Change Jobs Now, or Wait? Favorable and Unfavorable Move Years in Your BaZi
When a year carries a signal of movement, traditional BaZi also looks at whether that year is favorable or unfavorable for you, and sorts years into five situations. This page lays out the five, how tradition handles each, and what to have ready before you make a move; that preparation is worth having whichever kind of year you are in.
Five situations, five ways to play it
| The year | Traditionally read as | Traditional advice |
|---|---|---|
| Movement, favorable | Opportunity knocks, and you are ready | Sending out applications, negotiating terms, accepting a headhunter’s offer; a start-up or a change of field also fits |
| Movement, unfavorable | Change is pushed on you: restructuring, a new boss, a changed role | Getting savings, CV and network ready first; no rush to jump, and if you must, line up the next step first |
| Movement, mixed | Opportunity, at a price | Deciding by your luck pillar and circumstances: move if they are good, wait a year if not |
| No movement, favorable | More opportunity where you are than outside | Going for a promotion, a raise or new projects at your current company |
| No movement, unfavorable | Hard going, but little change | Holding steady and building up: study or save through this stretch and wait for the next favorable year |
How we counted: our engine cast one chart for every day from 1960 to 2005 (birth hour drawn at random, alternating male and female), 16,802 charts in all, and looked at the ten years 2026 to 2035. These are how often the signals appear; they say nothing about whether any real person will change jobs.
About 78.0% of people have at least one favorable move year within ten years, so there is no need to force a switch in a bad year. For the other 18.2% or so, every change in the decade falls in an unfavorable year; for them, the point is to handle each change well when it comes, not to wait for a perfect moment.
Which of your years is a favorable move year? Check my ten-year job timing →
Example: Ming’s 2030 and 2031
In 2030, Geng-Xu fully clashes Ming’s Month Pillar, and both stem and branch are favorable: in a BaZi reading, the year of the decade where the signals gather in a favorable year. In 2031, Xin-Hai, he starts a new luck pillar; the stem is Seven Killings and favorable, the branch Direct Resource and unfavorable, a mixed year. If he does not move in 2030, 2031 still offers a chance, but he needs to weigh the direction of the new luck pillar: the Hai Water of Ji-Hai is unfavorable for him and the following years rate lower by favorability, so on this reading it is better to be settled in a good position by 2030. His full ten-year table is on the overview.
Before you switch jobs, get these ready
- An emergency fund: at least three to six months of living costs. In an unfavorable move year, this matters most.
- Your work and results: turn what you have done in recent years into results people can see; they count in interviews and salary talks.
- Where you are going next: find the next job, or at least settle on a direction, before you hand in your notice, unless it is a favorable move year and you already have an offer in hand.
- How you leave: hand over cleanly and part on good terms. In a Hurting Officer year especially, do not burn bridges.
- The people in the new place: which Ten God your new boss and colleagues are to you affects how smoothly you settle in; you can check with the tool on partners and coworkers.
A new employer, or your own business?
Both are movement, but in different directions. In the traditional reading, a favorable year that brings Output or Wealth stars suits working for yourself, freelancing or starting a business; a favorable year that brings Officer or Resource stars suits moving to a better organization, going for a position, or further study. Starting a business also depends on whether Wealth is favorable for you and whether your Day Master is strong enough to carry it; see BaZi and career and BaZi wealth luck.
Two decades: Wenyan waits for a tailwind, Shufen does not get one
In Wenyan’s decade, an unfavorable, a mixed and a favorable move year each turn up once, in that order. Both of Shufen’s move years are unfavorable, which puts her in the roughly 18.2% mentioned above. Their tasks are different.
Wenyan: headwind, then mixed, then tailwind
Wenyan | Born May 17, 1990, Yin hour (3–5 a.m.), male
| Year | Stem-branch | Ten Gods (stem / branch) | Favorable? | Movement | Reading |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 | Bing-Wu | Indirect Wealth / Direct Wealth | Unfavorable | — | — |
| 2027 | Ding-Wei | Direct Wealth / Direct Officer | Unfavorable | New luck pillar | Movement in an unfavorable year: prepare before you move |
| 2028 | Wu-Shen | Seven Killings / Indirect Resource | Mixed | Traveling Horse | Movement in a mixed year: weigh your luck pillar and circumstances |
| 2029 | Ji-You | Direct Officer / Direct Resource | Mixed | — | — |
| 2030 | Geng-Xu | Indirect Resource / Seven Killings | Mixed | — | — |
| 2031 | Xin-Hai | Direct Resource / Friend | Favorable | Month Pillar clash | Movement in a favorable year: go looking for openings |
| 2032 | Ren-Zi | Friend / Rob Wealth | Favorable | — | — |
| 2033 | Gui-Chou | Rob Wealth / Direct Officer | Mixed | — | — |
| 2034 | Jia-Yin | Eating God / Eating God | Unfavorable | — | — |
| 2035 | Yi-Mao | Hurting Officer / Hurting Officer | Unfavorable | — | — |
- His baseline: Wenyan is a weak Ren Water Day Master; favorable WaterMetal, unfavorable WoodFireEarth. He is in the Jia-Shen luck pillar from 2017 to 2026 and moves into Yi-You in 2027.
