does it make sense to ask your soon to be former coworkers if they'll work there in 2 years?
the idea is to use your soon to be former job as a fallback option.
I'm a nurse looking for an office job, but it can be it turns out to be something I don't like (never worked an office job). I was thinking of giving it 1 to 2 years to see how it is.
If I have to use my current bedside position as a fallback I don't want to change specialties, cause that would mean being treated like a newbie all over again, something I want to avoid.
I get that people are constantly looking for better options and 2 years might be a long time. The current coworkers that make the job amenable might also leave for greener pastures before I come back, if ever.
Why on earth would you ask them that? They probably don't know any better than you do - ask them if they're still there if/when you're actually thinking about coming back. It would be very weird to ask before you even leave, IMO
Exactly this, keep your head down, do your dirt, help when you can.
The decision you make in 2 years will be in a world different than now. The place you work now will likely change in that time. You will likely change in that time.
I wouldn't evaluate going back unless you would make that decision soon.
Strange as this may sound, your highest value as an employee, both from your and your employer's perspective, is the first two years of your employment, because you are the newbie, with a different set of experiences, different methods, different ideas, different solutions and different considerations.
Both you and your employer learn the most in those two years.
Don't be afraid of being a newbie, it's how you advance your career.
Don't assume you can just hop into your old job. You might be forced to take a different type of job at a different location.
That being said, it's good to hop to a new job that values you more or teaches new skills.
Everybody I worked with at my last job followed me to my new job. Not because of me, just because it's a much better place to work, and small towns don't have many options.