]

I've been at my job for 14 years, and I know now it's been 8 years too long. Much worse than job hopping.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I left a tenured government job in a field I'd always dreamed of working in. I loved the work while I did it, but the foreign service supervisors cycled in & out, some were great, some were horrible, a handful were probably untreated, mentally ill. The unpredictability of who would come next, the pending fulfillment of promises from boss 1 as boss 2 came in only to start from scratch again. . . . it just wasn't a winning career proposition.

So I left for the private sector, have been here for a year, and am happier than I can ever recall being in my work. When your whole career has been public sector, everyone you work with advances by knowing how to navigate the system. Leaving the system, and all its safety nets, for the unknown was pretty scary. I was definitely afraid I might regret it once I was out, and I was afraid that I might not be able to get back in once I was out. But I have to say, now that I'm on the other side, I only wish I'd made the jump sooner.

I am thinking of making the jump from govt IT/data analysis is to a big data startup. Was that the kind of jump you took? Nervous as I'm the breadwinner for family but want to get above GS15 and actually have enough money for college retirement etc. maybe even a real house instead of our condo.

[Anonymous]

Left my stable, high-paying government job (I.e., not on GS schedule) for a "good" opportunity that presented opportunities to advance. Got laid off before the year was even up.

[Anonymous]

Back when I was entry level, I accepted a job as a receptionist. Two weeks later, I was offered a more substantive position (still somewhat entry level, but better track). I turned that offer down out of loyalty to the first employer. Dumbest decision ever. That employer did not prove loyal to me; I could have advanced way faster in the second position; and the second employer ended up being way more successful than the first and I missed the chance to be part of that team. I still kick myself.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I left a tenured government job in a field I'd always dreamed of working in. I loved the work while I did it, but the foreign service supervisors cycled in & out, some were great, some were horrible, a handful were probably untreated, mentally ill. The unpredictability of who would come next, the pending fulfillment of promises from boss 1 as boss 2 came in only to start from scratch again. . . . it just wasn't a winning career proposition.

So I left for the private sector, have been here for a year, and am happier than I can ever recall being in my work. When your whole career has been public sector, everyone you work with advances by knowing how to navigate the system. Leaving the system, and all its safety nets, for the unknown was pretty scary. I was definitely afraid I might regret it once I was out, and I was afraid that I might not be able to get back in once I was out. But I have to say, now that I'm on the other side, I only wish I'd made the jump sooner.

I am thinking of making the jump from govt IT/data analysis is to a big data startup. Was that the kind of jump you took? Nervous as I'm the breadwinner for family but want to get above GS15 and actually have enough money for college retirement etc. maybe even a real house instead of our condo.

I'm more on the analytics side than the tech side, but data analysts at my firm are in high demand, and we recently lost a large chunk of them to competitors who were paying them 50% more. So I can only imagine that you'd have no trouble getting something that pays GS15 levels, with the ability to earn more soon. Startups have their own set of risks, as I'm sure you know, but if you do well there, there are plenty of big firms looking to bring in more of "startup culture" so if you can take on the risk, why not? Sounds exciting.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I left a tenured government job in a field I'd always dreamed of working in. I loved the work while I did it, but the foreign service supervisors cycled in & out, some were great, some were horrible, a handful were probably untreated, mentally ill. The unpredictability of who would come next, the pending fulfillment of promises from boss 1 as boss 2 came in only to start from scratch again. . . . it just wasn't a winning career proposition.

So I left for the private sector, have been here for a year, and am happier than I can ever recall being in my work. When your whole career has been public sector, everyone you work with advances by knowing how to navigate the system. Leaving the system, and all its safety nets, for the unknown was pretty scary. I was definitely afraid I might regret it once I was out, and I was afraid that I might not be able to get back in once I was out. But I have to say, now that I'm on the other side, I only wish I'd made the jump sooner.

I am thinking of making the jump from govt IT/data analysis is to a big data startup. Was that the kind of jump you took? Nervous as I'm the breadwinner for family but want to get above GS15 and actually have enough money for college retirement etc. maybe even a real house instead of our condo.

I'm more on the analytics side than the tech side, but data analysts at my firm are in high demand, and we recently lost a large chunk of them to competitors who were paying them 50% more. So I can only imagine that you'd have no trouble getting something that pays GS15 levels, with the ability to earn more soon. Startups have their own set of risks, as I'm sure you know, but if you do well there, there are plenty of big firms looking to bring in more of "startup culture" so if you can take on the risk, why not? Sounds exciting.

Startups seem to be getting endless round of funding so this is pretty low. Uber lost 500million and investors don't bat an eye

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I left a great, but ultimately boring, fed job for a nonprofit job that I thought I would love. HATED it. Terrible fit, but I learned a lot (substance and about red flags when looking for a job...) and used that knowledge to seek a better fit a year later. Moved on without a single regret.

I'm curious as to what some of the red flags were that people ignored.

[Anonymous]

I'm early 30s, and everyone I know who left the federal government in pursuit of greener pastures wanted to come back within 6 months.

They are now not able to even get interviews with the same offices/programs they worked in. I think there must be some sort of blacklist where if you leave, you're a persona non grata.

[Anonymous]

Yes, twice. Sept 2013 and Dec 2015.

First time, I was looking for a better commute and more responsibility. Second time, the current role/dept was being phased out by new VP.

Took a job offer for a place I thought would be a better fit. More money, and closer to home.

Both times, I knew it was a disaster and I knew the first day that I had made a mistake. I immediately started re-looking. I should have groveled back for first mistake, and second time I just found a new job. Took a few months.

Take your time and don't jump at the first offer.

[Anonymous]

That one time when there was a crevasse between the two jobs.