Subscribe RSS FeedChange of atmosphere is actually a much faster way to learn, as I recently found out due to a job change. A lot of time spent in the same environment working with the same people and learning stagnates. If you really want to learn something different, be bold, take a risk, and change jobs. Another factor is type of company – changing company types can increase learning speed by working in a different environment. Technical skills are not the only skills that matter, so keep that in mind. By looking at how different companies work together and achieve goals is a learning experience in itself. I was concerned that moving from a team with many talented developers to moving to a team of one developer (me) my learning would stagnate. However, this is not the case. I feel like I’ve learned so much in the last few days just by being in a different environment. Take risks! Be bold!
Factors to note
- Background of those you are working with
- People who you are working with (non technical)
- Location of new job/environment
- Number of work hours
- SMALL or LARGE COMPANY
- Technology used (is it old, is it new… )
You can find a lot of these things out by asking in the interview. There are implications for each one of the factors above. For example, large companies are more resistant to change. They are usually late followers in adopting new technologies. However, some people feel that in large companies they have job security… So it all depends.
I think Justin of CodeThinked (a nice .NET blog that I subscribe to) sums it up pretty well why he changed jobs.
Keep in mind we humans are fussy beings. We don’t like change (most of us, anyway). You might find a lot of things uncomfortable in your new position.. It will take a while to adjust to the new area, new coworkers, new boss, and so on. But hey, life is about taking risks, right? Can’t be complacent all the time.
