How Do You Know When It’s Time to Quit Your Job?

You genuinely dread going to work, not just on Monday’s, but every day, and the thought preoccupies your free time.

Your “situation” has changed. When you started your career you may have been single, and able to live on a certain salary, but right now you may be married with three children and have a car payment. If your essential needs as a person are not able to be met anymore, and there is no room for upward mobility in position or paycheck it may be time to let your current employer go.

Boredom. In the same way that a highly intelligent child may under perform in an unchallenging class, you too may be under performing because, well, you are unchallenged at work. If you are unable to move up, gain more responsibility or take on different projects in your current company, looking for an opportunity where advancement is an option may be in your best interest.

Here are a few of the less obvious identifiers:

Complacency. You are comfortable with where you are. You may love the company you work for, but your job is “fine” and vice versa. For some people this will work just “fine” for the rest of their professional lives, but realize that while the situation might not get worse, it also may never get any better.

The wheels are constantly spinning, but you aren’t actually driving anywhere. You are undervalued even if you come in at 7 and leave at 6. You find yourself thinking “If only I work a little harder, a little longer, get involved in EVERYTHING, someone will notice and reward me.” Some companies don’t necessarily have a culture that values hard workers like you, but there will always be one out there that does. Find it.

Whether you are deep-rooted into a company or just starting out, you have the right to be happy. As Joe Gibbs said, “People who enjoy what they are doing invariably do it well,” so look out for any warning signs and listen to yourself.