The Honeymoon's Over: How You'll Know when It's Time to Leave a Job

How do you know when it's time to leave a job? For some experienced professionals, any bad situation is enough to set their exit in motion. There are just as many people who are afraid to leave a job even in a bad situation because the job search process is stressful.

The warning signs will be different for everyone, and one person's bad experience with a company or job may be perfectly acceptable for someone else. So, take these tips with a grain of salt. They may or may not apply to you or to someone you know. Feel free to share your experience, ideas, or to argue against the points I've made in the comments section.

Opportunity Knocks

Sometimes, an opportunity presents itself. The features of the opportunity may fit exactly with your checklist of everything you ever wanted in a job/company and you may be elated to know the stars have finally aligned. You may not be this lucky, but if you are, the decision to leave your current job may be obvious.

Drained and Blue

There are classic scenes in movies, American Beauty and Office Space, for example,that describe the dire situations that happen in the corporate world when you become a drone and slowly feel the life suck out of you day after day, every day that you work. Of course, the scenes in these movies are a bit exaggerated, but there's a reason why they're so popular (not just because they're funny). People relate to job frustrations. When you're uninterested in your job, unconcerned about what people think about your performance, or so drained by the end of the day that your hobbies no longer make you happy, it's probably time to move on.

Negative Nellies

Do you ever feel like, no matter what you do, how hard you try, that your boss and/or co-workers always tell you to do the opposite? Do they question your knowledge of your own subject matter when they have none themselves? Is there a beehive of negativity that swarms around your cubicle? Does this situation make you question your abilities or make you doubt time-tested processes for completing your work? If you're in a situation where you just can't win, you should start looking for a new job.

Promises, Promises

I was pressured into taking a job by a former employer and recruiter. During my interviews, I asked questions about the direction of the position because it just didn't sound like everything I wanted to do in a job or even the type of work I had focused on in any prior job. I didn't back down. I continued to ask if I would have the opportunity to work on documentation (I am a tech writer, for goodness sake).

I was told by two people that I would in fact have this opportunity. Well, I accepted the position and worked there for awhile when I came to the conclusion that it was never going to happen. The other work wasn't fulfilling enough for me, so I had to question whether or not I should stay at the company.

If you run into this type of situation, where you're promised opportunities for continuing education, advancement, or job growth, broken promises may be enough to make you seek out other opportunities. I've found that some people just don't get this. They don't understand why you would leave any job that pays you, especially in a bad economy. Only you can know what's best for you; don't feel pressured to take other people's advice or to worry about being loyal to a company loyalty when you haven't been shown any loyalty as an individual.

Circumstances

I worked for an IT consulting company for 2 ½ years. I was treated well, was often presented with interesting work, and got to work with major corporations as my client base.

However, good things don't always last. This company was not without loss when the economy tanked. While many people were laid off, I was fortunate to have a broad enough skill set to apply to a variety of positions. The only catch was that I had to move into full-time travel for over a year. From Monday-Friday, I was always away from my home, family, and friends. My circumstances had changed, and at some point, something had to give. I knew I wanted to start a family someday, and being gone for a majority of the workweek did not fit in to my master plan. I had to look into other options eventually, even though I harbored no ill feelings toward the company.

Now What?

You may have gone to school every day for several years, following the established plan for success that was laid out for you, believing that you were on track to make every one of your dreams come true. But what if you reach the top or even the middle and find out it's boring and lonely?

If you feel lackluster, stressed for no reason, or burnt out, maybe it's time to take another path. For example, I recently found myself without a job. While it was a stressful situation, the job and company situation had been even worse. Losing the job gave me the time, opportunity, and necessity to think about what I really wanted to do. Instead of sticking with a full-time, salaried position doing work I didn't enjoy, I've now moved into contracting, hourly projects working with subject matter and fields that I love (instructional design and technical writing).

Moving On

Sometimes, the decision to leave a job doesn't come up because you no longer like the company, type of work, or working conditions. Sometimes, it's time to leave because you and/or family members are ready to relocate. In this situation, weigh the pros and cons to make the decision that benefits everyone the most (even if it means compromising in some areas).

Everyone's reasons for leaving a job or considering a change will be different, so remember that you have to listen to yourself and rely on your own experiences to make the best decision.