The decision to leave a job is a tough one. We build it up to be a massive, earth-shattering decision, especially if there’s other people depending on our income. While there’s a million things to consider, you can usually boil it down to a simple comparison.
Before you even consider looking for a new gig, you need to first have a good idea how you feel about your current job. Things about all the things you want in a job. They probably fall into categories like pay, benefits, schedule flexibility, industry/product, and culture. Next, rank those categories in order of most important to least important. For each category, score your current job by writing 1-5 next to each, with 5 being really satisfied and 1 being really unhappy.
It might look something like this:
- Industry: 2 out of 5
- Pay: 4
- Culture: 2
- Benefits: 3
- Flexibility: 3
Finally, give yourself an overall score for your current job – on a scale of 1 to 100, how happy are you in your job. To do this, you can go the math route, or you can eyeball it. Either way, give your current job a score.
Now that you’ve got a baseline, it’s time for some reflection. The higher your satisfaction score, the more difficult it will be to successfully find a better job.
If you decide to take that leap, you’ll use this same process to compare any new job. Keep your category ranking the same and estimate how that new job will score on that scale.
Take all this with a grain of salt. Sometimes you just need a change or you’ll go crazy. I get that….it makes me super nervous, but I get it. I’ve seen it work really well, and I’ve seen it not go so well. Sometimes you just have to trust your gut and go for it.
Either way, good luck to you. I hope you find the role that fulfills you and lets you serve others.
Want a chance to give $25 to your favorite non-profit? All you have to do is Share Your Own Experience!
