Facing Career Crossroads: When to Stay and When to Move On

As a driven and ambitious professional, knowing when to stay in your current role or take a leap into something new can be challenging.

Many of us wrestle with this question at some point in our careers: Is it time to move on?

This decision is not always straightforward, especially when it involves leaving behind familiar colleagues, routines, and a role where you have established yourself. However, staying in a role or with an employer that no longer aligns with your goals, values, or ambition can often feel stifling.

This article explores when the time might be right to move on and helps you identify if the reasons keeping you in place are the right ones—or if they’re driven by fear or comfort.

🔵Why Do You Want to Move?

The first step is to ask yourself a critical question: What is your motivation for moving on?

Understanding the “why” behind your desire to seek new opportunities is essential. Without this clarity, you may find yourself jumping from one situation to another, only to regret your decision later.

There are numerous reasons you might want to move on from your current role. Below are some common motivations:

🔹Lack of Challenge or Growth: You may have outgrown your role. After several years in the same position, you might feel bored or stagnant. Your current role no longer stretches your capabilities, and you crave something that will push you, excite you, and develop you further.

You may have outgrown your role

🔹Frustration with the Role: Perhaps the job is not what you were promised during the interview. The responsibilities might have shifted, or you feel overwhelmed by endless red tape, bureaucracy, or a lack of support.

🔹A Change in Team Dynamics: A new manager or team can completely alter the experience of your role. If you don’t gel with the new leadership or team, it can make even the best jobs seem unbearable. This change can make you feel disconnected or unsupported.

🔹Company or Culture Misalignment: The company’s values might have shifted, or perhaps your own values have evolved. If there is a misalignment between your personal principles and those of your employer, it may be time to explore other opportunities where you can bring your whole self to work.

🔹Career Progression and Recognition: If your aspirations for growth are not being met, and you’re constantly overlooked for promotions or salary increases, it’s natural to feel the pull towards pastures new.

After several years in the same position, you might feel bored or stagnant

Each of these reasons can help explain why you may be feeling frustrated, dissatisfied, or even unhappy in your current position.

🔵What’s Keeping You There?

On the other hand, perhaps you’re not actively looking to move. Maybe you feel comfortable in your role. But is comfort enough of a reason to stay?

The word “comfortable” often signals you’re in your comfort zone. While this might feel safe, it can also mean you’re no longer growing or challenging yourself.

So, what are the reasons that are keeping you there?

🔸Perceived Job Security: A familiar role or company can feel secure. You know the people, the routines, and how to get things done. But is this comfort providing genuine security, or is it a way of avoiding change or taking risks?

🔸Fear of Change: Change is challenging, and many of us naturally resist it. You may worry about your ability to adapt to a new role or new environment, or perhaps you believe that you won’t find a better opportunity elsewhere.

Change is challenging, and many of us naturally resist it

🔸Waiting for a Payoff: Some people stay in roles for financial reasons, hoping for a redundancy package or pension payout. While it’s important to consider your financial future, basing your entire career on a potential future payout might not be the best approach for long-term satisfaction.

🔵Fear vs. Motivation

This is where it gets crucial. Are your reasons for staying rooted in genuine motivation and alignment with your career goals, or are they driven by fear? It’s important to differentiate between the two.

Staying because you feel genuinely connected to the role, the team, and the organisation’s mission is one thing. However, staying because of fear—whether fear of change, fear of failure, or fear of the unknown—is quite another.

Fear of change, fear of failure, or fear of the unknown

Ask yourself these questions:

🤔Am I staying because I’m truly engaged and aligned with this role?

🤔Is fear of stepping out of my comfort zone keeping me from exploring new opportunities?

🤔Am I afraid I won’t find a better opportunity elsewhere?

Being honest with yourself about these questions can help you move past the barriers that may be keeping you stuck in a role that no longer serves you.

🔵Exploring Other Options Within the Organisation

Before you make a move, it’s worth considering whether there are other options within your current company. Sometimes, we focus so much on leaving that we overlook opportunities right in front of us.

🤔Have you had an open conversation with your manager about your desire for growth or a change in role?

Have you had an open conversation with your manager about your desire for growth or a change in role?

🤔Is there someone else in the company who might help you explore different opportunities within the organisation?

It’s always worth asking these questions and exploring internal options before you decide to jump ship.

🔵What’s the Opportunity Cost?

Finally, consider the opportunity cost of staying in your current role. Imagine your life five or ten years from now. Will you feel fulfilled by having stayed where you are, or will you look back and wish you had taken a leap into something new?

Opportunity cost is not just about money.

Opportunity cost is not just about money.

It’s about personal growth, development, fulfilment, and living a life that aligns with your values and goals. Staying in a role because of perceived security or fear can limit your ability to explore new opportunities that could ultimately lead to greater success and happiness.

🔵Weighing the Intangibles

Not all reasons for staying are bad. There are intangibles to consider. Maybe you have a great manager, a strong network, or flexibility in your current role that allows you to balance your work and personal life. These are important factors that can sometimes outweigh other frustrations.

Flexibility may be a determining factor

However, if these intangibles are the only thing keeping you in place, you need to ask whether they are truly serving your long-term career goals.

🔵Conclusion: Take Control of Your Career

The decision to stay or move on from your role is a deeply personal one. However, it’s crucial that this decision is made from a place of clarity, not fear. When you take control of your career decisions—whether to stay or leave—you empower yourself to create the life and career you truly want.

If you’re considering making a move, take some time to reflect on your motivations and reasons. Be honest with yourself about what’s holding you back and whether it’s fear or genuine satisfaction keeping you in place. Whatever your decision, make sure it aligns with your long-term goals, values, and vision for your life.

Empower yourself to create the life and career you truly want.