7 Signs It’s Time to Quit Your Job
Learn all the signs it’s time to quit your job, from someone who recently decided to leave their job and start over!
Recently, I made the difficult decision to quit my job and move across the country to start a new position. If you’re reading this blog post, chances are that quitting your job has crossed your mind too. But how do you know when to quit your job? What are the signs that you’re ready to take a leap? Keep reading to learn how to know when it’s time to leave your job.
This post is all about signs it’s time to quit your job!
1. You don’t have room to grow
Generally speaking, most companies have a natural progression from junior to senior roles, to management to director positions. You may find yourself at the “top of the ladder”, in a position with no room to grow/advance. Or, you could look at the position above you and realize it’s not something you aspire to. Why would you stay in a role that you can’t further develop in?
2. Your priorities have changed
It’s completely normal for your priorities to change over the years, you may need a job change to suit your new priorities. When you first accept a job, your 3 priorities could be: salary, professional development opportunities, location. 5 years later, your top 3 could be completely different! Your job may need to change to align with your life as you grow.
For example, my job was in a city several hours away from friends and family. I didn’t mind being away for a few years, but eventually my priorities changed! As I got older, being close to family became a greater priority for me. So, I knew it was time to start looking for a job closer to my family. The pandemic was a huge part of this decision for me. After spending over a year not really being able to see family, the importance of being close to family grew exponentially.
3. You’re not reaching your fullest potential
For me, a huge part of job satisfaction is feeling like I’m making a valuable contribution. It helps me feel accomplished, excited, and engaged. If you’re constantly doing work below your skillset, quite frankly you’ll be bored.
Also, being challenged (in a good way) will help you grow, learn, and improve your skill set. Without challenging opportunities, you’ll feel stagnant and your career development will be put on pause. There’s lots you can do to try to improve this situation (ex. talk to your manager about how you’re ready to take on more), but if it’s a consistent pattern then it may be time for a job change.
4. You’re being under valued
You may find yourself in a situation where you’re doing the work of someone in a senior position, while only getting a junior salary. You need to know your worth, and recognize when you’re not being fairly compensated. If you’re not able to negotiate to be compensated the way you deserve, it may be worth seeing what other opportunities are out there.
5. You lack motivation and excitement for your current job
It’s totally normal to have small aspects of your job that you don’t 100% enjoy. But if you’re going to work every day dreading all your work, it’s probably time to consider switching jobs. It’s incredibly draining to spend 40+ hours per week doing a job you hate.
It will probably be obvious to your friends and family whether you love or hate your job. Do you spend your time complaining about how much you hate your job, or do you get excited to tell people you know about what you do?
6. You lack control in your life
Your career is just one part of your life. Having a social life, hobbies, family time, and time to yourself are other areas of your life that need attention too. If you are finding that your whole world revolves around your duties at your job and you lack control over your personal time, this will negatively impact your life. You may think it’s fine for a year or two at first, but eventually the lack of ability to have a life outside work will pile up and can lead to burnout.
Lack of control can manifest itself in different ways – it could be expectations to answer emails when you’re supposed to be on vacation, never being able to turn your phone off, constantly working late hours, etc. I do believe it’s important to work hard at your job. But there’s a fine line between working hard and having your world revolve around your career- especially when your employer is asking too much!
7. You have the financial ability to take a risk
I wish it was as simple as quitting your job the moment you realize it isn’t right for you. But, in reality, you still need to pay bills and rent. So you can’t just walk away without a solid financial plan in place.
If you think you may want to leave your job, you should consider having an emergency fund in place. Your emergency fund should be at least 3 months of living expenses (everything including rent, food, bills, groceries, etc). Of course, it’s ideal to have another job lined up before quitting your current one, but it’s always a good idea to have a buffer.
So, should you quit your job?
At the end of the day, you need to trust your gut. Deep down, you know whether there’s value in staying or if it’s time to go. But if you’ve read this blog post and thought “wow, a lot of these apply to me”… that’s probably a good indicator that you’re ready for the next step. However, I’m not suggesting you quit your job tomorrow. Make sure you have a plan in place if you’re considering leaving your job:
- Connect with your network to see what job opportunities are out there before you quit your job.
- Put together a financial plan if you might take time off between work.
- Spend a lot of time reflecting on what you want in your next job. Don’t rush into something just to get out of your current situation!
Good luck! I hope this post helped you figure out how to decide when to leave a job.
This post was all about signs it’s time to quit your job.
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