Is it bad to move to another position at a different company?

Question

I am currently in my first SDE position after college and I have about 1.5 years of experience. After about a year, I got promoted to SDE2, but I have been thinking about job searching for a new position soon. Most job postings with my same position require 2-3+ years of experience. Is it a bad idea to switch to a new company and work my way back up to SDE2 if I don't have the experience required yet or should I stay with my current company/position until I have more experience under my belt?

Edit: The reason I am looking to move is because I am working at a smaller company with low compensation compared to the market average, with that compensation being exclusively cash. I am looking to move with the goal of getting more compensation and gaining more experience.

madscience · Accepted Answer

Why are you looking for a new job right after getting promoted? The biggest downside seems to be you taking a step back in compensation without a guarantee of promoting to SDE2 wherever you end up

dr1234 · Answer

Indeed not clear why you want to move. You could provide more details.

Generally, if you want to grow, you should not stay too long in the same position. You learn the most, when you move. However, you likely also want to get some level of depth/expertise and not just know a little about everything. So balance those two and decide based on what you think how good you are in your current position. I also think it changes over time: if you are generally more experienced you get a high level of expertise faster.

In my last two jobs I changed also within the company and it was a great decision. In my last I even changed after one year and it was great but I also have 20 yr experience and I was in the same domain such that after a year I already was at a rather expert level knowledge-wise. Generally I can recommend moving within a company as you learn more in the domain. If you want to increase your salary it might be better to switch jobs as you usually can get a better raise that way. But you should ask for a raise before doing it as you may also get more in your current company.

Is it bad to move to another position at a different company?

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