11 Signs It Is Time to Change Your Job

You are not happy at work. Just comfortable. Should you quit and look for a new job? Should you stay? Your job is not that bad anyway…Tough decision. 

Below are 11 signs it’s time for you to change your job. How many times do you say “yes”? 

1. Your job doesn't fit your life goals

Maybe, you need:

• a high salary because you want to buy a new house
• remote work because you want to be near your baby
• more time to spend with your family
• flextime to be able to juggle work and family life
• the possibility to generate a positive impact in society

But your current job is not giving you any of these. In other words, your job does not fit your life. Your life adjusts to your job, and that’s not how it should be. Is that your case? Time to move on.

2. You feel tired and stressed

You dread going to work.

• You hate the commute.
• The Sunday Blues get worse and worse.
• You have trouble sleeping at night because you think about your job.
• You are in a bad mood and prone to getting sick —your body is trying to tell you something.

There can be good and bad days, but do you feel tired and stressed every day? If so, time to move on.

3. You are working with outdated technologies

The problem? You are getting outdated yourself.

When you finally decide to change your job, you may have trouble finding another job. Why? Because you will have experience in technologies that are not used anymore, and zero experience in technologies that are in demand. What a waste of time. Is that your case? Time to move on.

4. You are not proud of working in that company anymore

You fell out of love. Maybe it’s not what you expected, the working environment is not what it seemed to be, or it simply changed. You feel disappointed. If your values don’t align with the company’s, the working relationship is deemed to end.

Does this sound familiar? Time to move on.

5. Your relationship with your manager isn’t going anywhere 

Your managers are not delivering their promises. You told your managers you wanted to be part of the architecture meetings, to learn and also make suggestions on the design. They agreed on the condition you were ahead of the user stories, and deployed them, bug free. You did it. However, every time there is an architecture meeting, you are not invited. 

Even though you were clear on what you wanted, and have done what you were asked, you are not given what you’ve been promised. Are you being let down this way? If so, it’s time to move on. 

6. You can’t wait until the working day is over

It became hell. Hours, can you go faster, please? At the beginning, you didn’t mind staying a little longer to finish whatever you were working on,but now, you want to leave as soon as you can. You are constantly watching the clock counting the hours and minutes until it’s time to go home. It's one thing to want to go home because you're genuinely tired, and quite another to want to go home because you can't stand your job anymore. Is that you? Time to move on. 

7. The product or project you are working on isn’t a priority for the company

Translation: little or no room for you to grow. If your product or project is not a priority, it means that the people who make decisions in the company are not interested in it, which means the product or project is not going to grow, which means you are not going to grow. Is your product or project not a priority? If so, time to move on. 

8. You don’t like the job

Maybe you took this job because you needed to work, not because you liked it. After a while, you got your things in order, and now that you are not under the pressure of finding a job, you know you want to do something else. Even if you are good at what you do in your current job, it doesn’t mean you have to stay there forever. No, find a job that aligns with your personal interests and values. Are you doing something you don’t like? If so, it’s time to move on.

9. You are not learning

If you are not learning, you are getting stuck. And with an outdated set of skills, it will be much more difficult to find another job. Most of the time, it is up to you to find things to learn in your job. But if there aren’t any opportunities to learn, then you are wasting your time. You are not learning anything new? Then it’s time to move on. 

10. You feel your contributions don’t matter

You are invisible. What you think, suggest, and feel don’t matter, not to you boss, not to your team. It’s as if you weren’t even there. The team does not socialize or collaborate. It doesn’t feel right. Your potential is not being untapped. You want to make a difference, but given the circumstances, you can’t. You are not valued? Time to move on.

11. There is no room for growth

The structure of the company does not allow it. Maybe you like what you do, but there is no opportunity for you to have the career you want in that company. You are not challenged anymore. You want to take the next step, but you can’t. Why? Because the possibility of getting promoted does not exist. If you can’t grow, what does the future hold for you there? It’s time to move on. 

So, how many times did you say “yes”? Is it time for you to move on? If so, don’t be afraid to explore other job options.