When Is It Time to Quit?
By Jeff Altman, The Big Game Hunter
The start of a fresh year is the perfect moment to sit back and think about where we’re headed in our careers. It’s like doing a mini self-audit, checking if the job we’re doing lines up with the goals we’re chasing. Amidst the daily grind, this self-check-in is like a flashlight in the dark, helping us navigate toward our professional goals and figure out if we’re on the right track.
1. Please share some general signs, including some more surprising ones, that it’s time to quit a job, and for each sign, walk us through it in a few sentences so the person can know how to ID it in their life.
With exceptions like working in an environment where you are being harassed, I don’t believe it serves people to quit their jobs without having something else. Nowadays, it is hard to find a job and you handcuff yourself by being out of work. Firms tend to extend offers to people that are lower than if someone is currently employed. They are less willing to negotiate because they think they have the upper hand.
However, there are signs someone should look for something else:
If the thought of going to work constantly brings on feelings of dread, anxiety, or emotional exhaustion, it might be a red flag. When you find yourself in a stagnant position with limited chances to learn, grow, or develop new skills, it could signal a stagnant career. Feeling like your personal values clash with those of your workplace can create discomfort and moral dilemmas, impacting your overall satisfaction and engagement. If you constantly feel scrutinized, mistrusted, or not given the freedom to make decisions within your role, it can lead to frustration and hinder your ability to perform at your best. When the work that used to excite and motivate you becomes mundane or unfulfilling, it could indicate that you’ve outgrown the role
2. How do you recommend clients figure out if it’s time to quit a job? i.e., are there, say, questions they should ask themselves, is it a gut check, should they triangulate with outsiders, etc.?
I answer with the next question.
3. How can you tell if it’s time to tough things out in a job and wait a bit longer/take steps to see if things improve vs. quitting the job?
Ask yourself, how long can I afford to stay unemployed? Job searches in good times AND bad times, always take longer than people estimate. Is it reasonable to find a job during the period you can afford to be out of work?
Am I doing work right now that is extremely marketable? If you are, maybe you should try to persevere to develop more experience with that skill.
Do I think this will just be a bad patch and things will improve? If so, when do I think it will change? Can I ask my manager about that and will they respond honestly?
4. Anything else you want to say about the topic of how you know when it’s time to quit a job.
My usual advice is that if you have asked yourself more than once about whether you should change jobs, it is time to look for something else. Staying in a job you loathe will make you become small to protect yourself against the constant assaults of a bad work environment, bad manager, being underpaid, or harassed. There is never a reason to be less of who you are to do work you don’t like. You are better off going elsewhere where they want you to be great.
Ⓒ The Big Game Hunter, Inc., Asheville, NC 2024, 2025
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People hire Jeff Altman, The Big Game Hunter to provide No BS Career Advice globally because he makes many things in peoples’ careers easier. Those things can involve job search,
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