Will a theft conviction stop me from getting a job?

It depends on the employer, but theft carries employment consequences disproportionate to its severity as a criminal matter.

The reason is classification. Theft is a crime of dishonesty, and employers treat that category differently than they treat, say, a disorderly conduct or a DUI. Any role involving money, inventory, access to property, or a position of trust is affected.

Directly affected: retail, banking and financial services, healthcare, positions with fiduciary responsibility, security, and roles requiring bonding — since a theft conviction can make a person difficult or impossible to bond.

Also affected: professional licensing in fields with character requirements, and immigration status, since certain theft offenses have significant consequences.

What changes the picture: a withheld adjudication rather than a conviction, a diversion resulting in dismissal, or eventual sealing. Those aren't equivalent outcomes, and the difference between them is frequently more consequential than the sentence.