In the last few years, there’s been a lot of buzz about people, particularly Gen Z, engaging in “quiet quitting.” This phenomenon which usually involves overworked and underpaid employees deciding to do less work as a form of protest is really just a symptom of people not knowing when it’s time to leave. In my opinion, it’s a cry for help and an ineffective way to stop the bleeding. The problems that lead to quiet quitting are too deep for a band aid solution. Sometimes the only thing to do is quit. 

When you’re at a point in your job when you feel stuck and have no way of climbing up or getting the care and attention you deserve, the only thing to do is look for a new job. But how do you know when it’s time to leave? How do you know if staying just a little bit longer won’t improve things? Here are a few tips that can help you to determine if it’s time to make the change.

Burn Out

The most obvious sign that it’s time for a change is feeling burnt out. You will feel it mostly through mental or physical exhaustion. You might fall asleep during the middle of the day or always feel sluggish because you’re working long hours that take you away from family and friends. Maybe the burn out manifests in a physical pain, migraines or stomach aches. Or maybe you are always on a short fuse. It’s possible that it’s draining you so much that you’re easily annoyed. It is possible that you’ve been going on overdrive for so long that you’ve lost sight of why you even took the job in the first place. If this is the case, it’s time to hop on Linkedin because you’re burnt out. 

Faster Upward Growth

It’s not unusual for a job to string you along just like a man looking to waste your time with broken promises. If there isn’t a clear pathway to promotion, and you’re eager to try your hand at something new, it might be necessary to leave a job and level up. You may have to take some supplemental certification courses or do some volunteer projects in your field to gain additional experience to enhance your resume. That will allow you to move on up to something better. 

Salary Bump

Fighting for a pay increase is never easy. Sometimes you’ll go through review cycle after review cycle and still get no significant raise. People don’t always see your value until you leave. I’ve even seen some friends leave their companies to gain experience at new jobs and return to the first place who will take them back at a higher salary. It all starts when you know your worth. That’s when you’ll realize it’s time to leave. 

Boredom

Are you just bored? It’s possible that you have done your job so well, for so long, that you need a challenge. If your current manager can’t recognize that you are a gifted individual who deserves new opportunities in a new role, then you should leave. You deserve to be in a role in which you will be able to engage your mind in new ways. Maybe you won’t go to work everyday feeling first-day-of-school vibes, but there should be something you are looking forward to accomplishing. If it’s not there, it’s time to reassess your situation.