Checklist Before You Said 'I Quit'- 10 Questions Before You Quit Your Job

This is for those earning very small salary or are not fulfilled in the job they are presently doing, especially those of us who believe that a J.O.B stands for Just Obeying Bosses
Probably you've walked boldly so many times into your boss's office to say "I Quit",but on reaching there your confidence seems to have eroded faster than the melting of ice at 1000 degrees centigrade and you ended up greeting him.

These ten crucial questions, answered honestly, will help you to think it through, evaluate your position and view the prospect with a steady gaze.

1. Why do you want to quit?
Be clear about why you want to leave so that you don't jump out of the frying pan and into the fire. Experience has showed the reason why people quit, the most common reasons are:

You need a better pay
You've been there too long and you're bored and stuck
You're no longer interested in the subject or the work
You're undervalued
Reorganisation and restructuring have changed your role
You're making no progress
You're too young to sit it out until you retire
You don't get on with your co-workers or your manager
A general need for change (some people need the stimulus of change in their lives more than others).
2. Do you really want to quit your job?

Think about whether it really is your job that you want to change. Be very specific about what you do and don't like about your current work - it may be your role, your boss, the working environment or your terms and conditions. Think about exactly what would make your working life more enjoyable. Make sure you explore all your options and don't rush the process. You may find that you can make a change in a less drastic way, for example:

Finding another job in the same sector (i.e. at another University or College if you are an academic)
Change sector (for example, move from the academic to the private sector/industrial research, the charity sector)
Modify your existing job (by going part-time and pursuing another interest, moving sideways, finding a secondment opportunity or getting involved in another project).
3. What kind of work do you want to do?
You may already have a good idea of what you want to do. Answering the first two questions may have helped clarify your needs. Now think about what your ideal job would entail on a day-to-day basis, for example:

less paperwork and admin
working with different kinds of people, fewer people or in a team rather than on your own
more or less direction, micro-management or support
more outdoor work, more or less travelling
working from home
working more flexibly
You may be able to negotiate these changes within your role at present. Your boss or manager may be able to help you with your problem, but you could make it easier for both of you if you already have some realistic and practical ideas. If you have an idea, write it down and approach your boss with it. Don't forget to include any benefits for your manager or the institution/organisation.

4. What are your skills and capabilities?

Think about your transferable skills and capabilities, aside from the specific subject or job area, for example:

organisational skills
teaching/lecturing
detailed research work
fundraising knowledge and ability
people skills
ideas and getting initiatives off the ground.

5. Do you want to use your existing skills and capabilities?
You may be thinking that you want a complete change, away from everything, but be sensible. Think about other roles or jobs where you can use the knowledge, skills and capabilities that you have built up. Talk to the people you work with to find out if there are opportunities associated with your work: suppliers, fellow project members or members of a professional association, if you belong to one, may give you ideas to explore. Sideways moves, consultancies and poacher-turned-gamekeeper jobs may be suitable.

6. What are you interested in?

When you're thinking about a new job, be sure that it is something you really are interested in. It may be that although your reasons for moving are financial, a fat salary may not be enough to keep you interested. The money may be right but remember that you will be doing this job day in day out. Does the remuneration offer enough of an incentive?

7. What are your values?
Even if you don't think that you have particularly hard-held values, you may be surprised - a disconnect between your everyday activity and what you believe in can be very uncomfortable. For instance, an academic who moves into a fast-paced commercial environment may find the bottom-line, profit-making approach and the way it affects every part of the work unacceptable. On the other hand, someone moving into academic life from the commercial sector may have difficulty with the gentler, less targeted approach of institutional life. Explore your values. Examples are:

doing good
making a difference
recognition for hard work and enterprise
status and importance (don't tell yourself it doesn't matter - it does! You may be able to deal admirably with working under a manager who is younger, and less experienced than you are. Even so, it's worth thinking about.)
being free to work without commercial constraints.

8. Are you prepared to retrain or start from the bottom again?

Of course, if you are already committed to a complete change, you will need to think of the implications for you and your family. You may have to start from square one again and live with all the consequences of that such as lack of status and lack of money!

