Is it a bad job or just a bad day?

Five practical lenses to view the question of whether it’s time to leave

These days I do most of my writing at The Jungle Gym. It’s a monthly newsletter full of ideas and resources to help you think clearer and work smarter. To learn more, check out this intro post.

There it is again– that nagging feeling that something’s wrong at work. Staring at the three-sentence email you’ve been writing for twenty minutes, you wonder if it’s finally time to hand in your two-weeks notice.

But doesn’t everyone have bad days at work? And what about all the good parts? You don’t want to quit reactively and regret it. So, how can you know if today is just a bad day or if you’re truly in the wrong job?

At Tradecraft, we often have conversations like these with our alumni. Whether they’re in their first job out of the program or their third, the decision to leave is never easy. If you find yourself in a similar situation, here are five practical lenses you can use to examine whether you’re in the wrong job or just having a bad day.

🧩 The Future Alignment Lens

A good job is one that prepares you for the job you want next. To figure out if this role is aligned with your career goals, try asking yourself the following questions:

Am I helping the type of customer (individual, businesses, governments, etc.) I care about? Am I solving problems (access to information, transportation, health, etc.) that fascinate me? Does the type of solution we provide (software, hardware, services, etc.) interest me? Am I spending my time on activities (coding, designing, selling, etc) that I want to master?

Ideally, you’d want a role where you’re gaining expertise in all of these areas. If you find you’re lacking alignment in one or more of them, it might be time to think about a more serious career change.

If you aren’t sure what your career goals are, that’s okay. You can still confirm whether you want to continue down the path you’re currently on.

As a thought exercise, imagine getting a promotion.

Your boss pulls you into a conference room to share what a great job you’ve been doing lately. She’s been talking with her boss, and everyone agrees you’re ready for more responsibility and a title bump to go with it.

What’s your gut reaction?

Are you excited for the new challenge or dreading the thought of increasing your commitment? If a promotion sounds invigorating, it’s a sign that you’re on the right path. If you have no desire to take on extra responsibility, it means you’re either at the wrong company or on the wrong career path. To test which is the issue, picture yourself getting poached by the hottest employer in your industry.

How do you feel– excitement or dread?

Don’t worry if you don’t have immediate clarity on these questions. Replay them over the course of the next week and try to identify the emotions that are surfaced. These responses can you clarify your desires and goals before your rational mind catches up.