Should you stay or should you leave your job?

So you’re thinking about leaving your job. Should you stay or should you go?Here are 5 things to consider, in no particular order.

People — fun. What percent of your moments are on the positive side, and what percent are on the negative side? Your coworkers probably play a huge part in this. Do you like them? Do you want to be more like them?

People — learning. Are there people around that know way more than you do about things you want to know more about? People with hard-won wisdom that you can’t get on Coursera? Are you learning from them?

Projects — learning. The stuff you’re working on — are you learning a lot from it? Or has it become rote? If you’re learning, how much is that learning going to serve you in the future?

Projects — alignment. The stuff you’re working on — how much do you care about it? Is it aligned with your goals and values? Does it matter? 10 years from now, will you look back and be glad that you were doing this?

Compensation . How much are they paying you? How much would you make elsewhere? How much room is there to move at your current place on base — would they pay you more? Suggestion: gain information by doing an interview somewhere else.