HACKER Q&A
📣 sail0rm00n

When is it appropriate to switch teams internally?


I'm currently a team lead in FAANG in an area I do not find too interesting, but I'm able to make it work on a day-to-day basis and I enjoy most of the people and my direct manager quite a bit.

My skip manager has recently externally hired a lot of staff engineers, which has cut off a lot of areas I was enjoying working in and removed my room for growth and potentially promotion.

I have an opportunity for a "grass is greener on the other side" to switch to a team internally that pairs more with my interests and lets me be head down more in coding instead of leading, also with the opportunity for growth as I gain expertise in the space. The commute to work is also a lot shorter and can be remote lol

I'm leaning on taking this opportunity, but I actually really do enjoy my current manager and the people in my space. Should I stick it out on my current team and try to make affairs better, or should I take the opportunity to try something new?

I've also only been in my current space for ~1 year so I feel guilty about that

What are the things I should be thinking about? How do I know I'm not making a decision based on how I feel negatively in the moment?

  👤 ssss11 Accepted Answer ✓
I think the common answer is “think of where you want your career to go, and consider if this other role is a good step in that direction” But in practice it seems increasingly obvious that we don’t have a single golden career goal… many or most of us assess opportunities as they arise and we may have a handful of potential long term goals.

So I say simply: go for it if it feels right.

The way to go about it is the trick. Hopefully you get some good responses from others but in my experience (non-tech industries) it’s helpful to discuss it first with your manager (esp if you get along), and potentially your skip manager, so they’re not notified by surprise by others and you don’t burn bridges. Then you apply.

👤 penaazv
The former does sound like one of those classic workplace complacency or just complacency situations for that matter.

> cut off a lot of areas I was enjoying working in and removed my room for growth

These are legitimate concerns.

For the latter, if something pairs more with your interests, it is far more likely to make you feel more content personally and professionally. Especially if you enjoy hands on working over being in a leadership/ managerial position, it looks like a good opportunity to switch.

Saving commute time and energy isn't a bad trade-off, too.

About the worry about making a feeling-based decision - there's a quote that says "All decisions are emotional."

In other words, anything that brings unfamiliarity is bound to be temporarily uncomfortable.

(Come to think of it, the stakes are still much lower with a team switch)

All the best!