Introspection: Changing or Leaving Your Job

A number of surveys and advertising emails end up in your mailbox, advising you to quit your job and do what you love. They cry at a high pitch for you to realise how unhappy you are in the job, and why you need to take your future into your own hands. Not completely wrong. More and more people are reporting to be unhappy at their jobs. Dissatisfaction in a career is also a significant reason for unhappiness in personal life. It is a prevalent scenario and the situation is worsening. What about you? Are you also facing such questions about happiness in your job? The first wisdom that anyone should be aware of is that a job is only a part of their life, not the life. Changing a job is not like changing your parents. Leaving a company is not like abandoning your family. Therefore, if you ever feel to change or leave your job, it does not need to be a moral dilemma for you. However, why are you changing the job is an important aspect which needs more consideration than only a nudge through marketing emails. The feeling of being bored, or not having anything new to do in your job - cannot be valid reasons since it can happen in any job, and if you give it encouragement, it can happen rather more frequently. Job needs to be taken as a job. Changing it or being in it should be more pragmatic than a sentimental decision. The purpose of being in any profession is to earn money, improve the lifestyle, and get good social status that comes with the work. It can also provide a sense of 'work satisfaction' and 'service to the society or nation'. It is nothing more. It is not your life. It should not become your identity. If your job is lacking in any of them, you might need to reconsider it. It should not interfere with your life, in terms of time or energy.A few pertinent questions that people should answer while thinking about the change of job are: Is it paying you enough? Does it permit you to maintain a reasonable work-life balance? Is the company/boss too intrusive in your way of doing the job? Is it respectful of your social status? Is it giving you an opportunity to grow? Are you feeling emotionally secure in your current job? Is the company culture troubling you? These questions might help in having a pragmatic analysis of your current job viability for your future. Your career plan should play a major role in professional decisions. Emotional aspects should be reduced to a reasonable level since you don't need to attach yourself emotionally to your job. Making any rash decision to change/leave your job is as counterproductive as being timid in not moving away from a non-profitable profession.