In August of 2022, Gallup released results of a survey that revealed 60% of Americans are emotionally detached at work, and 19% are miserable. According to this same survey, only 33% of Americans are satisfied with work. And still, The Great Resignation is ongoing – millions of workers leave their jobs every month. If you find these statistics inspiring, it may be time for you to consider: “should I quit my job, or make a career transition?”
Do you find yourself getting the 'Sunday scaries', or feel anxiety about going to work and seeing the people there? That’s no way to live your life. Anxiety puts one’s body through the ringer and it can disrupt digestion and lead to greater risk of heart disease. If our life is our work, and we spend an estimated third of our whole life at work, then it should feel better to do it.
It’s possible that the cause of your unease is something greater than the people you work with. Sometimes the behavior of your coworkers is stereotypical of the other people who do the work your company does. Or perhaps, you’re dissatisfied with the work in a more general way and want to try something new! And maybe you just have a strong dislike towards your coworkers and need to move on. There are different pathways out, however, one just has to decide what’s best for them. Do you want to leave your job or leave your field? To quit my job or make a career transition, that is the Question.
Here are four signs that it’s time to quit your job, or make a career transition:
1. Your job is impacting your self-esteem
If you are starting to doubt yourself and to poorly esteem the work you do, these may be the effect your current work has on your mental health. Staying with a job or career that causes imposter syndrome is not worth any pay or perks that come with it. You deserve to feel accomplished and intelligent in your work. And a toxic environment can have long-term effects on your emotional wellbeing. Take care of yourself and consider either quitting your job or making a career transition.
2. Your life has changed
All of us change with time. If your personal life has changed in ways that your company is unwilling to accommodate, it may be time to move on. Maybe you’re considering moving farther away, or having a baby. Or maybe you’ve decided to go back to school. If your job cannot handle these changes, then maybe you need a different one.
3. The pay is your main incentive
It’s hard to argue against the satisfaction that being able to financially accommodate for yourself brings. However, when coupling this satisfaction with a toxic work environment, it sours the grapes. If your main incentive for doing the work you do every day is the paycheck that comes biweekly, then you’re missing out on part of your life. Don’t shortchange your joy in favorite of total financial security. Take a risk and try something more fulfilling.
4. There’s no more room for growth
Each of us should grow within our careers and with every job we take. If you’ve been with the same company for a while and find that there is no more room for you to grow within the structure of the company, then it’s time for you to quit your job or make a career transition. Making a change might be just what you need to prove to yourself and others that you are ambitious and want to continue to grow.
If any of these sound familiar, it may be your time to change something in your career. And if you’re looking for a community of women at all phases of their career, many whom have asked and answered for themselves the same questions you may be pondering after this article, check out Luminary, and attend an event or two. We look forward to meeting you!
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