Are there really signs you should quit your job immediately?
We have all been at crossroads at one time or the other in our lives, times when we feel unsatisfied and unfulfilled, and we ache and itch to make the difficult yet important decision to move forward or move on to something better and higher.
Apart from the difficult decision to let go of relationships that no longer serve us, jobs are the next important and most difficult things to let go and move on from, and I think it’s largely because it touches and controls an important aspect of our lives: finance.
As the new year approaches, some adults are thinking of ways and making plans to make certain changes and adjustments to their lives, and those changes may include the way they show up at work or even plans to quit their jobs entirely and move on to other jobs and careers which promise better opportunities, better pay, and better fulfillment.
If thoughts of quitting your job have crossed your mind, yet you are unsure of how you feel about it and what you should do, you are not alone.
A lot of men and women are looking to quit their jobs and move on to better jobs and careers, but they are battling with uncertainties and questions like,
“Am I doing the right thing?
“Is the timing right?”
“What is it about my current job that makes me want to quit?”
“What if I’m not able to survive and take care of myself?”
“Will I even find a job that pays me?”
”Am I really sure of this or is this something I’m doing on a whim?”
If you are unsure, here are 10 signs you should quit your job immediately:
10 Signs You Should Quit Your Job Immediately
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You’ve achieved what you set out to achieve.
You take a job in a corporate firm or a company and your deepest desire is to be one of the top managers or executives of that firm or company.
You work so hard and give it your all, and one day, you rise and become a top manager in the company and you attend and make meaningful contributions at board meetings etc.
Some years go by and you discover that you’ve not grown past the top manager position because there’s no other position to aspire to.
No matter how hard you work or try, as long as your company or organization is involved, there’s nothing left to aspire to.
In cases like this, we have a sense of fulfillment and we have accomplished what we set out to achieve and are ready to move on to new challenges.
2. It’s no longer encouraging your growth.
One good reason to quit your job is if it doesn’t give room for growth and improvement.
It’s either your employer doesn’t allow you to put your skills to use because the more you put them to use, the more you improve on them.
Or, there aren’t enough opportunities in your current employment for learning new skills or trying new things.
If this is the case, the longer you stay in that job, the more your abilities and skills become obsolete.
If your company does any of these, it’s likely you are experiencing stagnation and it’s a good reason to search for more challenging roles and jobs, and quit your current job.
3. You approach work with exhaustion and dread on a regular basis.
You are constantly stressed and worried about your work and it’s affecting your private life and your health.
You can’t relax at nights and on weekends, even during vacation because the stress and worry from work follows you everywhere.
You’ve stopped caring about how well you do your job and you always wish you were sick or involved in an accident so you could avoid going to work.
You’ve started drinking excessively, eating junk food and spending endless hours on TV as ways of coping with the stress and exhaustion you are experiencing.
Worse, you can’t even say why you are still working there and you find it difficult to think with a clear head.
If you experience one or more of these signs on a regular basis, it’s time to seriously consider quitting.
Life is short and precious and your mental health matters.
4. Your work environment pulls you away from your values.
In other words, it’s causing you to develop bad habits and you find yourself behaving in ways you previously found inappropriate or unethical character-wise.
You are no longer yourself and your family and friends complain.
You may find yourself lying or screaming at your children or howling at your spouse in ways you’ve never done before.
You throw tantrums and cuss words at the slightest mistake.
Believe it or not, everything we come in contact with daily, including our workplaces, affects our lives positively or negatively.
When you discover that you are picking up bad and negative traits from your workplace and that you are being pulled away from your values, you need to let it go.
A professional environment should not change your character for the worse.
5. Your boss is toxic.
Working with a boss who has toxic traits drains you and affects your mental health in no small measure.
I know this because I’ve been there.
I once worked with a boss who screamed at me and hurled personal insults at me.
He called me mean names in the presence of his clients and even when I worked so hard, my efforts were not appreciated.
Instead, I received insults and more insults.
Gradually, I began to think I knew nothing and could do nothing.
When I realized l had begun to think low of myself, it was a wake up call to leave that work environment.
I was unemployed for several weeks but I didn’t mind.
At least, I had peace.
Some workplaces are consistently harmful to your physical or emotional health.
When you feel like you have to watch what you mean to say carefully, you’re always being reprimanded, screamed at, insulted or scrutinized and constantly being watched, you need to give serious thought to quitting that job.
It’s time to move on from it.
6. You have no genuine interest in the job you are doing.
A lot of times, we take up jobs we have no interest in because we need the money or we need to have experience or we just need to be busy.
Truth is, whether you took a job for money, experience or just to be busy, at some point, none of these reasons will matter anymore and if you don’t have a genuine interest in the job, you won’t be satisfied and fulfilled in the long run.
If you are currently working but you have no interest in the work you are doing, you should consider exploring your options for new employment.
7. You are experiencing boredom.
Going to work every day and performing the same task everyday can become monotonous and boring, and can make you feel stuck and stagnant.
You can explore ways to reinvent the work you do in your current place of employment, request for a promotion or hunt for another job.
8. You find it difficult to strike a balance between work and life.
You find yourself so engrossed in your work that you have no time to take care of yourself, your family or everyone and everything that matters to you.
When you have an unhealthy relationship with work and you find it difficult to achieve a work-life balance because you work 100 hours a week, you should consider quitting your job and taking other jobs and roles that will help you achieve the balance you need.
9. You’re excited about other opportunities.
You feel excited when you hear of a friend’s new employment and you wish you were in your friend’s shoes.
You are constantly on your mobile device or computer, scrolling through and browsing for other opportunities and when you see one, you are excited and you long to check it out.
You find yourself daydreaming and smiling about a completely new field.
It’s time to admit that you should probably quit your current job and go after the job after your heart.
10. You feel it in your guts that it’s time.
Our instincts are often right.
When you begin to feel a certain way about your job or your instincts begin to warn you to move on, it’s always because your body has sensed something that your heart and mind are yet to see.
You should listen to yourself and start looking for other job opportunities with which to replace your current job.
As we grow, gain experience and evolve in our minds and bodies, so does our purpose.
This means that what we found interesting at one time may no longer be interesting as we grow and make progress.
Quitting your job and taking another job opportunity may be the one step you need to take for that career and financial breakthrough.
While you should your job if it’s no longer bringing you joy and growth, it’s not a decision to be made rashly.
Times are hard and the economy isn’t smiling on a lot of people right now.
Before you quit your job, ensure you saved enough money to survive on until you land another job, get another job before you quit, or started a profitable business.
Otherwise, you’d wish you had remained at your soul-sucking job.
