Money Is a Reason. It Doesn't Have to Be the Only One.

You’re not really asking me whether to quit. You’ve already made up your mind or you wouldn’t be writing to a stranger about it. You’re asking someone to tell you it’s okay to go.

It’s okay to go. But don’t quit without a number and a plan. “Good money” means you’ve got something to protect, and you don’t throw that away into a void because you’re tired. You find the next thing first, or you save up enough runway to look without panic. Six months of expenses in the bank changes every conversation you’ll have with a hiring manager.

Here’s what I’ve noticed in 44 years: people who stay in bad jobs because of the money usually stay forever, because there’s always a reason the timing’s not right. The mortgage, the kids, the market. It’s never right. You have to decide it’s right.

What you can’t do is stay and get mean about it. I’ve seen that too — people who spend years resenting a paycheck. That’s the worst outcome. Either go or find a way to tolerate where you are without poisoning everything around you.

But if you’re asking me: go. You’ve got six years of skills. Use them somewhere else.

— Vera