7 out of 10 employees in the US are disengaged from their jobs. Unfortunately, I knew this statistic all too well.
http://www.kgw.com/news/business/Gallup-poll-7-of-10-Americans-hate-their-job-212962061.html
About two months ago, I started my new job. Whenever anyone heard that I was leaving my previous employer, they would say, "I thought you loved your job." Truth be told, I'd had been ready to move on since last year. While I enjoyed the people I worked with, the work environment wasn't right for me. Without going into too much detail, I found myself dreading going to work, and counting down the hours until I could leave. I loved my work, but didn't feel supported at all. I didn't have the authority I needed to transform the company culture into the one I dreamed of working within. I didn't feel a sense of community among the people I worked with.
The company itself is wonderful--I truly love what it stands for. However, if I wasn't happy in my role, I knew it was time to move on. The single most important life lesson older people feel young people need to know is: do not stay in a job you dislike. (http://lifehacker.com/the-most-important-life-lesson-older-people-want-younge-963838889)
It's true. And with being an HR professional, it pains me to see people unhappy in their work. Life is too short to spend your waking moments dreading being at work. It was hard for me to step away from a company that I respect, and co-workers I loved seeing everyday. However, the culture was beyond lonely for my taste. Recently, I came across an article about work loneliness, and how it's important to grow higher quality connections in the workplace.
http://lifehacker.com/why-work-loneliness-isnt-a-personal-problem-and-how-t-957403978
After a while, I knew it was time for me to move on. Even though I knew it was time for me to move on, it didn't make the decision any easier. Spending almost four years at one company is almost unheard of for my generation, and I worked for a company with some of the most hardworking individuals I can imagine. How did I know it was time to quit? This article pretty much sums it up:http://lifehacker.com/5948908/how-to-know-when-its-time-to-quit.