I Once Quit Too Early. Here Are Five Good Reasons To Quit Right Now

Those Labor Department numbers last week were quite the surprise, weren’t they? Some 339,000 jobs – almost twice expectations – added to non-farm payrolls. I’m no economist –well, I am in my dreams – but you don’t need to be one to know this can only mean good news on the job creation front. Thus, perfect timing for this week’s question!

Q: How do you know it’s the right time to quit your job?

A: Long ago, I stupidly quit a job I loved way too early. I was a reporter at The Miami Herald, and I had a boss who was mean and loathsome, and found myriad ways to make my life a living hell. I don’t know why he was that way, but I do know I was young and stupid, and the only “rule” of career management that I’d heard was, “Thou shalt not pull an end run.” Now, with the wisdom of my years, I realize that I should have confronted him, and then, if his behavior had not stopped, I should have reported him to HR or his own boss, but whatever, instead, I packed my bags and moved North for a worse job.

Sure, sure, it all worked out with time, but since then, and especially in my auspices as a career expert, I have been developing what you seek with your query today: A list of air-tight reasons to quit, five to be exact, and here they are:

1. There’s a good chance you will find a better job elsewhere. True, sometimes you have to quit without knowing what’s next, but it’s always better if the economy has the wind at your back, as it does at the moment, or you have skills that are in high demand, or both.
2. You have exhausted every way to improve the things that are making your current job untenable. If you’re miserable enough to quit, you might as well try to manifest the job you want before you go. So go ahead, tell The Powers That Be. You never know. Sometimes they listen.
3. There are no hard days. Wait, aren’t hard days bad? Au contraire! Hard days mean you’re learning and growing. Obviously, every day can’t be hard. But if they’re all easy, your brain will soon be mush.
4. You don’t sincerely believe in your organization or its product. Beyonce was right – yes, I know she’s always right – when she said, “You can’t break my soul.” Your job will do that, though, if you spend 40-plus hours a week as a cog in a machine you don’t love, trust, or even sort of like. By the way, double the impact of this item if you sense something unethical is going on.
5. It’s lonely; you’re lonely. Work is not your family, but wow, it’s awesome when work provides you with real friends, people with whom you can chat, laugh, bitch, share memes, and debate the finale of Succession. If that’s not part of the fabric of your job, I feel for you, right out the door.

Any groans of recognition while reading? Not good. That said, if you’re a “yes” on only one or two of the above, I’d say give it more time, because no job is perfect, and some jobs with rough starts or patches can actually improve, as relationships and roles get sorted out. I am speaking especially here to my dear 20- and 30-something peeps, who have made something an art form of job-hopping. I get it; sometimes you know right away that a certain job is going to take a big “L.” But I also get that new jobs sometimes have to be broken in, like a pair of Common Projects sneakers. (I’m sorry, has my cringe killed anyone yet?)

In all seriousness, though, if you’re checking off three or more of the items on this list, and certainly if you’ve checked four, or God forbid, all five, please know that the “right time” you asked about – well, it happens to be right now.?