So I am unemployed. Again.

After only 5 months of employment this time. This is a shortest amount of time I spent in a company in my career.

That’s not really fair to call that “unemployment”. I am privileged to be able to leave my job on my own will and on my own terms. I am only leaving because I found a new place and will be starting there next week. But yeah, technically I am unemployed for a week.

My new workplace is going to be my fifth place in 10 years, which averages to 2.5 years for one job. Is it short enough to be considered a job hopping? Probably not. Even my current 5 month stretch is long enough to not be called a “job hop”.

I enjoy changing jobs every couple of years. I had the biggest leaps in my career thanks to it. I was also able to get the feel of multiple places and teams and broaden my experience. I am also kinda good at interviews now.

It feels weird to leave my current job only after 5 months of working here. I actually started actively looking three months ago, so mentally I left the company after only 2 months of working there. Again, I am really lucky to have the privilege to be able to choose and look around. I didn’t really enjoy my current job. It actually kinda is what I always wanted - full remote, zero meetings, product company with public product, high salary. I will be leaving for the company with smaller salary, actually, and I don’t think there more than couple of companies which pay the same amount. The new place will be paying roughly 10% less than my current place, and still that’s the highest offer I had in 3 months of search.

Current place disenchanted me. Or, maybe, proved that it’s not about product vs consultancy, or bureaucracy vs freedom. Some places apparently just don’t feel right to some people. Yeah, the job is fine, pays well and has great benefits. But if it makes me unhappy, then why bother, right? I decided to leave because I just didn’t like what I was doing and how everything operated.

I also think it is important to grow on your job. If something is already easy for you, then it’s no good for you. Better take an additional challenge, it’s going to pay more and you will learn new things.

On the other hand, if I were to “retire” from my career growth, I’d rather do it in boring large corporate, which guarantees stability and uniformity, than in a smaller dynamic startup.

So, now, when I no longer need to do any work at all, at least for a short time, I am able to reflect on my career, on my path to where I stand now. I love that feeling of being between the chapter. I am not going to learn anything new, or work hard on my projects, or take on some courses. Instead I will sit down, look back and relax.

I’ve come a long way, and there’s still so much left.