4 Signs Its Time To Quit Your Job
If anyone knows a thing or two about working crappy jobs, it's me. My first crappy job was at a store that starts rhymes with Paul Fart. Everything about the job sucked from the pay to the store management. The feeling was mutual among my co-workers as well. Lunch break conversations consisted of bashing co-workers, management and corporate. Despite their disdain for the work environment, many of them never considered quitting. Fear of the unknown keeps us in positions like this. Some of my co-workers had little education or skills so they felt like Paul Fart was the best they could do. The average full-time employee works 2,080 hours in a year. That is A LOT of time to spend doing something you hate. Here are four signs that it might be time to slam that 2-week notice on your boss's desk.
1-Your mood goes down as soon as you clock in.
On one of my former gigs, it felt as if a dark force field surrounded me as soon as I stepped on the premises. Walking to the bus stop depressed me because I knew nothing good was going to happen that day. My days consisted of dealing with micro-managing authority figures and rude, unruly customers. To make matters worse, I was stuck! My employer offered tuition assistance to employees who wanted to continue their education. I enrolled in a certificate program, but during my studies, my job altered the benefits. HR introduced a one-year work commitment policy. I was livid! I hated this job, and I couldn't leave, or else I would've been on the hook for $10,000. Being stuck screwed with my head for the longest. I felt like I was going to be attached to that job forever. Despite my frustration, I sucked it up and trudged through that year. Two things that helped my mood were morning exercise and positive podcasts. I also had passion projects that I worked on outside of my job. I composed for piano, studied marketing and wrote blogs after work. All these things helped because they were tasks that I was doing for myself. Take care of yourself before you worry about others.
2-You get "Sunday evening dread."
I know this feeling all too well. Your Sunday could have been fantastic, but once 7-8 pm rolls around, you might get a feeling of imminent doom. Instead of death, you know that in another 12 hours, you will get thrown back into the company of your jerk boss. One way to help with Sunday evening dread is always to end your day on a good note. Sundays could conclude with watching a good movie or going out for dinner with good friends.
3-You get headaches, but they only happen at work.
I started getting tension headaches daily when I was working that extra year my old job. At first, I thought it was caffeine withdrawals, but I began to notice that my headaches went away as soon as I left work. Headaches are a big red flag. If your job gives your headaches, you need to dust off the good old resume and start sending it out.
4-You reset your alarm multiple times in the morning.
Most of us have done this; you set your phone alarm for 7 AM knowing that you have to work at 8:30. But, that doesn't stop you from resetting the alarm for 7:05, 7:12, 7:23 and 7:45. It is 7:45 and you then decide to thumb through Instagram for another 15 minutes. Now it's 8:00 AM, and it takes you 20 minutes to drive to work when there's no traffic. Congratulations, You're late. The act of resetting your alarm means you're delaying the inevitable. I got better at getting out the door on time when I bought a real alarm clock and planned my gym trips for mornings. When my alarm clock goes off at 6 am, I am heading to the gym, not work. That motivates me to spring out of bed. Also, having a real alarm clock lessens the likelihood of you messing around with your phone in the morning.