We spend so much of our lives working. As soon as we’re out of school, we have to find a job so we can afford to buy food, pay bills, and generally stay alive. With it now harder than ever to find work, especially doing something we love, many of us are forced to go for something that we won’t enjoy. The reason why 85% of people hate their job is because most of them have put their need for money above being happy. If you’re one of those people, this is why you should quit.
You only live once
British philosopher Alan Watts once made a speech entitled “What if money were no object?” and it’s changed our lives forever. There’s one moment when he refers to doing a job for money as “stupid,” because “you’ll be doing things you don’t like doing in order to go on living, that is to go on doing things you don’t like doing.” It’s like a more in-depth version of YOLO.
You’ve only got one life to live, so make the most of it. That money isn’t going to follow you to the grave, so really consider how important it is to you. Are years, perhaps even decades, of misery worth it? While expenses like food and bills are obviously essential, think about whether the extra money is worth more than doing something you love.
There’s no progression
If you work in a job that you hate, the chances are that you have no interest in making a great impression on your boss. You have no desire to advance in the company, and you’ll continue doing the same thing for years. Not only is that bad for your mental well-being, but it can also look bad on future applications. Staying in the same job for ten years and never making any progress doesn’t send the right sign to potential employers.
It’s best to get out early and go for a job you’ll love, or at least enjoy more. The higher your motivation to work, the likelier you are to get a promotion (and a pay rise). That will do you a whole lot of good.
Your mental health suffers
Something that a lot of jobs still fail to cater to is mental health issues. When you work in a place that you hate, the impact it can have on your psychological well being is severe. You’re far more likely to develop depression and feel miserable every time you get out of bed, whether you have to go to work or not. The longer this goes on, the more damaging this can be to your quality of life, and it can have serious consequences.
For the sake of your health and happiness, don’t stay in a job that you hate. It’s ideal to try and line up something new before you quit so that you don’t put yourself in a worse situation, but get out as soon as possible. Don’t be afraid to voice your problems with people you trust, either. They may be able to help you out more than you know.
You’ve changed
Working in a job that makes you miserable can have a devastating effect on your behavior. It can lead you to lose friends because you feel too depressed to socialize with people or snap at them for no reason. It can also make you go against your beliefs, because you continue to work for a company that stands for things you might not. That’s a dangerous way to live. No job should ever have this level of impact on you, especially out of hours. Don’t lose who you are before it’s too late.
Even those of us who love our jobs would probably still prefer not to have to work all the time. While that might be the case, though, doing something that makes us happy is so much better than the alternative.
