Go to college, get a job, build a life, retire (repeat). Despite everything we know now about mental health, wealth gaps, student loan debt, and institutional oppression, this sentiment, for some reason, has continued to transcended multiple generations. If you’re a millennial, like me, then you have heard the criticisms that we feel entitled, we job hop, and we simply don’t want to work (can you blame us?). Right now, someone is reading the newspaper with their glasses on their nose complaining about young people and their need to chase the next big thing and how they had the same job for 35 years (Okay, boomer).

Unfortunately for our parents and grandparents, job satisfaction was not high on the priority list. Gainful employment was a means to an end; depending on your background, you entered the workforce at a disadvantage, that’s just the way the cookie crumbled. You don’t go to work to be happy; you earn money and do things that make you happy in your spare time (duh!). Regardless if you work for a company or yourself, you spend most of the time working. We see our co-workers more than we see our families. With all those hours, is it so wrong to want to find some enjoyment?

Sometimes we’re made to feel guilty about leaving a job despite giving it our best efforts. A lot of times you can pinpoint a reason to leave, sometimes you can’t. You might be in an ambiguous space where you could stay, but you don’t want to. It’s a tough life decision to make, being pulled in different directions does not help. Do you try to tough it out like your predecessors or be unfairly labeled as a flight risk? To make your pros and cons list a little easier, see if you are currently exhibiting the following thoughts and behaviors. If so, you might be ready for a new job.

• You’re constantly day-dreaming
• You start looking at other opportunities
• You dread going to work
• Your patience dwindles and everything annoys you
• You procrastinate
• You stop smiling
• You can’t see yourself working there for another 6 months to a year
• You’re unhappy
• You don’t feel valued
• You feel aimless or purposeless
• You complain frequently
• You don’t feel challenged
• You don’t feel engaged
• You’re negatively impacted by your job outside of work

Whether you related to 1-3 of these things or all, it’s worth considering looking for a new job. No one should pressure you into staying in a position that’s not right for you. It’s not always possible to leave your current place of work, but you don’t have to resign yourself to being miserable either. I support your decision either way.

Happy hunting!