9. How much money do you need to make?

Crucial! Are you prepared to drop your income level? Take a long hard look at you current finances and write it all down: outgoings, income, extra expenses. See where you can make cuts and get a very clear idea of exactly how much money you need to make over a year. Then do the same with any enterprise, new position or job.

10. Will you regret it if you don't?

The saying goes that you only regret what you didn't do. In two years time, five years time or 10 years time, will you regret not having made a change?

Goodluck.

Am waiting for intelligent responses,if it wete an article on sex,romance,music,home video,bba or sports Nigerian youths on Nairaland would have been replying.
Are the youths morons

This article is speaking directly to me. I currently work as a marketer in a bank and I am rily willing to resign anytime soon

Me too

.

Me too not just enjoying my present job & its different from my career path #i quit

I'm in the same dillemma here too. But,I intend going into enterpreneurship with my meagre savings.The decision is a very tough one I must confess.

fabraham: I'm in the same dillemma here too. But,I intend going into enterpreneurship with my meagre savings.The decision is a very tough one I must confess.

wen exactly do u intend 2 start. Ur meagre savings mite neva b large enuf. Just pray dat somtin very pressin doesnt pop up dat wil despratly nid d attention of dat ur savings. No wat i min?

Good points. I've had cognate experience as well as relating to this issue. That's when I stopped working WITH the firm and started working FOR them

Wanting to quit your job underscores the fact that you've been working FOR your company and not WITH your company. Most times company management is responsible for this. They do not consider what makes the employees comfortable with the environment. They are ruled by making revenue and most times in their drive for revenue (unreasonable targets for reasonable people) they turn the firm into a training ground of employees for their competitors.

Best reasons or circumstances under which I'd advice anyone to quit (if you want to) are:

If you're not on your career path==> The more you stay their, the more time you're wasting. Your relevance in your original career field begins to diminish and it will only dawn on you when you finally make up your mind. However, you present job could define a new career for you which you many fall in love with. If you do, then don't quit. Simply try to know how you can enhance yourself and grow

When your role has been changed==> This may happen when your department has been scraped due to company restructuring. Most times your new role is closely related and most times its not and it turns into frustration everyday. For example I know of a colleague who's role was changed from content writing to telesales. Now that's very distinct and frustration started to set in. If you cannot adapt with your new role then quit to something else and be happy

I will like to give younger employees a bit of unorthodox (but sincere)advice:
In the first few months of work, and before you have built up a lifestyle, assess your place of work...

1. Can you build up your career here; ie, are there opportunities for promotions, etc? Are you encouraged to use initiative or do you have to write "yessir masta" on your forehead?
2. Is value being added to your cv; eg meaningful experience (marking daily attendance registers is experience, but not meaningful), opportunities for academic advancement, on the job training etc.
3. Do you feel that you can save enough of your income to set up a side-biz on your own in the near future? (Remember that inflation is in double digits and you might have one or two kids more in the next few years. Take them into account when assessing targeted savings.) Also check fom older workers what the salary increment policy of your company is.
4. Do you love the job? Would you still be happy doing it 25years down the road?

If you answer "no" to any one of these questions, you are at risk of becoming entrenched in a job that will seem like punishment 5years on. The longer you stay, the harder for you to break out.

You should be clear on your objectives and have an exit strategy from the beginning.

gloriana:
wen exactly do u intend 2 start. Ur meagre savings mite neva b large enuf. Just pray dat somtin very pressin doesnt pop up dat wil despratly nid d attention of dat ur savings. No wat i min?

It reminds me of a word of wisdom one of my lecturers once said to me. He said "no employer will give you a salary that is sufficient for you to save enough to start a business that will give you an income equal to that salary".

its a nice writeup. sure will be useful for someone at a cross road. i picked some points though. nice one OP.....#NoPainNoGain

Job/work situation in Nigeria hardly gives people enough time for anything else, except weekends most times.
Most people would love to build an additional income source but timing is the problem.
I just found a way we could build an additional unlimited income source, part time even while we are at work.
interested? send me a message.