Should I leave a comfortable job for a job with growth?

When it comes to your career, how comfortable are you with being comfortable? You might be wondering why I'm even asking that question. I mean, isn't it easy to remain comfortable?

To stay unbothered in your own lane, navigating work on your own tried and tested terms with nothing to rock the boat. Who would want to give that up?

Perhaps the more important question is why. Losing your comfortable work routine is no fun on the onset, but if done to expose yourself to more challenging tasks, you could potentially gain something far more valuable in the long term-growth.

As Irish mixed martial artist and professional boxer Conor McGregor once said: "The more you seek the uncomfortable, the more you will become comfortable."

So, if faced with the choice, would you leave a comfortable job to pursue a job with growth? Is it worth the risk? Today, we examine this tough career question.

Should I leave a comfortable job? Why are people asking this question?

On the surface level, this Redditor appears to have it all. A comfortable job with great colleagues, great bosses, and a great work-life balance. What more could you want? Evidently, growth.

According to Randstad Singapore's 2024 Employer Brand Research, 1 in 3 in Singapore quit their jobs due to a lack of career progression.

If you're someone who likes to be challenged and learn new things at work or someone who has goals to hit a certain professional tier or salary in X number of years, a happy but stagnant job just won't do for you.

A related but slightly different situation is one in which you're in a comfortable, "lepak" job and see this as a good thing at face value, but are worried that your employability and transferable skill set may suffer when you look for your next role (especially if this is your first job).

This next Redditor even used the term "I'm worried […] I can't survive outside" — these kinds of jobs can feel like a bubble detached from the larger working world.

Should I leave a comfortable job? Summary of pros and cons

When deciding whether or not to leave a comfortable job for a more challenging one, here are the pros and cons to consider.

When deciding whether to leave a job for a higher level one, you should ask yourself what’s most important to you. What do you prioritise?

Prioritising growth

The Redditor above seems to be concerned that their skills might "rot" or become redundant -"I'm worried I get too relaxed here until I can't survive outside". If growth or your salary are your priorities, ask your boss for some time to talk about your career progression in the company.

Knowledge and information are the first steps to making an informed decision. Perhaps you might find out what you can do to work towards a promotion, and you get to keep your desirable work environment and pay, plus have a growth goal to work towards.

In a worst case scenario, let's say you know you're stagnant at your current role with no way to advance-neither vertically nor laterally. In this case, if you want to progress in your career, you could consider switching jobs. It is taking a risk, but these are the kinds of risks you need to take in order to see any movement.

Prioritising work-life balance

If a low-stress job and a good work-life balance is the most important to you, you may also want to hold off on switching jobs too flippantly. Evaluate what you don't like about your current role and see if it can be remedied.

For example, perhaps you're bored with the repetitive nature of your work but are otherwise happy with the salary and work environment. In this case, you could try talking to your manager about trying something new from a different department on the side.

In my previous job, one colleague I knew of grew tired of her role as a writer and tried her hand at operations work. She eventually transitioned to operations and security work.

Considering external factors - job market, societal expectations

Another consideration is the current job market, as this Redditor pointed out. Are companies currently hiring or maintaining headcount? Are we entering a recession? If so, now might not be the best time to leave even if your pros outweigh the cons.

You should try to secure a new job before tendering your existing one so that you don't risk being left stranded for months without income.

It's also natural to feel pressured by the societal expectations that people should get promotions and progress in their careers over time. But must you want to progress in your career? Do you actually want to, or do you just feel like you should want to?

If it's the latter, and if that's the only reason they're thinking of leaving a job, hold up. the potential benefit of growth and development elsewhere may not outweigh the unknowns of work stress, environment, and other positive factors their current job offers. 

One could always ask to take on new or more challenging tasks in their current job, or even take SkillsFuture courses outside if there are specific skills they want to pick up.

I wouldn't exchange the known positives of a current job, such as a good work-life balance, for a whole range of new unknowns without first trying to see if I can make my current situation work better for me.

ALSO READ: Making a career switch? These are the most lucrative industries to be in 2024 and beyond

This article was first published in MoneySmart.