How to Decide When to Keep or Quit your Day Job

Have you thought of quitting your day job lately?

The truth is, most people are looking for a good day job but in reality, most “day jobs” are not good.

We want good jobs because they enable our lifestyles. They allow us to take care of the basic needs and have a bit of luxury here and there.

That’s a good intention, right?

You get some type of formal education, make a resume and hit the market in search of a good job.

The only problem is when you think of your job as a “lifestyle enabler” you keep it separated from your real life.

When you see your job as a task that needs to be done to make a living you end up making sacrifices. You take a job with higher pay over a job that could be more rewarding.

Why? Because shopping and eating out may seem to have higher priorities than working with an inspiring boss and a motivating team.

You see, most politicians, corporations, and even unions are more concerned about the number of jobs than the quality of those jobs.

Of course, not all jobs are equal but as long as salaries determine the quality of jobs we keep looking for the one that pays more.

That puts us in a dangerous situation. We would not be able to feel fulfilled with our current job because the grass is always greener on the other side.

There have been a few studies that prove about 70% of people don’t LOVE their jobs. You may ask why would people need to love their jobs?

It’s a simple reason. You need to love your job because in most cases you spend more time working than being with your family or doing anything else.

So if you’re working at a job that you don’t truly love, it’s time to pause and reflect. Take a hard look at how you spend your days and weeks.

Because your job pays well or because you studied for it or because you’ve been there too long should not stop you from making a career change.

Now let’s face the tough question of when should you quit your job.

In reality, most people don’t quit jobs but they quit bosses. The person you report to or work with all the time has everything to do with the quality of your job.

You could work at an awesome company with a potential for growth but if your boss doesn’t inspire you then you’ve got a problem.

Your boss doesn’t need to be your friend but he or she does need to have the same values as you.

If you have a boss who doesn’t respect your values, your only choice is trying to move to a different role. But if that’s not a possibility then it might be time to pull the plug.

You can’t change your boss but you can always change your job. You need to care about your life and you should work with people who lift you up not those who bring you down.

I hope this has inspired you to build the courage you need to never settle down for a not-so-good job and find yourself one that pulls you out of the bed every morning.

I wrote this piece as part of a 90-day challenge I took on to get better at this type of writing. To learn more about me you can visit my website here.