21 Ways to Know It's Time to Leave Your Job

Hello! I came across this article today which I felt related to me in many ways. Whenever you are leaving one job to go to another, I feel it is natural to analyze why you are going. It may be something as simple as having a "gut feeling" which is part of why I am moving on. Yet, there are also things on this list that I agree with as well-not all of them but some ring true. Maybe you can relate to some of the things on this list. -Jen

21 Ways to Know It's Time to Leave Your Job by David Finch


Let’s face it leaving your job is never easy. Not to mention, no one likes to be tagged a quitter. However, the pressure of responsibilities and relationships you’ve made within the company can cause you to hold on even when the signs have been there for a long time.

You don’t have to be a physic to recognize the common denominators that it’s time to move on. Here are a few signs that could mean it’s your time.

1. You dread the thought of having to go to work.

2. You become physically sick as you get closer to work.

3. Your attitude changes about your employer and your job responsibilities.

4. You’re no longer challenged.

5. Your suggestions continue to fall on deaf ears.

6. You’re not respected or celebrated.

7. You suffer with headaches and other stress related symptoms while at work.

8. You think your being punished by a higher power.

9. You are being verbally abused by your boss.

10. You no longer are having fun.

11. You are constantly agitated while at work.

12. You take out your job frustrations on family and friends.

13. You no longer care about the quality of your work or how much you produce.

14. You’ve outgrown your job.

15. Your boss is slowly taking away your responsibilities.

16. The company is having trouble

17. When you seek out confrontation

18. Your job is dominating every area of your life

19. You are only happy when your not at work.

20. Negativity is effecting every area of your life.

21. You’ve found a better offer.

In all honesty, most individuals have known for a long time that it’s time to move on, but out of fear they hang on. Fear of failure, fear of the unknown seem to dominate miserable people with miserable jobs. If this is you, maybe it’s time to move on.

If you do choose to leave, don’t look back. Be grateful of the relationships and good times, but leave with no regrets.

Have you left a job after hanging on for an extended period of time? What were your fears or challenges? - By David Finch

Wanted: Quiet & Serenity on a Thursday Afternoon

In Kuwait, Thursday is our last day of the week. It is our "Friday" back home. By the end of the week, as with any job I believe, I am exhausted. Waking up early, tutoring, and motivating middle schoolers has taken its toll. On the bright side, I look forward to having my weekly dinner out at a nice restaurant to unwind, chat with my friends and relax. One advantage of living in Kuwait, is that many people eat dinner out much later than us. Where I go out from 5-7 PM, they are going out between 7-10. Needless to say, when I am out having dinner, there is usually very few people there which makes the atmosphere extra tranquil.
Tonight during dinner, there was a noticeable change. The key factor being: babies. There were at least two babies in the restaurant and let me tell you, tranquility was gone. It is okay; I don't expect my dinners out to be just with other adults. But what I did realize, is my desire to remain child-free in my own marriage continues to get stronger and stronger by the day. Maybe it is because I am a teacher and I am surrounded by children all week. Maybe it is because I am happy and satisfied with my life, marriage and career and don't feel the need or desire to start a family. Let me tell you, at 3:00 PM after a week of teaching preteens, there is nothing I like better than to stroll back home to my apartment, close the door, take a bath and just see how my weekend unfolds. Sometimes I feel guilty for not wanting to have kids and why is that? I have waited for that maternal feeling to kick in years ago but it never has. I also thought that when you found the right person and got married the mom thing would surface but it still hasn't. Will I regret not having kids someday? I don't think so and so far I haven't. I think the biggest thing I can do is to remain honest with myself. And, as far as my dinner out tonight... I am actually thankful for the meal and the clarity.

Istanbul in the Spring!

This past break I was fortunate enough to visit Istanbul during the spring time. After being away from my New York springs, I was so happy to see and smell nature coming to life again. Istanbul is beautiful enough but the flowering plants and trees made it extra special.
Another nice thing about Istanbul is you can walk around by foot and not have to worry about transportation, although the taxis and tram are good ways to get around too. Our hotel was ideal and centrally located in the old city just overlooking the Blue Mosque and the Bosporus River. It was called "The Arcadia" and with a travel agent you can book it for $140 a night. I would stay there again as it is a very clean place with a wonderful rooftop restaurant. Rooftop restaurants & bars seem to be a very common thing in Istanbul giving you breathtaking views of the city. It is a great way to spend the afternoon!
While we were in the city we were able to meet up with some old friends of ours, Jim and Ana Leahy who taught with us at AIS in Kuwait about six years ago. It was a blast having drinks up on top of a roof with them, reminiscing about old times. That is the nice thing about teaching overseas; even if you do not work with certain friends anymore at a particular school, you can always meet up with them at some location, somewhere in the world. And, after seeing them, this planet doesn't seem so big after all- which is very comforting!

