
Ask HN: What would you consider “too short” and “too long” to stay at a job? - tonym9428
So I recently moved to the Bay area and started a position about ten months ago in the area of data science and ML. It&#x27;s all right, but was always meant to be a stepping stone to something bigger, better, and more aligned with my intellectual interests. In recent weeks, I&#x27;m finding those roles and have started getting offers for in person interviews in other parts of the country. Given this back store, I was wondering what many of you thought about what is &quot;too short&quot; and &quot;too long&quot; to stay at a position.
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xgouchet
I think that depending on your background, experience and ambitions, your
mileage may vary.

All in all, I think that less than a year is too short. Less than a year will
mean that you may not have learnt enough at the position you were holding.

As for too long, I'd say 7 years. Starting at the same (or similar) position
the same company will mean that you've become too specialised, especially in
the way you do things and you'll have a hard time adapting to a new company,
environment, team etc...

Of course these can vary if you're particularly active in side projects or
communities that will increase your experience, and thus, value.

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skylark
Unless you have a consistent history of job hopping, I don't think leaving one
job early is an issue. If another offer is compelling, you should take it.

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ohgh1ieD
Too short: I still have to learn something at that company that I could use
for my own projects.

Too long: There is nothing else to learn at that company.

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mr_blobs
too short: less than a year Too long: longer than 5 years

