How You Know It’s Time To Quit Your Job (7 Signs)

Do you have this gut feeling that it’s time to quit your job?

In this post, I’d like to address this matter, which affects many people, me included, especially as most people seem to hate their job.

It’s been a while I’ve known in my heart, and I have already made up my mind, that it’s time to quit my job and move on to trying different things. It’s not an easy decision though, particularly if you have been doing this work for many years.

However miserable you may be, fear can hold you back. “The devil I know is better than the one I don’t“, you likely think, but how sure are you of this? How true is it?

Reading this post, I can assume that you also have this feeling, an intuition, however strong, it’s time to move on from your current job.

But, like any important decision, we want some indication, some kind of rules that let us know this is the right decision. We are emotional beings, and, generally speaking, we don’t make good decisions when we are under emotional stress, and reacting to our emotions.

Thus, when making such a decision, it would be wise for us to be calm, and clear-minded. We would get great insight if we could distance ourselves from the situation and take a look at it from a neutral third person’s perspective.

This is why I did my research, I also utilized my experience working in various environments, with different types of people, and facing a variety of situations, and I created a list of seven basic conditions, or signs, that let you know whether it is time to move on from your current job, and take action towards something better. The presence of any of them may be enough for you to know it’s time to move on.

1. Boring work, lack of excitement, little opportunity for growth. You are not learning anything new, just routine work and no new experiences. We are naturally curious creatures, we seek to try new things, discover and learn. If you repeat the same tasks each day at work, if you repeatedly do the same things, day in and day out, then your work is boring, and boring work leads to depression, so get out now. Quit your boring job and try different things until you find something that gives you genuine joy (you may even have something specific in mind you would like to do); this is how you truly succeed.
2. Work environment. If it’s an environment that makes you feel uncomfortable, undervalued, disrespected, minimized, and/or unheard then you have the power to walk away and find an environment that aligns with your values, makes you feel appreciated, and helps you thrive. If you stay you may become complacent.
3. You see no future for yourself in this work; you have nothing to hope for, to look forward to accomplishing. This is a good sign that your current business does not align with your values and goals, with what motivates and inspires you. Do I have to say it? Just get out! 
4. Your gut feeling. Oftentimes your gut feeling knows best, and it may be all the indication you need, even if you can’t completely understand it or put it into words. Steve Jobs, in his famous Stanford commencement speech, said, “you can’t connect the dots looking forward, you can only connect them looking backwards“. Your gut feeling may somehow know, and telling you, your job does not align with your mission, vision, and purpose.
5. Micromanagement, lack of trust, and transparency. If you are micromanaged there is little room for creativity and growth. It is usually accompanied by a lack of trust. All this indicates a bad organizational culture, and it can’t lead to any good place; so, you’d better get out as fast as you can. 
6. Depressed, anxious, drained, and unhappy. If you regularly feel like this when you think about your job, or about going to your job, more so as the time approaches for you to go to your job, then you should seriously think about finding another job. Just get in terms with the fact this particular job is, most likely, not a good fit for you; there’s no shame in that. Think of it this way, knowing what does not work for you moves you one step closer to finding what does.
7. Unfulfilling, meaningless work. According to Jordan Peterson, “it’s a moral obligation to pursue what you find meaningful“.

If I’ve gotten any wisdom from my experiences, then this wisdom says you should not go after a salary; first and foremost, you should go after work that grows you, gives you meaning, and makes you happy. If it makes you happy, you’ll get good at it; and if you’re good at your work, and you’re happy doing it, the money will follow. 

Remember Your Dreams?

“A salary is the drug they give you to forget your dreams“. This quote is from an interview Kevin O’Leary has given. In the same interview he says, “never pursue entrepreneurship for the greed of money, the whole reason to be an entrepreneur is the pursuit of freedom. That’s why you do it.“

If this strikes a chord, if you feel the truth of it, if you want freedom, then you’ll be happy to know there is a way to do work you love, on your own terms; your way, your time, your place.

If it sounds interesting, follow the link below to sign up for a FREE training that will show you step-by-step how simple it is to do fulfilling work that makes you happy with the power of the internet (please notice I said simple, not easy; it will take effort, but it will be worth it).