<p>How hard is it to switch jobs from a company to another? I am just asking in case there is a chance that I end up at a company that I wasn't really aiming for, and may want to switch jobs later.</p>
<p>Pretty easy, IMO. However, make a habit of it and you will hurt yourself.</p>
<p>Someone else may make the switching decision for you, lol! Over and over and over…</p>
<p>(Sorry, in a cynical mood today.)</p>
<p>Switching from one company to another in the same area of work isn’t a big deal. If you want to switch to another company and work on something else, well that can be a problem.</p>
<p>The general rule of thumb is that two years with a company is the mininum; five years is better. If you jump around too often, employers will not see you as a good investment, reliable etc. </p>
<p>Sometimes if one is in a dog of a job, you just drop it from your resume and apply based on prior experience. However, in the small world of engineering, that may come back to bite you.</p>
<p>As Mainelonghorn suggested, if you are new, and whiny, and are not a good fit, the company may decide that you are better off elsewhere. </p>
<p>Learn to grow here you are planted.</p>
<p>Switching jobs is common; people do it all the time. What you have to keep in mind though, is that you may not necessarily get a fresh start or a clean slate. People at another company may know your boss and ask about you, especially if it’s the same or a related field. When I was interviewing at one company for a full-time position, one of the interviewers knew one of the project managers I worked with at time during my internship! Talk about awkward!</p>
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<p>It depends on your definition of switching a job. Is it switching area but same industry (say in CivE it would be something like switching from water/wastewater to transportation) or switching field entirely (like civil to aerospace)?</p>
<p>The first scenario seems acceptable provided that you have some experience/ exposure in the field you’re switching to.</p>