Mar 6

How to know if you’ve stayed too long?

Author: MillionaireFailure

How to know if you’ve stayed too Long?

Have you ever stayed at a JOB that you knew very well that you were being taken advantage of, you were expected to do things that typically two people would be asked to do? Are you massively underpaid? Was your last raise $0.18 and hour? Are you so stressed that you take 90% of your work home with you each night and only get 20% of it done so the next day is just a compounding problem? If the answer to any of these questions is: YES, you my friend have stayed too long.

I did it!

I had stayed too long at a job where I logged countless hours doing work that paid far more in stress than money. The other was the recurring thought that if I were hit by a bus I would regret how I spent my last months on earth. I finally quit, but that’s the last time I’ll wait for such a dramatic breaking point to take my leave. “People think the time to leave is when things become unbearable, or is a function of the time you’ve been there. It’s not,” said Dory Hollander, a career coach, workplace psychologist and author of “The Doom-Loop System.” For the sake of comparison, here’s how to define being satisfied with your job: you can see yourself in three or four years still liking your work, you like the company culture and your coworkers, and the job isn’t interfering unduly with the rest of your life. (And no, “unduly” doesn’t mean having to show up every day.) With that, here are some telling signs that you should start thinking about making an exit – or at least pursue more rewarding opportunities at the same company.

You have a lot on your mind, just not work. The work doesn’t challenge you and time hangs. “Boredom is a big factor,” “When It’s just a job, it’s time to leave.” Find your passion, keeping the following in mind, some passions don’t pay very well, however they are very fulfilling.
Things change, not to your advantage. The boss you got along with so well leaves, or worse, gets a new favorite employee. Eventually that person gets layered in above you on the corporate ladder, intercepting your access to the boss, taking over plum projects and moving you out of the decision-making loop. This is called “death by a thousand cuts.” The change is subtle at first, but your loss of status compounds over time.
Your boss takes you for granted. You do something so well that you get pigeonholed as the company expert in that area. Or you’re no longer seen as having potential for new projects. Or, just as bad, you’re known as the good corporate citizen who’ll do whatever you’re asked – including relocating multiple times.
You pigeonhole yourself. These top performers choose to stay at their jobs because they don’t believe they could succeed elsewhere. “The longer you’re at a place, the more you think your success depends on your environment.” Or you lose confidence that you can do anything else, you get comfortable.
Your mood ranges from angry to angrier. No matter how well-regarded your work is or once was, if you develop a reputation as a depressing crank, colleagues will distance themselves. And that isolation can make you more vulnerable in a layoff.
You feel like hell. Unhappiness can undermine your health. The early signs of excess stress: stomachaches, upset stomach, headaches and insomnia.

‘Okay, but get real’

I’m fully expecting angry comments and emails from readers who’ll complain that it’s a luxury to think that you can “just change jobs” if you feel you’ve been there too long. Hiring may be sparse in your field. You may be supporting a family and need the money — to say nothing of the insurance. You only have a few years before fully vesting in your stock options. Or you’re retiring in fewer than 15 years and want to maximize the pension you get. All valid excuses, if that’s the case and you plan to stay, do more than just suck it up. Change your attitude; don’t just see yourself as a wage slave. “See your job as a funding source for what you want to do next.” “Do what’s required and do it as quickly as you can, then network with those who can give you the growth you need for the next job or even your own company. Try to develop new skills that will serve you well when you do leave.

Before you go a thought:

“The trouble with waiting – waiting to vest, waiting to retire, waiting to get a promotion, waiting till you grow up, waiting till I’m older, waiting till the kids are out of the house, waiting till I … – is that it doesn’t always pay off. Someday never comes, you keep waiting for it to happen instead of planning for it and making it happen.