Less than 2 months ago, I did a bold move for my career as I shifted away from my “comfort zone” in hopes of a greener pasture. Lo and behold, I saw myself almost crying on the first 3 days, and I made a journal entry of it here in Steemit to record the rawness of my frustration and regret. You may read about it here. Today, I’m writing a new article based on this personal experience particularly on questions you can ask yourself to aid you in deciding whether to jump ship or not. This is also part of the series I’m starting on #CareerAdvice
1. Am I just currently charged up with feelings making me very emotional about my decision?
If your decision is based on a recent event that is emotionally charged such as being scolded by your boss, or being treated unfairly (which is something that is not habitual but rather a spur of the moment), pause for a while, and temporarily abandon the thought. I recently heard from an olympic athlete’s interview that we should not quit on “bad times” rather, we need to march forward ‘till we reach a “good day”. If after such day, we still feel something’s missing, then that’s the right time to decide.
Emotions usually affect negatively our rational thinking. The negatives tend to be polarized, and the positives are ignored. However, in proper evaluation, both should be considered.
2. Are the reasons behind the thought of resignation something I’m confident won’t occur in my new job?
We always think that all other jobs are greener pastures. In reality, this does not hold true. If you don’t assess properly (just because you are excited to leave your job), you may tend to miss signs that may suggest that the new company you’ll be working might be just as toxic, or perhaps worse.
I know we can’t be 100% sure whether it’s really going to be better in our new job until we experience it ourselves, but let’s exercise diligence in trying to figure it out the best we can.
3. What are the things that I need to let go for the new job? Am I ready to lose them?
At your current state, you are potentially having your eyes upon negatives in your job, but you’ll need to see the whole picture with the positives. When you transfer, you will start realizing things you have foregone, so put the perks into consideration, and start reassessing your decision. If you have a great set of officemates, you’ll eventually miss them when your new work tends to be “boxed” in a cubicle.
As the famous saying goes, we tend to not appreciate what we have by focusing on what we don’t have.
4. Was I able to factor in my decision the non-monetary perks of my existing jobs?
It’s easy to be swayed by the sparkles of higher salary, but we know that not everything would be all about money. Try to weigh in other qualitative factors such as quality of work environment, the training/opportunities the new job offers and the like. We need to put the current benefits of our existing and potential job side by side. In this way, we’ll immediately know what we’ll lose and what we’ll gain. Nothing’s better than a well-thought of decision. It lets us be in control of our life.
Also, the employment triangle seem to hold true in reality wherein it’s usually difficult to have good salary, healthy working environment and fulfilment all at the same time. Hence, let’s put more thought to it and weigh what matters to us more.
5. Am I ready to experience the discomfort of adjusting to a new environment?
Now, no matter how much we have poured into making sure everything goes fine, there will still be some possible discomfort in adjusting to a new environment. Our old ways and practices may no longer apply. There can be stricter dress code policy, and they can be more serious about time-ins and time-outs. New colleagues may also have a different perspective about work, and that “flexi-time” may not be something they are accustomed to. In short, adjusting is not an easy thing to do. We’ll need energy and open-mindedness in order to hasten the process. This is why in moving to a new job, we must make sure that we are well-equipped in dealing with this discomfort.
Now, if your answers to these questions are still inclined towards your decision to leave your current job, by all means, do it. However, if these questions made you think and ponder, give yourself more time in assessing the situation. After all, you don’t want to leave and then realize you made a wrong choice.
I love to tell stories about travel, food, art and etc. You may want to follow me at @anotsopopularkid. My discord ID is anotsopopularkid#6016. Hope to connect with you!