Restaurants in Kuwait

Over the past eight years, I have had many an adventure in some of the restaurants here in Kuwait. Granted there are many to choose from. Some of the newest include: Pizzeria Uno, Romano's Macaroni Grill, PF Changs, etc. The food is great... very similar to that back home in the states. It is more about how they serve you that is always intriguing. Here are some examples of "unusual" service that I have encountered throughout my time here in Kuwait. I admit that most of the oddities come from language barriers as the waiters or waitresses' English is limited.

Johnny Carinos:
Customer: "Does that soup come from a can?"
Waitress: "No it comes in a bowl"
Customer: "No-what I mean is it homemade or does it come from a can?"
Waitress: "No sir it comes in a bowl"

Ok-now on to the next one:

FRESH restaurant

Customer: "Can we have some more maple syrup for our pancakes?"
Waitress: "I am sorry... We don't have...No more."
A few minutes later she brings out dark caro syrup... hmmm... this is not quite the same.
Customer: "No thank you. Can we have some whipped creme and strawberries instead?"
Waitress: "You want creme? Do you want strawberries in the creme?"


FRESH Restaurant again:
8:10 AM Customers are sitting outside for breakfast.
Waiter comes out and offers menus.
Customers are looking at menus.
8:30 AM Customers would like to order... Asks waiter if they can order...
Waiter "Sorry sir/maam... we don't open until 9:00 AM"
Terrific!

TGIF Fridays
Customer to waitress: "I would like to have a club sandwich (toasted) on brown bread."
Waitress brings food. Club sandwich has brown bread but it is not toasted.
Customer: "Is it possible to get this bread toasted?"
Waitress: "OK.." Then she takes the sandwich back to the cooks.
10 minutes later she brings the sandwich back. It is now on WHITE bread but now toasted.
Customer: "Sorry to bother you but I wanted brown bread for my club sandwich."
Waitress:" Yes, I know but we cannot toast brown bread only white bread can be toasted sir."
What????
The tricky part about getting bread toasted here is in Kuwait, they call all bread, (toasted or not), TOAST.

Anyway, I think that is part of the fun of living overseas...It is a lot of small differences that add so much to your daily life. Every day is truly an adventure.

The Old Days

Today while spring cleaning, I came across a bunch of old photos from the past. They were taken in the 70's; a time when things seemed so much simpler. Even more so, this was a time when I was the happiest. For the first six years of my life my family lived on a dairy farm. Mom and Dad worked very hard to make a good life for all of us. Some of my most happiest times were of playing in the kiddie pool, sandbox (made out of the kiddie pool after getting punctured), going on the swing set, wading in the creek as well as being around the animals all day. If we ever went without anything, I never knew it. No matter what happens in my life, I will always hold those memories close to my heart. The pictures are pretty lovely too.

Footloose

Right now I am watching the movie Footloose circa 1984! That movie is almost 30 years old! The soundtrack was one of my favorites and I love the dancing scene at the end! Anyway, it was certainly a different world back then. I am not sure if I really miss high school that much but I do miss many things that happened during that time as well as the music. Watching this movie brought back so many memories... Who would of thought this movie would be shown on a Kuwait movie channel. Thanks Kuwait!

New Inspiration!

Today I became newly inspired by a teacher/writer at our school who just got his first book published. The library had an open house for him all day where students came up to hear about his adventures in the publishing world. Basically the message was to not give up. The road in getting published is long, with many bumps but you just keep plodding along.
I have just started working on my resource book regarding how to teach research skills. I would like to call it "Scaffolding Research" or "Scaffolding Research Skills". I just completed my introduction and soon want to write my query letter. After presenting many workshops and working on this curriculum for research the last four years, I believe I have enough material and knowledge to write this.
Thanks Jamie for the inspiration. I am so happy for you!