Ask HN: How do you know when it’s time to move on from a job?

In general, you have to see signs that everything is moving ahead (if not, you should leave):

- Your project should be moving ahead (e.g. not being torpedoed by internal politics or underfunded or losing key people, etc.).

- Your larger group should be moving ahead (e.g. they have a clear multi-year purpose, they seem to be acquiring new people or new responsibilities, they are praised in quarterly company meetings, etc.).

- Your career should be moving ahead (e.g. annual reviews should actually make sense, promotions and raises should be occurring when you do well, company should not be making excuses beyond your control like “no bonus for you because somebody 5 teams away screwed up again this year”, etc.).

- Your direct manager(s) in your team must be good, and be acting in your interest. If they are not, you will be affected more quickly than you may think and you are better off getting out. They need to know and care what you work on. They need to believe they need you. Everything else stems from this (e.g. annual secret meetings to decide who to promote may depend on that one manager to understand what you do, and defend you when no one else will; if they can’t, you’re screwed).

I usually ask myself a few questions:

- Could I see myself happier somewhere else?

- Do I dread work days more often than when I started?

- Is there room for me to grow (career or personally)?

Best time I knew was when I kept butting heads with my department head. More often than not, the arguments were over things one could easily Google. I determined if I already was closer to being an expert than my direct boss, maybe I should make a change. Best career decision I've made.

Do you see yourself having a bigger future in this job than your past?

The essential question is growth.

Dan Sullivan has a great discussion on this subject > https://10xtalk.com/84/

It’s usually time if you’re wondering if it’s time.