- 2026, Bing-Wu: stem and branch are both Wealth, unfavorable for a weak Day Master. Work and income seem plentiful, but tradition calls this "much Wealth, a weak self": the more he takes on, the heavier it gets. No signal of movement, so it is a "no movement, unfavorable" year.
- 2027, Ding-Wei: a new luck pillar, with Ding as Direct Wealth and Wei as Direct Officer, both unfavorable: an unfavorable move year. Traditionally, any change at his company this year is more likely to be arranged for him; if he wants to leave on his own account, he should first get his savings and CV ready and not rush his resignation.
- 2028, Wu-Shen: Shen is his Traveling Horse (his Year and Day Branches are both Wu, in Yin-Wu-Xu, whose Horse is Shen). Wu Earth as Seven Killings is unfavorable and Shen Metal as Indirect Resource favorable: a mixed move year. This is a year to decide by what he has in hand: with an offer already secured and room to learn in the new role, it is worth considering; if he only wants to escape the pressure in front of him, better to stay put.
- 2031, Xin-Hai: Hai clashes his Month Branch Si, and Xin as Direct Resource and Hai as Friend are both favorable: his only favorable move year in the decade. If he has prepared in the years before, tradition reads this as the best year to negotiate and move where he wants.
- Setting the pace: rather than being pushed into a move in 2027, he can treat 2027 to 2030 as preparation: building an emergency fund and adding qualifications (2029 and 2030 both bring favorable Resource), so that when a real chance comes in 2031 he has something to bargain with. That is the rhythm the traditional reading suggests; which year he actually moves still depends on openings and terms.
Shufen: both move years in the decade are unfavorable
Shufen | Born October 25, 1985, early Zi hour (00:00–00:59), female
| Year | Stem-branch | Ten Gods (stem / branch) | Favorable? | Movement | Reading |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 | Bing-Wu | Rob Wealth / Friend | Favorable | — | — |
| 2027 | Ding-Wei | Friend / Eating God | Mixed | — | — |
| 2028 | Wu-Shen | Hurting Officer / Direct Wealth | Unfavorable | — | — |
| 2029 | Ji-You | Eating God / Indirect Wealth | Unfavorable | — | — |
| 2030 | Geng-Xu | Direct Wealth / Hurting Officer | Unfavorable | New luck pillar | Movement in an unfavorable year: prepare before you move |
| 2031 | Xin-Hai | Indirect Wealth / Direct Officer | Unfavorable | Traveling Horse | Movement in an unfavorable year: prepare before you move |
| 2032 | Ren-Zi | Direct Officer / Seven Killings | Unfavorable | — | — |
| 2033 | Gui-Chou | Seven Killings / Eating God | Unfavorable | — | — |
| 2034 | Jia-Yin | Direct Resource / Direct Resource | Favorable | — | — |
| 2035 | Yi-Mao | Indirect Resource / Indirect Resource | Favorable | — | — |
- Her baseline: Shufen is a weak Ding Fire Day Master; favorable WoodFire, unfavorable EarthMetalWater. She is in the Geng-Yin luck pillar from 2020 to 2029 and moves into Xin-Mao in 2030.
- 2030, Geng-Xu: a new luck pillar, with Geng as Direct Wealth and Xu as Hurting Officer, both unfavorable: an unfavorable move year.
- 2031, Xin-Hai: Hai is her Traveling Horse (her Year Branch Chou and Day Branch You both belong to Si-You-Chou, whose Horse is Hai), and Xin as Indirect Wealth and Hai as Direct Officer are again both unfavorable: another unfavorable move year.
- How to read it: for her, waiting for a perfect year makes little sense. The practical course is to put the effort in before the changes: 2026 brings Peer stars on both stem and branch, both favorable, a good year to tend her network and working relationships; in 2028 and 2029 Output and Wealth are unfavorable, so it pays to save a little more. Then in 2030 and 2031, whether the change comes from the company or from her own wish to move, she has more room to choose.
- 2034, Jia-Yin, and 2035, Yi-Mao: Resource on both stem and branch and favorable, with no signal of movement: "no movement, favorable." Tradition reads these as years for study and qualifications, or for asking to move into a role she wants to learn where she already is.
