Are You Sure You Should Quit Your Job? 3 Reasons to Stay

Yes, the world is exciting and there are a lot of great opportunities out there. That doesn’t mean that you should just up and quit your job, though.

You see, sometimes the best opportunities are right there, in front of you. You’re just not seeing them because you’ve convinced yourself they’re not there and because we so often seem to think the grass is greener on the other side.

Here we’re going to explore some of the best reasons why you should stay in your job. So that when you have a bad day and you’re ready to jump ship, you have serious and good reasons to weigh up against that urge to quit. Ready? Okay, here we go.

Maybe it’s not the job, maybe it’s you

As mentioned, people have a tendency to think the grass is greener on the other side. But, when you think about your day-to-day at work, is it really that bad? Could it be possible that there are other things going on in your life that are causing you unhappiness?

Often stress can seep into different areas of our lives and cause us to be unhappy with anything and everything going on. Do a mental check with yourself and if there are other issues going on in your life, recognize that they may be the culprits. Perhaps you don’t need to change your job, but give yourself some downtime to de-stress and reconnect with a happier you. Practicing meditation or mindfulness is a great way to bring yourself into the present moment, embrace your emotions and see your problems as a passing storm that won’t matter in weeks, months or even tomorrow. There are some fantastic apps out there to help you practice mindfulness and guided meditation, like Headspace and Smiling Mind.

Want real responsibility? You need to prove yourself

In our modern day society, everybody seems to think that they deserve special treatment and that they shouldn’t have to wait to get it. Of course, if you really want to get somewhere that’s not the case. Then the operative phrase isn’t ‘now’ but ‘delayed gratification’ (something we’ve become incredibly bad at).

That’s terrible for our society – but it’s great for those people who can actually put in the time and effort. If you can get yourself up to a position with real responsibility then that will count hugely. This is even the case if you leave the job, as people are impressed when you say you managed to climb up high enough to manage a team.

This is less the case if you switch your jobs regularly. After all, how many people have you heard say, “Hey you held a different job every six months for the last three years? We want you for management!” More likely you’ll be scouring job sites and classifiedsads for yet another entry-level position.

Seniority’s pretty sweet

Another good reason to stay is that you’ll have seniority. That might include a pay rise every year, bonuses and the chance to grab new opportunities and move up within the organization.

After all, if new positions open up that you’d like to try out, being with the company for a while is really going to help, as they’ll want to choose somebody who has proven they’ll stick around.

What’s more, many companies choose to promote and hire internally before opening up job opportunities to external candidates and with good reason. After all, people who have been in the company understand the culture and the unwritten rules that exist there. This means that they don’t have to be taught and that the new employee won’t upset the apple cart.

Last words

It’s easy to imagine that your life will be massively better if you switch it up and go do something else. What we spend a lot less time doing, though, is imagining how that could all go horribly wrong. It could, you know. You could be a year down the line thinking, “why did I leave that job? It was actually pretty awesome!”

That feeling isn’t a nice one – particularly when that guy who you know you were better than at work shows up in a nice car and makes it clear that they got the promotion that you otherwise would have had. Don’t let that happen. Stick it out a little longer. It doesn’t have to be forever. Just put the extra money in the bank. Then, whatever you’re going to do afterward, you’re going to look better and be better prepared for it.

Still thinking you need a career change? A career coach can help you make a transition into something you love. Browse our directory of career coaches and get a FREE consultation or request a personalized coach recommendation!