Leaving a job you love is difficult, but sometimes it has to be done. Here are some reasons why people who enjoy their jobs might leave them.
When we think of someone leaving their job, it’s tempting to picture dramatic resignation scenes, mass walkouts and whatnot, but the truth is more mundane. Sometimes people leave their jobs, and that’s it. Leaving a job can be very difficult, as can losing a staff member or colleague, but it’s not always for the reasons you’d expect.
Usually, people leave jobs because they don’t like them or they aren’t fulfilled. But not always. Despite what you see on television you don’t have to hate your job to leave it; you can really enjoy your work but also realise that it’s the right time for you to go.
In many ways, leaving a job that you love is harder than leaving a job you don’t love. (But it isn’t the kind of scenario that makes a good sitcom, which is why we’re left with cartoonish bosses shaking their fists as hapless workers have dramatic quitting epiphanies.)
It’s difficult to explain why anyone would choose to leave a job they enjoy, but as we’ve said, people do have their reasons. Perhaps some of the few more common ones we have mentioned here might strike a chord.
Explore new challenges
You can love your job for the wrong reasons; maybe you don’t feel like it challenges you like it once did – that can be a sign that you need to move on out of your comfort zone. Not to say that there is anything wrong with knowing you’re not going to be met with a big challenge every day at work. Some people have enough challenges outside of work. It depends on the person and the job. Feeling as if you’re stuck in a rut is a sure sign that you need to explore something new.
Learn other skills
Often people change jobs because they find another role that will provide them with a specific skillset that they need to further their careers. That’s a strategic move, and it requires a leap of faith in the new employer to replicate the positive experiences from the old job while providing ample opportunities to learn and upskill.
Gain new experiences
Conversely, you may feel very content with the upskilling opportunities your current job provides you with, but you might feel like something is missing. Whether that’s company culture, better work-life balance, or the chance to meet different people with experiences you can learn from really depends.
Or maybe you love everything about your current job but you still feel that it’s time for you to do something different – and that’s okay too.
Moving or personal life
Maybe your reasons for moving jobs have nothing to do with the work itself and everything to do with how you feel when you’ve finished work for the day. Personal factors such as moving house, rental markets, family situations and lifestyle have a major bearing on how we work and where we work.
Salary offers
Ah, the elephant in the room. A bigger pay packet is a huge reason why people leave jobs they enjoy. It’s not greed, it’s only natural to angle for a better salary if you feel you can negotiate it.
Looking after your health
If you suffer from stress or a condition that requires you to change your lifestyle in a significant way, you could find yourself contemplating leaving your job. In the short term, we leave work if we are sick, but often a serious health event requires more decisive action.
Long-term prospects
Looking into the future is a sobering exercise for us all, especially professionally. But it has to be done; there is a reason interviewers ask questions like ‘Where do you see yourself in five years?’
It’s because they want to know how long you’re likely to stay in the role and what you want from it. Moving from one job to another is kind of like ripping off a band-aid in that it feels painful when you’re doing it but you know you’ll be just fine in the long run.
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