I said goodbye to a full time, considered by many to be a "stable" job doing Human Resource (HR) over 3 years ago. I was exposed and immersed in many areas of that field in management for over 20 years, and have since then moved on. I have never been so grateful for having taken the leap after many years of planning of moving on from what was originally a long term dream of pursuing a lifetime career on HR to what I am doing now. I can say now, it has been the best move ever in my career (paradoxically, Always Best Moving given the hardships and economic circumstances most people face these days, I, personally, have been happy being a freelancer nowadays). A speckled series of events took place that prompted me to finally make me hand over my resignation letter, and has since then, convinced me that quitting that "stable" HR job is the best career move ever. Some questions ring back in my mind, some still are very valid up to now in my current status, and which I am sharing here to help you in weighing the idea of quitting your job in order to have better options on your career:
1) Have you been angry most times while at your work than you would care to remember? Or you have caught your self being especially angry without really being able to pinpoint exactly what the causes are while you are at work? This happened to me quite often when I was still doing HR work. Friends, including those who were working with me (though in other fields) have always thought that HR is a fun work to do (it is, really) - you meet a lot people both inside and outside of the organization. They also think it is always a refreshing experience to meet with new people who would like to join the organization, as they would see me doing interviews. I would even ask them to help around in the recruitment and selection process whenever I got the chance. But something about the value of HR in the organization that got me experienced internalized anger, and felt deep frustration for many years. There was always a huge gap between what was being formulated as policy versus what is actually done. Being the main implementor of HR policy, I have always felt useless and being so used by the system that I grew to realize was not paying the right value on HR (as I personally believe that any organization's best assets are its "human resources" nothing more, nothing less).
2) Have you felt like being caught up in snake pit where people find themselves left to their own defenses most times? Have you been aware that you also have been seeing or participating in the interplay of politics in the organization, no matter how a-political you like to believe yourself to be? And there is no one really who is able to coach and mentor you on what else to do, so that you can remain to be still effective in doing your job, and not be caught up by the mess being created by the various players in the organization? And even if you meet coaches or mentors outside of the organization, you are simply drowned by your emotions to even describe what you have been undergoing such that you are gulping for what exact words to share your mentor or coach. Of course, politics is always part of any organization (as power is always a desired value practically anywhere). But I realized I was serving as a convenient buffer for the games being played out with fun by players who have the authority and the influence to make changes in the organization. It has then dawned on me that my job has turned into a thankless set of assignments, and I figured out it is not worth staying any longer in that organization.
3) Have your problems outside of your job grown bigger than those you typically encounter at work? For example, your loved ones are getting sick (and no one is giving them the best, appropriate care and attention). Or you may have a personal business on the side that has grown bigger than what you are doing in your full time job. This aspect of your career may just been needing more focus and time from you so that it would grow by leaps and bounds in time. Decide then on your next steps to move on, no matter what.
4) Even if the job pays well, and you enjoy great, competitive benefits, have you been feeling like you are being robbed of what you actually deserve? Even under current economic circumstances (which are actually not in your control)? And you feel like you are being made to work up to the last cent of money being paid you?
5) Have you thought if your job now has led you into a dead-end point? The situation feels like you can not even get another job in another company for very flimsy, not well-thought of reasons, and given your credentials, experience and connections, you would not still get another job? This is not to make you look desperate, but you are actually being pushed against the wall, with your face being shoved real hard on the hard surface with you not being able to fight back. There is a sense of powerlessness, and you actually dream about the situation. Your pictures would show you with your eyes sad, though you actually are smiling. There is that grim look on your face, but you just keep on denying. Well, time to consider moving on now.