Do you believe in the 5 year rule? 16

[bradpa77]

In school it was the most commonly given piece of advice from teachers: "Stay at your first job for 5 years, then start looking for a new job if you want to".

Anyone have any real world proof that shows the advantages of following that rule or the disadvantages of breaking it?

 

[swertel]

I'll only give this bit of information.

I get a standard 4% raise each year no matter how well I perform. I can change jobs, and get a 10% increase in salary for the move, then start my 4% average again.

--Scott

For some pleasure reading, try FAQ731-376

 

[TheTick]

This from tenured teachers waitng around fattening their meager pensions. Credible source, that.

 

[ewh]

I don't think teachers would get a 10% increase by changing jobs. These days, they would be lucky if they didn't get a 10% decrease.

 

[Nella95]

I can only wish! After getting downsized from the first 3 positions (after 1 year or less) I held after college, I went into contracting. (Maybe not ideal, but I control my own fate.)

 

[wes616]

Worked for my first company for 3 years... then began contracting... Havn't looked back since... No "real" job security (but where do you get that anyway)... Only work on projects I find interesting. With people I like... Otherwise, there IS another job waiting... And I've gotten a good range of experience on many different products...

Wes C.
------------------------------
When they broke open molecules, they found they were only stuffed with atoms. But when they broke open atoms, they found them stuffed with explosions...

 

[ctopher]

IMO, it depends on what industry you work in.
You can work for 5 yrs, move on and get 10%. I got 25% when moving on after 11 yrs. If you stay at a company and get a couple degrees while there, usually you will not get a raise (or a low raise) based on schooling. You have to move on and maybe come back to make more $$.
I say work at a couple companies to gain experience before you settle in with a company you like.

Chris
Systems Analyst, I.S.
SolidWorks/PDMWorks 05
AutoCAD 05
ctopher's home site (updated 06-21-05)
FAQ559-1100
FAQ559-716

 

[rholder98]

I really don't think you can speak in absolutes like that. If your first job makes you miserable, and you're going nowhere, what good does it do to stay? I left my first job after 4 1/2 years (almost 5), but really should have left earlier, because it wasn't really preparing me like it should have, and I didn't get along with my boss. At the next job, I rediscovered why I got into engineering in the first place, and it was fun again. I guess I'm trying to say it doesn't take 5 years to know if a job suits you or not.

 

[ziggi]

I've got just under three years now and I'm at my third job, I was laid off from the first two after about a year in each. I took a pay decrease to land the second job, but the work was much much more interesting, I then got about a 10% increase when I joined my present employer and the work is just as interesting.
From my own experience and from what I hear from other engineers, the old adage about a rolling stone is tripe, the majority encourage me to switch jobs often (about 2 to three years in between until I reach a respectable level of experience) to get good pay and varied experience.

As for teachers, here in Canada the schools are fighting over them, the pay's not super but the perks and benefits are.

 

[TheTick]

Some more serious thoughts on the subject...
[ul][li]3 years is about the minimum to not look like a "job hopper"[/li]
[li]Stay as long as you are advancing by learning, growing, getting promoted, getting raises[/li]
[li]Leave when too many of these things don't happen[/li]
[li]When you do leave, GO SOMEWHERE. Be sure you are "going to", not "running from" or (worse) "drifting off".[/li][/ul]

 

[Heckler]

Before I would take that advice or any advice from my college instructors I would have to look at their track record. Are they fossilized in the halls of academia or have they really been in industry.

I stayed at my first job for a year. I loved the work but the company was stuck in the stoneages. I've had a lot of jobs since I graduated but it seems I've been on the downsize of certain industries. I got caught in the defense downturn in 1998 and the semiconductor equipment downturn in late 2000. Then I got stung by 9/11. My resume' looks somewhat like a "job hopper" but I've aquired a lot of solid experience as a result.

 

[cadnutcase]

I always followed the 3 rule, along with the education rule.

The education rule: If you are not learning anything at your current employer, it is time to start looking. Maybe not looking hard, but just keeping the ears open.

The 3 rule, at any given company you can only be promoted 3 times. Once you reach that plateua you will probably not be promoted above that in any significant amount of time. Once you have the 3 rule, it is time to start looking for a lateral or vertical move at another company.

I also had somebody tell me once that you will learn everything that a company can teach you in 2 years. After that it is time to move on also, although he worked for a contracting agency so I took it with a grain of salt.
But it does seem to be true.

Vertical moves from one company to another are tough, but still feasable.

As far as money is concerned I have learned that in engineering business, two guys who do the same thing everyday, who even sit in the same office, could be getting wildely different pay ranges. It is all about what you can negotiate.

Cadnutcase
Please excuse all spelling mistakes.

 

[JasonG]

It's not all about the money. I have been working for the same company for over 9 years. I could most likely be earning more if I changed companies. I haven't because I work for a great company and I have teriffic bosses. I'd rather enjoy my job then the paycheck.

 

[Twoballcane]

I think the five year mark is not really for us to contemplate, it is the company’s. If you look at job offers, one of the requirements the company is looking for is five years of experience (or more) in a skill the company wants. If you don’t have it, most likely your resume will not be considered. HR and Assistant Administrators will use any criteria to filter hundreds of resumes before giving them to the hiring manager.

So from a company’s point of view, if you can stick it out for the five years that will be great, if you can’t then the previous suggestions from other posters apply.

 

[fndn]

5 ys is about the time you earn the PE license. It is good time to evaluate your long term plans. If your 8-10 yr plan is clear at 5 yrs, then take the path that will get you close to your goal, even it means staying aboard 3 more yrs.

 

[HVAC68]

Change a job if there's a need, not because you have completed 5 years in the present one !!!

Change if you stagnate, both in terms of learning or growth or both.


HVAC68

 

[SomptingGuy]

I believe the 5 year rule.

It took me just about 5 years to realise what bits of my first job I liked and what bits I was good at. The overlap was ok, but not satisfactory. Employers should realise that keeping someone in a job just because they are good at it is not a good strategy for staff retention.

 

[FrenchCAD]

I think 3 years is about a good time. 5 years is a bit too long IMO, unless you have a good place on a very attractive project, which is, you have to admit, very rare for a first job...

Cyril Guichard
Mechanical Engineer Consultant
France

 

[Ashereng]

It is not a RULE. It was someone's opinion.

You can ask for other people's opinion. Then, you still need to evaluate your situation yourself, and determine what you should do.

 

[jdaw74]

Three years is when I have found myself getting the itch to leave, mostly because my ceiling was reached and there was no further room for growth. Of course, if you are absolutely miserable in a job then you should move on no matter how long you have been there. But no matter how miserable a job, you should always learn something about yourself and take that information with you to your new job. That is growth.