Six Signs It Might Be Time to Quit Your Job

Joan Feldman | Quitting is pretty tough for those of us who believe our highest accomplishment is to dig in our heels and persevere.
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While many of us grew up to the tune of “quitters never win and winners never quit,” we know that’s not exactly true. After all, the world is full of inspiring tales of quitters who’ve come out on top. But how do you know when it is time to quit your job? Consider these six signs.

Maybe you’re thinking of quitting your job for one with better pay and lots of perks. Maybe you want a less stressful position with less pay but more flexibility. Or an opportunity to be your own boss. Maybe it’s time to retire from the law.

How Do You Know for Sure It’s Time to Leave a Job?

It’s been more than a dozen years since I wrote the following list. It was the tail end of the Great Recession, and I had just decided to leave a job I’d loved for more than a decade. (Most people thought it was nuts, but things turned out OK.)

The world has changed in unpredictable and unprecedented ways since 2011, but these six signs it’s time to quit still ring true.

1. Your “job” is disappearing.

This might seem like an easy one. If you’ve concentrated your career in a particular legal specialty or regulatory field and the work begins to dry up, you need to find a new focus. But you’d be surprised how long it can take to figure this out. And how easy it is to rationalize staying put. So your client list is a little smaller than before — at least you still have clients. As long as the money still comes in — albeit not as easily as it used to … and as long as your ego is still stroked by the people who know you are “the one” to ask about that arcane area of law, you’re good. Right?

2. You feel like a rock star.

Barbara Walters once interviewed Jon Bon Jovi about why he took a sabbatical from performing live with his band. Here is what he said:

“I had done four albums back to back to back, we lived on the road for 250 show tours at a clip, and we got burned out on it because all the romance was gone … It became a machine. We were supporting 100 people … but they were booking and booking us, and no one was giving us a break to stop.”

Are you feeling pushed to perform beyond your breaking point? Are you working more hours than seems humanly possible to support other people’s dreams — or to just break even? Or to make payments on a vacation condo you rarely had time to enjoy before the pandemic? Only you can know for sure, but if pleasing others is your sole reason for getting up in the morning and it no longer feeds your own soul, it may be time to rethink your work-life model.

What did Jon Bon Jovi do? “I fired them. I went home and took a breath … and did a lot of things to start to develop the second chapter of my life.”

3. You are working for the “worst person in the world.”

I’m not just talking about horrible bosses. You could find yourself in a toxic department or assigned to a terrible team. To your horror, you may have hired the worst person yourself, a terrorist who irrevocably changed the dynamics of your team. It happens. (I once helped recruit a woman who responded to my business questions during board meetings by asking about my new baby. So much for the sisterhood.)

At a certain point, you may recognize that you will never be able to please your horrible boss or outmaneuver your evil colleague. In the interest of self-preservation, the best thing may be to move on and seek higher ground.

Once upon a time, I would have cautioned against a scorched-earth exit and burnt bridges. But when the world is on fire, it’s a much harder call.

4. It really is making you sick.

You may sincerely believe the place will fail if you aren’t there to hold it all together. The guilt of leaving people who depend on you may stop you from grabbing the door. But if you find yourself uncontrollably enraged after certain client calls, or physically unable to get out of bed in the morning — if you are finding increasingly inventive ways to procrastinate, or drinking too much or relying overly on pharmaceuticals — you are heading for some sort of collision. And if you can’t hold yourself together, you’re not much help to anybody else.

Sometimes you have to walk away from the things that cause stress and anxiety in your life. Understand the signs of depression and burnout. Get help and, if possible, remove yourself from the situation.

Will others think less of you if you bail out and take an “easier” job? Maybe. Do you care? Consider those who will see you as a role model — someone who recognizes that their health is what’s important.

5. You’re better than this.

In one of my favorite movies, “Broadcast News,” Holly Hunter tells William Hurt’s news anchor character, “You totally crossed the line between what is ethical and what is garbage!” “It’s hard not to cross it,” he says. “They keep moving the little sucker, don’t they?”

Ain’t that the truth?

Still, when you find yourself in a work culture that awakens that little “uh-oh” voice inside you, it is probably time to start looking for another job. Especially if you are being asked to violate your ethics. If you have noticed sloppy work and ethics transgressions, it is quite likely others have as well. Why risk your career or law license for people you don’t respect? Again, consider those who will see you as a role model. Get out before the “Uh-oh” ratchets up to “Oh, no!”

6. You’re going nowhere fast.

Most of us want to keep learning and advancing in our careers. If you are boxed in, the assignments aren’t getting any better, and there is no path for moving up — despite your glowing reviews — then listen to what they are telling you.

It’s not always you — or even that “worst person.” It’s not always sexism or racism or ageism or management’s incompetency holding you back. (OK, sometimes it is.) Sometimes it’s just the job. So, if you find yourself stuck doing the same thing over and over and silently screaming every time a new assignment hits your desk, that is a pretty good sign it is time to quit your job.

Stick a Fork In Me

What do I say when people ask how I was able to give up a really good job?

I won’t lie. It was terrifying. It was hard to walk away from something I helped build, to give up the security of a steady paycheck, and especially to give up being part of a community. But I was reasonably sure it was the right thing to do. The test came when I was offered a new contract — a chance to return to the safety of old habits and old friends. Without a second of hesitation, my gut response was “no” and “hell no.” I had already imagined my life going forward. I was not going backward.

Then I knew for sure. I was done.

If Not Now …

Quitting is pretty tough for those of us who believe our highest accomplishment is to dig in our heels and persevere. But, just for a moment, entertain the idea that quitting your job may actually be what you need. Ask, and you may have your answer.

Image © iStockPhoto.com.

Illustration ©iStockPhoto.com

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