Quitting your job? Stop and ask yourself these questions first.
Maybe you’ve got a head full of ideas that you want to pursue, or maybe you just want another gig that you’ll find more fulfilling. Whatever the reason, you’re thinking about handing in your notice and quitting your job. That’s why you clicked on this post, right? Although you should certainly pursue the most fulfilling professional life possible, quitting your nine-to-five isn’t exactly a trivial decision. Before you finalize your decision, it’s important to take a step back and look at your situation with a critical eye. Here are five questions you should ask yourself before handing in your notice.
Thinking about quitting your job? Here are five questions you should ask yourself first.Click To Tweet
Why Do I Want to Quit?
Everyone hits a point in their careers where they feel a little burnt-out. When work is really getting to you, unemployment can start to seem like a paradise, rather than a financial disaster. Having said that, being tired of working, or feeling like your job is too hard, really aren’t decent excuses for relinquishing your main source of income. Take some time to sit down and think about why exactly you feel like handing in your notice. If you can’t come up with a truly valid or logical reason for why you want to get out, then I’d recommend giving it a little more time. It’s tough out there, but you don’t want to make a snap decision that you’ll end up regretting.
Have I Tried to Fix the Issue(s)?
So, let’s say you do come up with a decent argument for quitting your day job, such as the fact that your boss is negligent or it doesn’t offer any kind of professional development opportunities. These things can be extremely frustrating, and can quickly stir up a burning desire to break away from the job you’re working. However, it may be a smart move to remedy these issues, rather than simply pointing them out. Have you talked to your boss about how overwhelmed you felt, or did you just sit around, waiting for them to read your mind? There may be absolutely nothing you can do to fix the issue, in which case, quitting is more than understandable. Having said that, making your thoughts and wants known is important when you’re feeling unfulfilled at your job. It’s better for the company to keep people on the workforce content and satisfied, and you may be surprised at the solutions the higher-ups at your work come up with.
What’s My Next Step?
For many people, the answer to this question may be painfully obvious. You might have plans in the works for setting up a home-based business, you may want to go back to school to change fields, or simply want to go looking for a job at a better company. It may surprise you, but a lot of people fail to think about this before quitting their job, especially the ones who let things build and build until they hit a breaking point and storm out of the office. You don’t need to have every little detail worked out – even the best laid plans can fall apart. However, you should certainly have a general idea of what your next steps will be. If you don’t have some sort of mission or purpose that you’re going to be working towards, it can be easy to get stuck in a similar rut that you’ve been trying to escape for all this time.
Can I Afford to Quit?
Obviously, if you’re leaving your job because you’ve got a better offer waiting for you, money won’t be an issue. However, if you want to quit your job because you want to pursue some kind of entrepreneurial dream, your finances are a very important thing to consider. I don’t have to tell you that getting food on the table and keeping a roof over your head isn’t cheap, and you’re going to need some kind of income in order to pay your bills. So, if you’re weighing up whether or not to leave the security of your steady paycheck for the fast-paced and strenuous life of a business owner, it’s a good idea to have some kind of financial cushion in place. Starting and running a profitable business is easier than it’s ever been before, but that doesn’t mean anything’s guaranteed. Make sure you have a plan in place that will allow you to live comfortably on a limited income. When you’re raring to get your business idea off the ground, financial instability isn’t really what you want to be thinking about. However, it’s still a very important point to consider.
What are My Long-Term Goals?
When it comes to your career, it can be pretty easy to miss the forest for the trees. However, it’s always good to think of your career as a big picture, rather than getting too caught up in little details. Think of the last time you were working on a jigsaw, then think of how much longer it would have taken if you didn’t know what the complete picture was meant to look like! Going back to thinking about your next step, it’s essential to consider how quitting your job at this point would impact your long-term career goals. Even if those goals seem like pipe dreams, or you feel you’re decades away from getting even remotely close, it’s still very important to think about these milestones. For one, it will keep you focused on your endgame, and highlight the next smartest move you should make in advancing your career. Secondly, it may make you happier about the idea of staying in the job you’re in now. A lot of unsatisfying jobs require some pretty unpleasant stepping stones. Some of the most successful screenwriters in the world spent at least a year as runners, getting coffees and taking abuse. If you can hang in there a bit longer, you may look back and be glad you chose to stay.
If you feel like you’re getting to a breaking point in your job, and you’re tempted to hand in your notice, be sure to ask yourself these five questions first.
