10 Signs It’s Time to Quit Your Job

Let’s be honest: many of us aren’t in our dream jobs, for whatever reasons. And even if you are working in your ideal field, there’s a good chance that the experience isn’t what you daydreamed it would be. It’s important to know when it might be time to cut bait and start over in a new role.

1. You dread going to work in the morning.

If you hit your snooze button 15 times or roll out of bed every morning frowning about what your day holds, this is a problem. Even the most chipper coworker in your office has less enthusiastic days, but if it becomes an everyday dread, this could impact your overall happiness and health.

2. You can’t hide your disdain at work.

If other people are noticing that you are cranky or unhappy, it’s not good. It could impact your relationship with your boss and be noted as a performance issue.

3. You dislike your team.

If you have issues working together with your immediate group on projects or their everyday habits are like nails on a chalkboard to you, the problem might not be them. It could be that you would fit in better somewhere else.

4. You dislike your team leader.

There are plenty of terrible bosses out there: mean, arrogant, and just plain incompetent. It’s also possible that he or she is a great person, but you just can’t flourish under their style of management. If you find yourself rolling your eyes every time you get an email from this person, it could be time to leave.

5. Your personal life is affected by your job.

Feeling overworked and unhappy can drag down other parts of your life. This can show itself in a variety of ways: feeling short-tempered with family or friends, having issues with sleep, or feeling anxiety over things that may not seem work-related. If you find that your general feeling of well-being is lower because of your work activities, it’s better to err on the side of self-interest.

6. Your health is affected by your job.

Stress-related illnesses are very much a thing. Working too hard or experiencing consistent stress can make you more susceptible to colds, flu, or any number of illnesses just waiting for a gap in your immune system caused by poor self-care. Anxiety disorders and depression are also conditions that can be made worse by staying in a job that causes you consistent stress. Few jobs are forever, but your health is always going to be with you.

7. Company morale is low.

Shared misery can be a rallying point for coworkers when things are rough, but it could be that everyone is unhappy because something is seriously wrong at the upper management level. Even if you feel loyal to your company, it’s important to keep an eye on how things are going in general and to decide whether any issues are likely to be resolved in the short term. If not, you are not obligated to stick around if there are other opportunities.

8. You don’t see how this job will advance your career.

If you’ve moved up as far as you can in your current role without major personnel or company changes, consider whether there would be better chances for advancement somewhere else. Be proactive, instead of waiting patiently for someone else to retire or quit.

9. You’re consistently bored at work.

If you find yourself slacking or filling long hours between projects, it may be because you’re not being challenged enough by your job. Every job will have its boring moments, but overall it should be a role where the tasks make you feel engaged and productive. If that’s not happening, this job likely isn’t the right fit for you.

10. You feel undervalued.

We all have moments where we grumble that we aren’t being paid enough to deal with this *bleep*, but if you feel like your job responsibilities have seriously outpaced your paycheck, it’s time to re-evaluate. Do some research into salary ranges and compensation for your role at other companies. If you still feel like you are being under-compensated (and there’s no chance to negotiate more for yourself at your current place), it’s probably time to move on.