Five signs that it’s time to switch engineering roles

It’s Sunday night, and you’re logging on to work tomorrow. How do you feel? Are you eager to start a new week? Or are you dreading Monday morning with every molecule in your body? If it’s the latter, it might be time to start thinking about your next role.

Changing jobs can come with a slew of benefits: Higher pay, better learning opportunities, and a new professional network, to name a few. And with so many companies looking to hire, there has also never been a better time to find a new opportunity. According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, in the United States alone there are 1.4 million more software development jobs than applicants who can fill them. 

But it’s not always easy to know the right time to make the switch. Finding a new position can come with its own risks, and it can be difficult to distinguish between a bad month at your current job or deeper troubles. Here are a few indicators that it might be time to switch roles. 

1. Your job is affecting your health 🤒

Burnout can take a big bite out of your wellbeing. Are you feeling drained every day, no matter how much sleep you get? Are you finding yourself irritable or unmotivated? Are you getting sick more often? Is your mental health in tatters? These are all signs of burnout. Burnout is essentially your body sending you a message: We can’t take this anymore, and we need a change. Long-term exposure to stress can cause serious health problems like heart disease, and no job is worth risking your life expectancy. Sometimes elevated stress levels are temporary, but if you’ve been suffering from burnout for months, it might be time to re-evaluate. 

2. You don’t feel like you’re making an impact 💥

No one wants to feel like their work isn’t moving the needle. After all, half the fun of being part of a startup is seeing the fruits of your labor quickly. If your daily tasks are starting to feel like drudgery and your days are starting to blend together, it might be time to start seeking out a role that will give you more ownership of your work. Remote engineers in particular are susceptible to feeling isolated from the rest of their team, and they can sometimes feel like they aren’t trusted with the same dynamic and interesting work as their peers at headquarters. If this sounds like you, look for companies that prioritize a remote-first culture where responsibility is meted out equally. 

3. You aren’t learning anything new ✍️ 

When you start a new job, there’s a lot of information to take in all at once: New systems, new skills, perhaps even an entirely new industry. But eventually, you get the hang of things, and you reach a point where you can do your job with your eyes shut. You come to thoroughly master your role. And when you reach that point, it’s important to take a step back and ask yourself if you still find your job compelling. You don’t want to find yourself stagnating; acquiring new skills is as important to your career trajectory as it is to staying invested in your current role. If you’re bored, then it’s time to move on.

4. You’re undervalued 📉

Do you feel like your hard work isn’t being recognized? Are your opinions ignored? Are your contributions overlooked, or worse, are other people getting credit for your ideas? You spend a big portion of your time at work, and it’s important to feel like your efforts aren’t being wasted. If you don’t feel like you are being appreciated at your job, then it might be time to look elsewhere. There are work cultures – and managers – that prioritize making every person on the team feel acknowledged, and if yours isn’t one of them, you should see it as a red flag. Life’s too short to spend at a job that isn’t giving you the recognition you need.

5. You don’t see career advancement in your future 🔮

It’s an unfortunate reality for many remote engineers: When it comes to career advancement, they are often passed over in favor of an engineer who sits at headquarters. Many remote engineers find themselves feeling “out of sight, out of mind” when promotion time comes around. But the experience isn’t universal. At companies with a remote-first culture, career opportunities are meted out equally, no matter where an employee is located. All engineers are given the same opportunities to learn new skills, take on new responsibilities, and try new tasks. If you don’t feel sufficiently challenged or if you feel like your career is stagnating, find a company where your career can soar.

Find a job that excites you ⭐

If you’re looking for a new remote engineering role, there’s something for everyone in Terminal’s cadre of open roles. Terminal is where the world’s biggest and brightest tech companies come to find top tier remote engineering talent. Find employers who are committed to building fully integrated teams of remote engineers, where pay is competitive, projects are impactful, and engineers are embedded on teams that appreciate them. 

Ready to consider your next career move? Explore open roles today.