Recently, a lot of my friends have started new jobs, switched careers, and it got me thinking, when do you know it’s time to quit?
Everyone experiences periods of frustration and dissatisfaction at work, but how do you know it’s something that’s negatively impacting your life, and that you are ready to jump ship?
QUITTING
The thought of quitting is stressful and we all know that it can disrupt your career and personal life. But staying in an unhappy situation can be far worse! Don’t stay put cause it’s ‘easy’. If you’re in a mismatched career or role, watch for the signals:
- RESENTMENT & CONSTANT FRUSTRATION
“You keep telling yourself that you’ll quit, but you never do”. This is a sign that you are not fully satisfied with your current role and this series of ‘false starts’** is a symptom of something much bigger. Be honest, are you frustrated on a daily basis? Do you resent your teammates or boss? If so, don’t allow risk-aversion scare you from pursuing an uncharted path or start a new career.
- HEALTH, ANXIETY, STRESS
Stress, anxiety, depression are more common than ever. Workplace stress can manifest itself in many ways. Early in my career, my job was giving me anxiety, insomnia and had me at the brink of tears in the office. Fortunately, I was able to learn techniques to cope with the stress (breathing exercises, therapy) and I learned that my health was a symptom of stress as opposed to the job itself! It is possible that your workplace environment is toxic and leading to health issues. If this is the case, is the current situation fixable?
- NO CHANCE FOR CAREER DEVELOPMENT
Are you stuck in a dead-end job? Is there a way to grow and improve, professional or personally? Before you consider quitting, do you see career potential in your organization? Perhaps there are roles within the organization, or there is a need that you can fill in a role that doesn’t exist yet. Try to see if there are options from where you stand before you throw the baby out with the bathwater.
DO’S:
- Try to see if your current situation is fixable
- Have some sense of what you want to do next before your quit
- Ultimately, there is no such thing as the ‘perfect’ job- take things with the highs and lows, just make sure the highs out weigh the low.
- If you leave, leave as gracefully as you entered. Disengage in a respectful manner.
