Don’t Run From Your Current Role, Run Towards Your New Role

How many times have you felt “I need to get out of this job?”

Everyone has. Even in the greatest roles, people have those days where they envision a better life.

And if you’re in accounting, chances are you have this thought several times a week (and at times, especially during busy season, several times a day).

However, when you feel like you’ve hit that tipping point, try to avoid running out the door as quickly as possible and keep a few things in mind:

Take A Breath

Being in a job you don’t enjoy can really suck. There’s no way around it.

But whenever I’ve hit the point where I thought I wanted to leave, the first thing I try to do is take a breath.

This “breath” could be just that, a deep breath. Or it may be a walk around the block. Or even a vacation.

This “breath” is anything that gives you a moment to stop, take a step back, and assess your current situation (learning about metaphors in middle school English class has clearly allowed me to up by blog game).

Sometimes, after taking that breath, you might determine you’re just having a bad day, and you actually enjoy your job. This day is just a temporary setback in an otherwise fulfilling role. And that’s great!

Other times, you might realize “this is it. I need to quit.” And if this is where you land, that’s also great! You’ve acknowledged that you have decided to leave.

If you are in this latter bucket, you now want to make sure you go about deciding how you leave and your next career move in the right way.

Avoid Making a Rash Decision

Oftentimes when people are fed up with a company, they are so excited to just leave, they take the first job opening that comes their way, or even quit without having their next move lined up.

And they might completely luck out and immediately find that perfect job. And if you find yourself in this situation, congrats, you’ve hit the jackpot.

However, while this is the best case scenario, it often doesn’t work out that way, so I really encourage you to make sure you to go through all the important considerations when looking for a new job, such as “what kind role do I want?” and “what’s important to me in my next role?”

If you don’t go through the necessary motions to ensure you are making a decision that is right for you, you may regret it. I know the great resignation was (or maybe still is…is it still going on?) an odd time in our history, but according to this article, over 80% of workers who quit during this period regretted their decision.

The goal of leaving a job is to not be part of that statistic.

The goal of leaving a job is not just to relieve current pain points.

The goal of leaving a job should focus on setting up future success and finding a delightful landing spot, which brings us to our last point to drive it home:

Run Towards a Job You Want, Not Away From a Job You Hate

As pleasurable as leaving a bad job can be, you want to be sure when you exit, you are running towards something that excites you, not just away from something you hate.

If you are just focusing on leaving and not performing the proper motions when determining your next career path, chances are you won’t be set up for success.

Maybe its a specific role or company. Maybe its grad school. Maybe its a career change. Maybe its exiting the workforce and becoming a stay-at-home parent. Whatever it is, make sure you’re excited about it and it feels the right move for you (unfortunately we don’t have a crystal ball to know if its the right move, but really use your gut to determine if it feels right).

When all you do is run from a role you hate, you put on blinders and often think “anything is better than this.” And the worse case scenario is taking that first job that comes your way and because you didn’t do your diligence, you hate your new job just as much as your current role. And then you just find yourself in the same situation a few months later.

So take that breath, assess where you want to go, and pursue something you want.

Caveat: Every Situation Is Different

I understand every situation is different. The above information may not be applicable to you, and there may be times you truly have to run from your current role (toxic environments, impact of your job on your mental health, etc.). In these cases, obviously you have to make the decision that is right for you, which may mean doing the complete opposite of the items above.

And while using the above post could be a guide when making these decisions, remember its about what is right for YOU, so assess your own situation and make the decision that feels right.

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