One common question I see software engineers (especially newer ones) ask, is “How often can I switch jobs? How much is too much?”
I’ve seen many rules of thumb floated around the internet especially for programmers just out of college getting their first job. One of them is “stay at your first job for at least 2 years”. Let’s start there.
Does a programmer need to stay at their first job for 2 years?
No, you certainly don’t need to stay at your first job (or any job) for at least 2 years, but ideally you would. There are two main reasons for this “2 year” timeframe.