Unhappy at work? Top 5 tongue-in-cheek (and totally true) reasons to quit a job

By Aleza Freeman

On the day when some know-it-all co-worker stuck her head high above her cubicle wall and loudly proclaimed, "If it were supposed to be fun, they wouldn't call it work," the natural-light-deprived masses simultaneously groaned, rolled their eyes, and shot her full of staples.

Were they bad sports? Violent cynics? Maybe. But also, they had finally reached the point where a whimsical saying and motivational poster of a cat hanging from a tree was no longer enough to bring them job satisfaction.

Take this job and ...

While there are pros and cons to every job, and we all have good days and bad days, sometimes you are stuck in a job that just isn't right for you. It might be best for your mental and physical health to move on to something new.

Following is my tongue-in-cheek (yet, entirely true) list of the Top 5 indicators that you are more than ready for a job change. It can also be used as a handy little litmus test for your actual level of job unhappiness ... or printed out and used as your resignation letter.

When you've embellished your dart board with photos of work colleagues, superiors or even a company logo, you probably don't like your job.

When Jury Duty sounds like a sweet escape, it's a good indication that you don't like your job.

When you have a minor cramp in your right side, and you're secretly hoping it will develop into an acute appendicitis (plus, your not worried about the lifelong scar), you definitely don't like your job.

When you're stopped at a busy intersection and you see a man dressed like Elvis Presley spinning a sign advertising colonics, and you wonder if there are any open positions in his department, you probably hate your job.

Along that same line, when you're looking forward to missing a day of work because you're prepping for your colonoscopy, it's probably time to quit your job.

I know it's not always practical to up and quit your job, particularly from a financial standpoint. About 3 months ago I posted a question on HubPages: "Would you take a job for 10K less a year if you knew the work would make you happier?" The answers varied greatly, but the overall sentiment remained the same: Most hubbers said they valued their personal happieness over monetary gain.

I recently followed this advice (though not entirely through my own doing). But I can tell you with great certainty: It was the best move I've ever made.