How do I know if I should quit my job?

The useful distinction is whether the problem is fixable from inside and whether you've genuinely tried. Most job dissatisfaction is situational and addressable; some is structural and isn't. Working out which you have is the actual question. **Signs it's probably fixable internally:** - The problem is one project, one phase, or one difficult period. - You're bored or under-challenged, and there's scope to change what you work on. - You haven't actually told your manager what you want. This is extremely common — people decide the answer is no without asking. - The issue is workload or process, and the organisation is generally responsive. - You'd stay happily if two or three specific things changed, and those things are within someone's power to change. **Signs it's structural and won't improve:** - Values mismatch — you're consistently asked to do things you think are wrong. - The problem is your manager's character, and there's no realistic move away from them. - You've raised the same issue three or more times with clear acknowledgement and no change. Repeated agreement without action *is* the answer. - The company is in decline, or the function you're in is being deprioritised. - There's no path to the work or level you want, and honest conversations have confirmed it. - Your health is affected — sleep, anxiety, dread on Sunday evening that persists for months. **Before deciding, do these:** 1. **Name the actual problem specifically.** 'I'm unhappy' is unactionable. 'I haven't learned anything in eight months and my work isn't visible to anyone who matters' is a problem with several solutions, some of which don't involve leaving. 2. **Have the direct conversation.** Tell your manager what you want with specifics. A surprising proportion of people quit over something that would have been granted if asked. 3. **Check whether you're avoiding something rather than moving toward something.** Difficulty, discomfort with being new, or a hard project sometimes reads as 'wrong job'. Leaving reproduces it elsewhere. 4. **Separate the job from everything else.** Burnout, health, and life circumstances can present as job dissatisfaction. Sometimes the fix is rest, not a resignation. **The practical rule**: interview elsewhere before deciding. It's low-cost, it tests the market honestly, and it clarifies your feelings faster than months of deliberation — sometimes an offer makes you realise you want to stay. And if you do leave, leave well: full notice, clean handover, no burnt bridges. The industry is smaller than it looks.