I read an excellent post the other day by Danny Chew titled “Heard you resigned?”. In his post Danny talks about how money is one of the biggest motivators for looking for a new job and how no one should be ashamed to go where the money is. Coincidentally, I was waiting for my wife to finish her post-Christmas shopping when I read it and couldn’t agree with him more. A bigger paycheque is definitely a great motivator to quit my current job and move on; but then I began to think to myself… What if the new place sucks?? What if I don’t want to do the same s*** in a different company??
They say ‘home is where the heart is’. I truly believe in this. I also believe that work is where the soul goes to die. Having said that, many of us spend most of our adult lives at work. I guess no one likes to go to work but all of us have to. The money we earn by toiling a whole month buys us the little bits of happiness we spend with our families and friends at home. Therefore, work needs to be at least tolerable. Otherwise we would have spent most of our lives in misery. So, for some of us more money might not be enough.
I have gone through two “should I quit my job?” phases so far. During this time, the first thing I used to do at work was to Google the phrase “should I quit my job?” and read all the postings by experts looking for signs. This exercise actually proved useful because now I think I know the signs of professional misery. So the question I will ask myself before accepting that new offer is whether the bigger paycheque is worth the misery.
There’s no point in rearranging the deckchairs on the Titanic…
What if I see the impending doom of my new company? Should I drop it like it’s hot? I believe that there’s no honor or glory in going down with the ship. The rats who jumped ship will live to fight another day. Besides, it’s best to leave a company while it still exists rather than to look for a job after it goes bust. A working phone line is always useful for a new employer to check my previous employment record.
Horrible bosses….
That movie was hilarious and genius at the same time. A bad boss can make my life miserable. A bully is bad enough but a wimp is even worse. Can I work for someone without mutual respect?
Belt too tight…. can’t breathe….
Many companies are now talking about tightening belts and cutting costs. This is not necessarily a bad thing given the current global financial situation. However, there comes a point when cutting costs equals putting innovation on hold. Am I willing to work for a deadbeat company with nothing new to write in the Christmas newsletter?
No room for improvement…
Sometimes companies are so big and so efficient that employees loose the spice of life. In such scenarios work becomes mechanical. I’m someone who loves to do new things. Can I live my working life doing the same s*** every single day?
Like a silent movie…
Some bosses are so fond of their own voices that they tend not to hear anyone else’s. I am adamant about voicing my opinion and actively contributing to the ongoing debate. Will I be happy browsing facebook during meetings? Worse yet will I be happy if no one cared?
During my short professional career I have come to a point where I know when its time for me to move on. Ironically, there’s no management science behind it. It’s just this gut-wrenching feeling of absolute sorrow and agony I get in the morning while getting ready to go to work. Having experienced this, no amount of money is worth the agony of doing a job which makes me feel like crap.
Ishan Abeywardena 