A decision table: signal and favorability, plus your own circumstances
A chart can answer only the first two questions: is there movement this year, and is the year favorable. The third only you know: whether you have an offer, how many months your savings cover, and why you want to leave. Even in a favorable move year, the steadier course looks completely different depending on whether you have the next job lined up.
| The year | Your circumstances | The steadier course | Check first |
|---|---|---|---|
| Movement, favorable | Offer in hand, six months or more of savings | Resign as planned and settle a start date and salary | Whether the role, probation and pay are set out in writing |
| Movement, favorable | No offer yet, under three months of savings | Job-hunt while employed; resign once you have an offer | Whether your applications are focused, rather than scattered to make the most of a good year |
| Movement, unfavorable | Restructuring, reassignment or downsizing | Get the new role and terms clear first, and look outside at the same time | How severance and length-of-service rights are calculated; ask a professional if needed |
| Movement, unfavorable | You want out but have no next step | Top up savings and your CV first, and push the leaving date back | Whether the problem is the job itself or this year’s extra pressure |
| Movement, mixed | Your luck pillar leans favorable | Move if the terms are good enough, and cover the unfavorable half with preparation | Whether the stem or the branch is unfavorable, and which Ten God, to know what kind of trouble to guard against |
| Movement, mixed | Your luck pillar leans unfavorable | Wait a year, or move internally first | When your next favorable move year is |
| No movement, favorable | A headhunter calls | Negotiate with your current employer first; consider moving only if the outside offer is clearly better | Whether there is still room for a raise or promotion where you are |
| No movement, unfavorable | The workplace clearly does not suit you | Try an internal transfer or a change of duties first, and save meanwhile | Whether the problem is the setting itself, or a year that simply brings more to deal with |
| No favorable move year in ten | You want to move but fear bad timing | Do not wait for timing; prepare fully for each change instead | When your nearest favorable year is, to use for study or building your network |
Wherever real circumstances and the BaZi reading disagree, go with the circumstances: a good offer need not be turned down because the year is unfavorable, and a favorable year is no reason to resign with nothing lined up.
Four easy misjudgments when deciding to stay or go
A favorable move year is the one year you must move, and missing it means missing out.
A favorable move year is only a year tradition counts as easier going, not the only way out. Wenyan has just one, in 2031, but 2032, Ren-Zi, is favorable on both stem and branch with no movement, which still reads as a good year to make his mark in a new role; Shufen has none at all and can still change jobs. What really shapes the outcome is whether the right opening exists at the time.
A mixed year is neither good nor bad, so it can be skipped.
Mixed is not an average; it means a push and a drag at the same time. In Wenyan’s 2028, Seven Killings on the stem is unfavorable and Indirect Resource on the branch favorable: a new boss and new pressure, perhaps, but also something to learn. See which half your circumstances sit closer to before deciding.
An unfavorable move year means a layoff, or a worse job.
Traditionally "unfavorable" means the change is less in your hands and harder going, not that the outcome is necessarily worse. A forced change handled well is often the turning point for the years after; Wenyan’s unfavorable 2027 is exactly where he can start preparing so that 2031 finds him ready.
As long as you hand in your notice in a favorable year, you are following your chart.
The BaZi year runs from Start of Spring and is read as a whole; it describes the year’s overall climate, not the day you resign. Using the year to pick a date is like treating a season’s weather as one day’s forecast. If the date matters to you, see choosing auspicious dates for a start date or a launch, which is a separate question from job-change timing.
A straight word: BaZi can flag the signals, not the year you will change jobs
Whether to change jobs comes down to whether your savings will carry you, where the next job is, and how your field is doing. What this page lists is how traditional BaZi reads these years: which ones carry a signal of change, and whether the year counts as favorable or unfavorable for you. A year with a signal is not a year you will change jobs, and a year without one may be the year you do. Treat it as a prompt to prepare early, not as grounds for staying or going. Everything on this site is for reference and entertainment and is no substitute for professional career, financial or legal advice.
Which of your years is a favorable move year?
Enter your birth date and sex to see, for each of the next ten years, whether it is a favorable move year, an unfavorable one, or a year to make the most of where you are.
Changing jobs now or waiting: FAQ
Can I never change jobs in an unfavorable move year?
You can. Tradition reads change in such a year as tending to arrive on someone else’s terms, so the advice is to prepare first: savings, CV, and where you are going next. If a restructuring or layoff does come, treat it as a chance to regroup, not a failure.
What if none of my next ten years is a favorable move year?
About 18.2% of people are in that position. It means every change falls in a harder year, so the point is to handle each one well: prepare early, move together with people you trust, and use the quiet years to build up your strength.
When is a good time to start a business?
Tradition holds that a favorable year bringing Output or Wealth stars suits working for yourself. But a business also depends on whether Wealth is favorable for you, whether your Day Master is strong enough to carry it, and on your capital and market.