It pays the bills, puts food on the table, and may even be a source of pride. But if you hate your job and have done so for a long time, should you continue doing it?
Over 50 million people quit theirs in 2022. Maybe it’s time for you to consider a change, too. Here are 12 reasons why it could be a sensible decision.
1. Life is Short
We all have to do things we don’t enjoy sometimes. It’s part of life. Part of having responsibilities. Part of being an adult.
But if you hate what you do and have done for a long time, and the situation doesn’t demand you continue, then why not change?
Life is short. None of us knows what’s around the corner. If your doctor said you only had a year to live, how would you feel about staying at your current job? If the thought gives you a sinking sense of dread or regret, it might be time to pursue new opportunities.
2. Job Changes Lead to Pay Rises
Sticking with the same company was once the go-to way to increase your salary. The idea was simple: loyalty will be rewarded.
However, many people find the opposite to be true nowadays, receiving significant pay raises when they change jobs/move companies. In one study of 18 million workers, “job switchers” enjoyed a 5.8% year-over-year wage increase versus “job holders,” whose salary only grew by 3.1%.
3. The Job Market Has Changed
Thanks to technology, earning a living doing something you love has never been easier. Look at podcasters, YouTubers, and travel bloggers.
They create content about their passion and earn money from ads, brand partnerships, and other sources. Young kids making videos on TikTok now outearn their parents, who have worked the same 9-to-5 for decades.
And think about sites like Etsy, Fiverr, Task Rabbit, and even Facebook Marketplace. Each one offers ways to make money doing something different – something you might actually enjoy.
4. Improved Mental Health
Quitting a job you hate isn’t just financially beneficial. It can also improve your mental and emotional well-being.
As an article in Forbes says, “Employee well-being and mental health are – and have always been – inextricably linked to job satisfaction.” If you enjoy your work, you feel better. If you quit a job you hate and find a new one you love, you’ll reap the internal rewards.
5. Career Progression
Nobody enjoys working where it feels impossible to progress up the ladder—especially when you’re ambitious. It destroys your motivation. Why work hard if there’s no reward at the end?
Unfortunately, not all companies offer the same opportunities. As a result, the paradox of quitting your job is that it can be the quickest way to advance in your career. Even if you take a temporary step back, if the new company has ample opportunities to grow, you can be two steps ahead in no time.
6. You’ll Become More Motivated and Productive
Happy employees are productive ones. Their work motivates them more, so they try harder and achieve more. The opposite is true, too. If you hate your job, you’re almost certainly not doing your best work. And this can become a vicious cycle…
For example, if your employer wants more but you’re unwilling or unable to give it, your relationship suffers. You’re less likely to get the promotion you wanted, which can make you resent the job even more. Your results suffer further. Your employer grows even unhappier…And so on. You see?
Quitting could be your ticket to turning that predicament around.
7. Re-Discover Your Passion
A bad job can ruin someone’s love of their industry or profession. Conversely, a great job can reignite the spark.
If you’ve lost a sense of purpose and satisfaction in what you do, why not see if you can find it elsewhere? Sometimes, a forest has to burn for new seeds to grow.
8. Change Is Good
Change can be scary, but much good can come from it—especially when you feel stuck. It’s refreshing, a blank slate, novel and exciting, breaks the monotony and sparks creativity, and is a key ingredient to personal growth and development.
And, of course, when you’re doing a job you hate, changing it means you leave that negativity behind.
9. It’s Empowering
The real power of change comes when you’re the agent of it. When your life improves because of your decisions, you can’t help but wonder what other opportunities are out there.
What more can you do? What else are you capable of? You realize you’re a mine of untapped potential and that you’re holding the drill.
10. To Be Happier
For me, the biggest reason to quit a job you hate is that it’s making you miserable. It sounds obvious, but many people slog away in roles they despise, even though they a) know it’s a problem and b) have other options.
Think about this in terms of cooking. If you knew a specific ingredient would ruin the dish, you wouldn’t put it in, right? Life is the dish. Your job is that ingredient. Why not take it out?
11. You Deserve Better
Some people stay in abusive relationships because their sense of self-worth has been whittled down to nothingness. I’m sure some people stay in jobs they despise for similar reasons.
You deserve to be happy. You deserve to spend your time doing something that brings you joy. Don’t let anybody – let alone that voice inside your head – tell you otherwise.
12. Life Outside Work Improves
So, quitting a job you hate in favor of one you enjoy can improve your salary, mental health, and happiness. Now think how that would change your life outside work. You’d be able to enjoy your free time more. You could treat yourself and your loved ones to nice things. There’d be less financial stress. Your relationships could improve. You’d have more energy. And so on…
Quitting isn’t just about your professional life. It’s about life outside work, too.
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