Well, I have to caveat that the only person who can answer that question is you!
However as a career coach who has worked with a lot of clients pondering this question, I can give you some advice on how to make that decision, and that advice would be:
First Things First
Don’t quit on your hardest day, don’t make a big decision when you are in a highly emotive or stressed state. If you can take a break, take a holiday or a long weekend, put yourself in a position where you can decompress and destress as much as possible.
Lists Are Your Friends
Then make two lists. In your first list write down all the reasons why you want to quit, in the second list write down anything you like about your job (yes, I know this is basically a pros and cons list, but I wanted to be specific!).
After making the list on each point ask yourself two questions 1. Is this within my control and 2. Is this going to change in the next 6 months. For example, if you want to quit based on a colleague’s behaviour is there anything you can do about this? Of course you can’t control their behaviour, but can you talk to them or HR or do anything to change the impact of their behaviour on you. Then the second question, what is the possibility of that person still working so closely with you in 6 months’ time. If it is likely to change, what would that mean to you and how you feel about your job. Vice versa if one of the reasons you like your job is because of the people you work with then what is the likelihood of this staying the same.
After doing the above re write your lists with the pros and cons that are not within your control and are unlikely to change in the next 6 months. Which list outweighs the other?
Next Steps
If you are of the mind that you should quit, then it is important to plan. Plan for how and when you are going to give your notice. Make sure you know your contracted notice period. Make a financial plan, a job search strategy if needed or a plan for the next step in your career. You can read more about how to do this in my blog – What is stopping you from changing your career.
It is also a good time to engage with a career coach who can work with you on creating a tailored plan for the next steps in your career journey. Get in touch – laura@griffincareerconsultancy.ie
