A Simple Test Led a Former Microsoft Engineer to Decide It Was Time to Leave

Career Growth and Stagnation: A Former Software Engineer's Insight

Kun Chen, a former software engineer who has worked at companies including Microsoft, Meta, and Atlassian, has shared his decision-making process for assessing career growth and when to move on from a stable job. In a recent episode of Steve Huynh's "A Life Engineered" podcast, Chen outlined a simple question he used to determine whether it was time to leave his job.

The question, which Chen has been using since the early stages of his career, involves asking himself: "What did I do this month that I couldn't last month?" This approach allows individuals to identify stagnation much earlier than waiting for formal indicators such as missed promotions.

According to Chen, he first encountered stagnation around six years into his first role at Microsoft. He found that he could not provide a meaningful answer to his question for several consecutive months, indicating that the nature of his work had become repetitive. Although he could improve efficiency or refine execution, the underlying tasks remained largely unchanged.

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Chen noted that this kind of reflection is particularly relevant in a rapidly evolving industry, where developments in artificial intelligence are reshaping software engineering. He emphasized the importance of continuous self-assessment and questioning oneself in a rapidly changing world.

While a lack of growth may not automatically mean an employee should resign, Chen suggested that professionals could explore internal options first, such as discussing new responsibilities or projects with their managers. He could have taken this route at Microsoft by seeking a transfer to a different team or role that offered greater learning opportunities.

In the end, Chen opted for a more significant change and joined Facebook, now Meta, believing that a smaller organisation with a different operating model would provide broader exposure and faster development. He noted that the company's stock performance at the time made the move appear strategically favourable.

Chen later returned to Microsoft after his work at Facebook reached a stage where the project had become "well-established" and the remaining tasks were "more incremental". Back at Microsoft, he took on a role that involved helping to build a new gaming platform, allowing him to apply the experience he had gained during his time at Facebook.

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Note: The table above summarizes Kun Chen's career transition from Microsoft to Facebook (now Meta) and back to Microsoft.