a common situation you’ll find yourself in at some point in your adult life: fed up of your job and seeing no other option than to storm out of the door and throw your resignation letter on your boss’s desk.

This isn’t an easy decision to make, and is one that can easily backfire if you decide to quit on impulse before really thinking it through.

There are a lot of reasons why you might feel like quitting is the only option, but that’s not always the case, and it can sometimes just make matters worse.

So how can you make sure you’re making the right decision? Well, these five things to consider should help:

1.) Why Do You Want To Quit?

The first and most important thing to consider before leaving your job is why you want to quit. Identifying the issue can provide you with alternatives to leaving your position and solve the problem without you having to look for another job.

If your biggest problem is a work colleague or manager, this might be something to take up with your HR department, or if it’s the work itself, perhaps you can raise your grievances with your manager and request to work on a different project that you feel more comfortable with.

It’s best to explore all avenues before taking the plunge and quitting, however if it’s the industry or work environment that’s making you miserable, it may be that leaving is your only choice.

2.) Have You Been Mistreated?

If your issue with your role is that you’re being treated badly – whether that be through abusive language, being overworked or being discriminated against – then that’s definitely something to take up with HR before walking out of the door.

If you can get the issue resolved, surely that’s better than shooting yourself in the foot and leaving yourself with no job because of how others treat you?

However, if it’s just a mild grievance or annoyance that you have, is it really worth dragging up? Or could you put up with it while you look for a better position?

5 Things To Consider Before Quitting Your Job image quit job

3.) Do You Have Something Else Lined Up?

One of the worst knock-on effects of quitting your job is the lack of steady income, especially if you have others who depend on you.

If you’ve got another job lined up, then great. But if you don’t, you really need to consider your options very carefully before calling it quits.

Do you have a way of providing for yourself and others during your period of unemployment? Is there some paid work you can carry out in the meantime? Do you have enough savings to cover your unemployment? If the answer to any of these is no, then maybe you should reconsider quitting until you get something else lined up?

4.) Is There Another Issue?

There may come a time when it’s easier to blame your work life for how you’re feeling, when really there are other problems going on in different areas of your life.

Take a step back to fully assess what’s going on in your life outside of work and try to see if there’s another area that’s causing you unnecessary stress that you’re blaming on your job.

If this is the case, quitting won’t change anything as you’ll only end up feeling the same when you take on a different role. Instead, try and fix the problems outside of your career and see if this has any effect on your work life.

5.) Do You Have Enough Experience To Quit?

If you plan on quitting your job then hunt for another one, have you done your research into the type and length of experience your desired roles need?

If you find that you haven’t got enough experience to market yourself for a new role, is quitting your job now really going to benefit your career?

You need to consider whether you could stand staying in your job for a few more months so you can get that extra experience under your belt and be able to apply for a job you really want in the near future.

So there we go, some things you should consider before quitting your job!

Do you agree with these points, or is there something else that you need to think about before taking the plunge?