4 Signs That It's Time to Leave Your 9-5 Corporate Job

Do you spend part of every day fantasizing about leaving your corporate job?

You imagine yourself telling off your boss (even if you actually like them as a person). Or throwing your computer out the window as you run out the front door like your hair's on fire. You even think up ways to make your exit a little bit more painful for your company purely out of spite.

You probably won’t actually do any of those things. But you visualize it happening because it makes you smile or laugh. And you welcome any comedic relief when you feel miserable or bored for so much of the day.

Hi. Yes that was me not all that long ago. I imagined myself slamming my computer on the ground. Then I'd do a happy dance on top of it and snag a boatload of free chips from the kitchen before I bolting for the elevator.

As miserable as I was, I would never do that. But, oh man, it was SO satisfying to daydream about at my desk.

One of the most common questions I get from the community is “How do I know when it’s time to leave my corporate 9-5 job?”

Let me tell you that there is no easy answer. I know, you were expecting definitive answers. But we’re adults after all. There are too many factors at play to make blanket statements about such a big decision.

But what I CAN do is give you signs that strongly point you right in the direction of leaving. Clear signs to myself and others time-and-time again that the time to move on is comin’ at you fast.

But before I dive into those signs, let’s talk money & finances for a hot sec. I knew I was ready to leave my last job but felt stuck without a F-You fund (aka an emergency fund) to make the big leap.

Having a financial safety net gives you more peace & security. It allows you to act fast once you decide it’s time to make the leap. What type of safety net do I recommend? Around 6-8 months of living expenses. (Note: I will go more into detail about this powerful tool in another post)

Ok, now back to our signs:

Your mental & physical health are declining even though you do your best to address it

There’s no question that your job is wreaking havoc on your health. You are doing multiple jobs. You have to work insane hours. Your boss is a jerk. You’re up against a bunch of deadlines and aren’t close to delivering on them.

The adrenaline during the day turns into anxiety that keeps you up at night. Prolonged emotional stress manifests into physical stress. It’s a never ending cycle. And it continues to get worse.

You're strapped for time. Yet you've carved out regular self-care time to counteract the negative impact. Perhaps it’s helped but you still feel the negative effects. You’ve done all you can but it’s still not enough.

It is not worth sacrificing your health for any job, no matter how flashy or coveted that job is. It is not sustainable. Those negative effects spill over into other areas affecting your entire life.

You’ve gone soul searching & it is crystal clear that your current path is not right for you in the long term

This was one of the more difficult things for me to come to terms with in my own journey. I fought to convince myself that the career path I was on was right for me even if the situation wasn’t. I job hopped for a while only to realize that I was like Sisyphus pushing that boulder up the hill over and over again.

I realized I was running away from my big problems by trying to address symptoms rather than the root cause. I knew I needed a healthy dose of self-reflection and space to figure out what those root causes were.

Through that work, I realized many things about myself. The most relevant here is that I was chasing a career path that I didn’t even want in the first place. No wonder I struggled so much! Rather than waste even more time & energy on the wrong path, I knew it was time to pivot to something new.

The self-discovery journey is different for everyone. But I have a resource for you that will be a great starting point. 9 Mandatory Journal Prompts When You’re Ready to Leave your Current Job or Career.

Sensing that the Universe is nudging you to move on is a valuable skill. And if I had a superpower, this would definitely be it. (Ask me about it sometime!)

So what do I mean by doors closing energetically? I have experienced this in many ways but here are a few of the biggies:

• You tried to get around it, but you've hit a hard ceiling in terms of your professional growth & development

• You know you are good at what you do and you always go above & beyond. But you don’t receive the recognition you deserve (especially in comparison to your peers)

• You hustle but no matter how much effort you put in, you struggle to move things forward and get results

• The vibe in the office begins to feel weird, aggressive, and/or heavy to you. You know it’s not a bad day or week because it stays that way. Maybe you can’t put your finger on it, but something behind the scenes is off.

New ideas & opportunities begin flowing to you easily

To me, this is the most fun of all the signs. I was sitting at my desk one day working in Excel and suddenly had this idea burst into my head. Wouldn’t it be really fun to learn to draw?

I ignored it the first time but the inspired bursts didn’t stop. Drawing, hand lettering, learning Photoshop, astrology. Let me remind you that I was in data & analytics. Friends, it was weird.

My soul was trying to tell me something. It needed me to do more: to expand, to create, to grow, to be nourished.

I’ve also had this sign show up as new job/career opportunities. When I was feeling like it was time to move on from one of my jobs, I had a great new job opportunity fall into my lap with almost no effort (and it included a 35% raise!). I wasn’t even looking. I had no resume & it had been years since my LinkedIn profile was last updated.

When I feel that it's time to pivot, these seemingly random opportunities come forward. They continue until I finally take action on the one that feels aligned as a next step.

When you’ve faced the big decision of leaving a job or career, what told you it was the right time to jump?