Q: How did I know it was time to quit my job and take time off to travel?

A: Here are some telltale signs that it may be time to leave!

Let’s start with the obvious — there’s no *perfect* time to quit a job.

The right timing for me maybe terrible timing for you. We all have different thresholds of what we are willing to take and varying life situations that we must factor in. I recognize that it’s a PRIVILEGE to be able to quit your job. Before leaving, you *have* to ensure your dependents can be supported financially, either via a new career income stream or via an F-you fund.

Still, this life is DAMN short. We spend most of our waking hours at work, and you deserve to spend that time and energy in a fulfilling way! I quit my 10-year career in investment banking about a year and a half ago and never looked back; zero regrets to share!

I’ve created this list of warning signs to inspire others to take those scary AF steps when appropriate. While experiencing one or some of these things in your career is normal, it’s NOT normal to nod along in agreement with MOST of them. That’s a clear indication it’s time to move on to bigger and better things!

Here are 10 signs it’s time to quit your job.

You’re bored or unmotivated or BURNT OUT.

You feel relatively proficient at your daily tasks, and there’s not much room for improvement. Or you’re just no longer *interested* in improving that particular skill set. It has become tough to self-motivate and care about your work responsibilities. Your performance may even start to slip as a result of your apathy and overall exhaustion.

In the early stages of my career burn out, I decided to break free by traveling solo! Read my story for why I took my first solo trip!

If the days drag on endlessly and they all start blurring together… yup, it’s likely time to quit your job.

Is the monotony of “going through the motions” how you *really* want to spend the rest of your days?? Find something that sparks excitement and challenges you again!

Your work stress manifests physically.

As someone who worked in investment banking for over a decade, my threshold for work-related stress is pretty high. I’m *used* to living with some baseline level of career anxiety, and it’s part of what drove me towards success for many years.

However, during the last ~6-12 months of my finance career, I noticed that my emotional stress transformed into PHYSICAL stress. I started getting sick WAY more often than usual. I developed several weird eye conditions (including pink eye and a massive chalazion), experienced newfound digestion issues, and managed to catch a combination of the flu, strep throat, and an ear infection ALL AT ONCE.

None of this was normal for me. At some point, I started to wonder whether my internal stress was leaking out and manifesting into my physical condition. Spoiler alert: that’s precisely what was going on. That whole “mind-body connection” thing is the real deal!

It felt like my body had taken over and forced me to take sick days off and away from work. My job no longer felt sustainable.

The good news? Everything fell right back into place within a couple of months post-quitting.

You don’t respect your boss.

I’ve always heard that you should look up to your superiors and want to be them… or at least want their job. And when you no longer feel that way, it’s probably time to leave. These words of wisdom have provided a good benchmark as I’ve moved between roles and bosses.

Just a friendly reminder that your boss should support, inspire, teach, or impress you. And ideally, all four of those things! We need mentors to drive us to improve and grow professionally.

Can you confidently say that you DON’T respect your boss in that way? If so, it may be time to find a new one.

Your upward mobility is limited.

There are various reasons why your promote-ability may be restricted. Maybe there are limited seats at the role above you with no foreseen openings. Perhaps you’ve been told that you’re not up for a promotion due to performance reasons. Or maybe you’re already at the top of your company’s totem pole!

In any case, why stay somewhere where you don’t *actually* have a future? Time to find yourself a new totem pole.

You consistently feel undervalued.

When most people think of being undervalued at work, they think of money. And sure, you’ll feel undervalued if your colleagues in the same position are all making more than you. But you’ll also feel undervalued if you’re not being promoted on time or if your efforts aren’t acknowledged/praised.

It’s easy to internalize these patterns and allow other people’s recognition (or lack thereof) to impact your self-worth. Instead, consider how energizing it would feel to be in a new work environment where fresh eyes see how competent you are… sometimes, it’s just a matter of perspective.

If nothing else, getting your feet wet with outside interviews will give you a realistic sense of your value within your industry at large.

You dream (excessively) about other career options.

It’s healthy to vacation in Hawaii and imagine what it would be like to own a surf shop on the beach. It’s *less* healthy to sit at your desk constantly daydreaming of other careers, other companies, or wishing you were somewhere else.

I was so miserable at my first internship, which was cold calling for a wealth management group, that I sat at my desk wishing for a medical emergency to force me out of the office. As dark as this may sound, I can’t imagine I’m alone.

If you’re *constantly* thinking about being somewhere else or doing something else, that’s a telltale sign that you’re not in a well-aligned career.

You’re *always* living for the weekend (or your next vacation).

I realize that work is called WORK for a reason. It’s not all fun and games, and sometimes it’s just a means of paying off a mortgage. Still, suffering through recurring Sunday scaries, dreading your commute into the office, and counting down the days until your next vacation is NO way to live.

And I should know because THIS WAS ME. I constantly dreamt of hitting the open road and traveling long-term!

Eventually, I realized that it was time to find a way to merge work *with* my travels, and thus, I founded The Soloist. :)

Your job security is at risk.

Company merger on the horizon? Looking like your start-up may fold? New management coming in? Gossip about near-term layoffs?

Sometimes you’re forced out of a job for reasons beyond your control. If your job security feels unstable, consider speaking with an industry expert or headhunter and weighing potential career opportunities elsewhere.

You don’t feel like yourself at work.

PSA: You shouldn’t feel like you have to modify your personality, appearance, values, etc., for a job. You should (mostly) feel like yourself!

Again, this is where you’ll spend most of your waking hours… make sure it’s sustainable!

Your gut *tells* you that it’s time to quit!

Ultimately, you’re the only one who can determine that it’s time to quit your job. Listen to that intuition and trust that it’s guiding you in the right direction. You’ll KNOW when it’s time for a big change!

Solo travel instilled me with the confidence to take control of my life and chase a fulfilling career!

Have you ever quit your job in search of something more? Share your story below!