You should always stay employable, mostly by changing jobs regularly (every five years or so).
Stay Employable
Every year you need to ask yourself: If I lost my job today, how hard would it be to find another one?
If you stay at a job for that long, your chances of finding another job are drastically lower than if you have changed jobs every five years or so.
Changing jobs exposes you to a new and different technology stack.
you will be exposed not only to other programming languages, but also to other tools and ways of working, and other people.
Working with new people will invariably teach you new things.
Also, your network will grow, which is always helpful if you suddenly have to find another job.
Some people think that the longer they stay in a company, the safer they are.
Yet another reason for changing jobs is to avoid getting bored.
you can change to another role within the same company.
Not changing is also a choice you make, but in the long run it is bad for your employability.
Changing Jobs
In terms of when to change jobs, I like to think of where you are at a job in four phases:
Starting.
Up to speed and enjoying it.
Cruising.
Wanting to leave.
In phase one and two, you don’t want to change. In phase three it is time to start thinking about changing, and in phase four you are actively looking for something else.
It is always better to look for a new job before you get desperate.
Studies show that you are more likely to increase your salary if you change jobs than if you stay put.
