The High Cost of Job Dissatisfaction: When Is It Time to Move On?
Are you unhappy at work… but not sure why?
You tell yourself it’s just a phase. Maybe you blame your boss, your industry, or the economy. You try to ignore it — push through, stay grateful, hang on.
But if you’re honest, something feels “off.”
You’ve lost your drive. Your energy is declining. You can’t remember the last time you felt seen, energized, or excited about your work. You’re bringing stress home. You’re wondering if this is just what it means to be a professional now — quietly dying on the vine while pretending everything’s fine.
Sound familiar?
You may have reached your career expiry date.
And like expired food, staying past your “best before” can make you sick — mentally, physically, emotionally, financially.
The Real Cost of Staying in a Job That Drains You
Job dissatisfaction doesn’t just feel bad. It is bad — for your health, your family, your finances, and your future. Here’s what it costs:
Your health: Chronic stress, anxiety, depression, burnout, insomnia — all common side effects of staying in the wrong role for too long.
Your earning potential: Stagnation sets in. Promotions pass you by. Raises dry up. Confidence plummets.
Your identity: You start morphing into someone you’re not — just to survive. You stop using your voice. You stop trusting yourself.
Your motivation: You disconnect. You stop networking. Stop trying. Stop believing.
Your family: The tension spills over. You come home irritable, withdrawn, exhausted — and eventually, relationships suffer.
Your future: You stop dreaming. Doubt replaces ambition. Hope fades. You start to believe this is as good as it gets.
And the worst part? Many professionals know they’ve hit this wall — but feel frozen by fear, especially in today’s economy.
Stuck, Scared, and Settling: A New Workplace Crisis
According to a recent Fortune article, more professionals than ever are “scared stiff” to change jobs — even if they hate them. Economic anxiety has created a new kind of career paralysis. People are staying put, playing it safe, and slowly unraveling in silence.
We tell ourselves it’s risky to leave. But we forget: there’s also risk in staying.
The longer you suppress your value, the harder it becomes to reconnect with it. The longer you tolerate misalignment, the more you lose touch with who you really are. You keep eating what’s expired, hoping it won’t make you sick — even though it already has.
So… What Can You Do?
The first step is awareness. Pay attention to some of the symptoms:
You’re commonly venting about work — to your partner, your friends, your coworkers.
You feel overlooked, unheard, invisible.
Your ideas aren’t as noticed. Your energy is drained.
You’ve tried to fix it, but nothing changes.
You’re secretly hoping you get laid off to have a socially acceptable way out.
You don’t have to stay in this cycle.
There is a way out — one that doesn’t require you to quit tomorrow or blow up your career overnight. But it does require honesty. It takes courage. And sometimes? It takes support.
There’s a Better Way to Work
My team at Higher Landing has helped thousands of professionals rebuild from this exact place — not just to land new roles, but to reclaim their power, realign with purpose, and step into careers that feel like home again.
If you’ve outgrown your role but don’t know what’s next — that’s where I come in.
But for now, just know this:
· You are not alone.
· You are not broken.
· And this isn’t “just how it is.”
You have more options — and more value — than you realize.
To learn more, click here.
Up Next in the Series:
Have You Outgrown Your Role? How to Spot the Signs Early
The Career Trap: When You’re Too Good at a Job You No Longer Love
Your Career Expiry Date: What Happens When You Stay Too Long
Reclaiming Your Mojo: How to Fall Back in Love with Work