Most times when considering quitting your job, it starts as a feeling, then it grows to dominate your thought everyday and becomes a full blown negative emotion that breeds contempt for your job. You become so desperate to get a new job to the end that you fail to have a critical thinking session before you make that decision. Sometimes, it’s not a new job you need, but a session of critical examination of your current situation. The benefits of considering the pros and cons of quitting you job before you announce your decision to your boss cannot be overemphasized.
These questions will help you to weigh the good, the bad and the ugly about your current job and if you give your honest responses, you will be able to determine if the time is right for you to quit and start a new venture.
1. Why am I considering quitting?
There are lots of legitimate reasons you might have for considering quitting your job. It’s possible you no longer feel challenged by the job, or you are overloaded with work and unable to maintain a work life balance. Maybe you are always having issues with your colleagues or even your boss or you feel you are not well rewarded for your labor.
Try taking some time out to sincerely find out the reason you want to quit. At times, the problem might be something you can fix without quitting your job. Take for instance your current job no longer challenging, then ask for more challenge. Most times, the situation is always as bad as it appears and it could really be worth it if you try to fix the problem. Although in other instance, you might truly need a new career path or a new company to work with.
2. Will I be missed when I leave/ Have I Made Any Significant Contribution to my Current Company?
Another important question you need to ask yourself is what you have been able to accomplish on this job you’re about to quit. Will your impact be missed after you have gone? Have you achieved enough on this job to give you a leap for your next job?
If your desire is to progress in the career ladder in your next job, you need to sincerely answer this question. If you have not achieved anything significant on your current job, you might find it difficult to sell yourself to your new employer. If you can’t list out your major positive impact on your current job, you need to move your focus from quitting to working harder to add positively to your company before you move on.

3. Where Do I See Myself in Ten Years Time
You will agree with me that a lot of interviewers ask this question. This is because your response to this question gives an idea about how serious you are about your career growth and how hard you are willing to invest into achieving your goals. Your vision should always drive the choices you make in life. Maybe you have not taken time to think about it, or maybe it wasn’t this clear to you. Take some time to genuinely answer this question.
So I’m assuming you have honestly answered the question. If the answer you came up with is different from what you are currently doing, then it’s high time you start to make plans towards achieving your ten-year goal.
It may require you starting a new job in a new career, enrolling for a professional course, starting a new business or getting a promotion in your current position. You need to honestly find out what your next line of action should be.
4. Am I Financially Buoyant Enough to Quit Now?
Never allow your feeling of frustration push you into making an irresponsible decision of quitting your job without an alternative to cushion the effect on you and your family. Your answer to this question is very important especially if you are married or have lots of financial obligations. Make sure you don’t succumb to the temptation of walking out on your job and damning the consequences; you must critically evaluate your current lifestyle and determine if you can afford quitting now without losing your sleep on paying school fees and house rent/mortgage.
Take a critical look at your account; will you survive the next 1 year with getting the regular monthly income? You never can tell how long it will take to get another job or build your new business to start giving the kind of income that can fund your current lifestyle. Think about the benefits your job currently offers aside the salary. If you quit now, can you afford your healthcare plan, for example. Add everything up to find out if you are financially ready to quit.
Take for instance you quit now and end up frustrated financially and then you become desperate and end up getting another job that is not right for you; would that have solved your problem or compound it? Hence, it’s better you secure a better alternative before leaving your current job or have a business that’s already bringing you some amount of money that can fund your current lifestyle.

5. Are You Under an Acute Nostalgia For The Good Old Days?

I’m sure before you got this job you’re about quitting, you had a different one. Maybe you’ve started relishing the memories of the past when you were a start-up boss or a customer service personnel or an editor or fill in the blank…. and you desire to go back to such a job that gave you the proportional balance between challenge and enjoyment.
You might be right and you may also be very wrong. What if you are looking back with a rose-colored glasses. It’s possible the job wasn’t that fun while you had it, because if it was, why did you leave it; now you remember only the positives.
In some cases, switching back to an old career will just be a temporary solution to your current state of dissatisfaction. You might get a more objective view if you can ask those who knew you in your previous job if they can remember your joy and fulfillment during that time. Most likely, your spouse, parents, or best friend will be able to tell you if you were fulfilled or not.
Although in some cases, those memories linger for a purpose. Try to sift through your memories, you might genuinely want to take that step back into an old job because it was an ideal fit for you. Going back to that career might just be the right antidote for your current feeling of frustration. You can rely on your old network to get you back into the career path you once pursued, and you might just feel that happiness again. Remember your network is very important to your advancement in life, don’t burn it for anything.
By now, you should have your answers to all the questions. Asking yourself these exploratory questions and more will give you an answer as to whether you should quit your job or not. No matter what you decide, I can assure you a thing that will happen to you for sure after answering these questions: You will be much more satisfied with your conclusion because your answers will reveal your current state in your career journey.

Leave a comment Below if you found this helpful.