You clicked on this article, which indicates to me that something is not right. A fulfilled employee does not type “Should I quit my job?” into Google out of simple curiosity or on some kind of lunchtime whim. So let’s skip the part where we pretend that everything’s okay. You’ve got some kind of morale-killing situation at your back, whether it’s a pay rate so absurd that your living situation stresses you 24/7, a boss who acts like your personal hero only in the worst ways, or the deep-seated suspicion that your “passion” for making PowerPoint slides is a cover for your true dreams of being a hermit.
Is there a job offer locked and loaded? If so, then congratulations—you are one of the rare, mythical beasts who is playing this game strategically. You are the kind of person who, when it looks like rain, brings an umbrella; we applaud you. If there is not a job offer locked and loaded, then pump those brakes hard on this whole “I’m outta here” fantasy until a work situation becomes a not-for-you situation. Unless there is a secret plan to make the cat’s Instagram account pay off big or to live on a trust fund, quitting without a backup plan is a sure way to let financial panic come knocking.
Let’s probe this some more. What motivates you to want to leave? Is your supervisor an endless mosquito that buzzes around your head and won’t go away? Is your job an endless series of unproductive meetings and unclear emails that leads you further down a rabbit hole? If so, feel free to bail! But before you bail, consider whether it might be possible to make your current situation less terrible. Whether you’d like to try that with a direct talk to your manager, a request for better pay, or a more imaginative role with less management in it (and won’t any of us call that at least a partial victory?), I guarantee you it’s got to be less stressful than the alternative, which is plotzing into your next negative vortex of instability and surprise.
Remember that about 80% of people who accept counteroffers end up leaving their company anyway because, shocker, it wasn’t just about the money in the first place. For people who leave for all kinds of reasons that aren’t just about money—for work-life balance, for personal goals, or for the simple desire to stop crying in the office bathroom—this is where it gets interesting: Do you need to resign to solve the problem, or are there other ways to adjust your work experience? If not, well, then yes; it may be time to figure out your LinkedIn profile and plan your escape.
Before crafting an exit letter that is part clever, part underhanded, consider one last, super important question: is this place going to be missed, or will the freedom that comes with having left be savored even more? And be totally honest with yourself. If the thought of leaving sends you into heebie-jeebies that most people reserve for jags involving dentists and colonoscopies, then this is not the time to be leaving. Buckle in, collect a few more paychecks, and enjoy this mildly comic life a little more.
Choosing to leave a position is not often a clear-cut matter. It isn’t always. It can be a can of worms, and sometimes even none too pleasant. But it can also be a pretty fulfilling gig when you’re in the right space and know in the old heart of yours that it’s a top choice. And that’s the type of choice that, in the end, if we’re serious, calls for some good old-fashioned brain power and even better trust in what you’re currently living through. And whatever you do, don’t half-step it. This is about working on the stuff in life that, at the end of the day, brings you fulfillment.
