Leaving a job after five years can be a big career move, especially when the next role appears to offer a fresh start. But one data engineering professional found themselves back in the job market within weeks of making the switch after the new employer reportedly cited project and budget changes.The professional shared the experience on Reddit, saying they had spent around five years working in data engineering at their previous organisation before joining another company. Soon after the move, however, the new project and client situation changed, creating budget constraints.According to the user, they were left without a project and asked to resign. The situation also raised a difficult question: should they try to return to their previous employer or start looking for another opportunity?“I had been working at my previous organization for around 5 years in data engineering,” the user wrote.The professional said the situation was not linked to their performance. Instead, they said the explanation given to them was “essentially business/budget related.”Should the professional return to the old company?The sudden end to the new job left the Reddit user considering a return to the organisation they had recently left.They wanted to know whether approaching their former employer would be a sensible move or whether they should concentrate on finding a completely new job.Another concern was how recruiters could interpret a job that lasted only a few weeks. The user also wondered whether returning to a former employer could negatively affect their career.One Redditor responded by sharing a similar experience. They said they had returned to their previous company after a project was cancelled during the Covid pandemic.“It happened with me too. It was 6 months in new company and project got cancelled during Covid and layoffs. I went back to old company. I provided enough value there that they went ahead and helped me with making all my past 6months look like sabbatical for skilling and on papers it's total clear.”The Redditor said the former employer was a large company with more than 10,000 employees in India and one of the country's premier banks.“So it all depends on if you provided enough value so they can bend themselves for you or not. If not, then look for other company. if yes, then they will love you to join them and they will of ofcourse do whatever they can.”‘Move back to previous employer’Another Reddit user also encouraged the professional to explore the possibility of returning to their previous workplace, particularly if relations with their former manager and colleagues remained positive.“Move back to previous employer if you are in good terms with your ex manager and team. Current market is very bad. There are thousands of candidates jobless currently. Don't be part of them. If there is a way to go back ex employer. Please do before it gets occupied by someone else.”The comment focused on the uncertainty of the current job market and suggested that an existing professional relationship could make a return easier than starting the job search from scratch.Others share similar job loss experiencesThe original poster was not the only person in the discussion to describe losing a job soon after joining.Another Reddit user said they had also been hired and then let go within two months. They later took up a contract position while continuing to search for a permanent role.“Im also going to same thing one company hire me and fired me in just 2 months after that I got a contract based role its a very short time now im looking for a new full time job.”The comments showed how project cancellations, budget decisions and layoffs can disrupt careers even when an employee has not been accused of poor performance.A difficult choice after an unexpected exitFor the data engineering professional, the immediate challenge is deciding what to do after an unexpectedly short stint at the new company.Returning to the previous employer could provide a quicker route back into a stable role if the relationship with the former workplace remains strong. At the same time, the professional can continue applying elsewhere and explain the short employment period as a business-driven decision rather than a performance issue.The Reddit discussion does not offer one solution that would work for everyone. But the responses suggest that leaving a long-term employer does not necessarily close the door permanently.For the original poster, the next step is likely to depend on whether the former organisation is willing to take them back and how quickly they can find another suitable role. The user said they were trying to avoid making an emotional decision despite the abrupt turn in their career plans.
