KUALA LUMPUR, March 21 — Are you caught in a rut professionally? Is your exciting job losing its allure?

While it is normal to feel a tad bored with what you’re doing day after day after a few years, many would think thrice before walking out the door.

But there are times when the writing’s on the wall and you just need to get that resignation letter typed out and handed to your boss pronto!

But how would you know when to throw in the towel?

Well, here are a few tell-tale signs:

You’re underpaid

Your pal at a rival company is being paid more than you for doing the same thing. Could it be that you’re being paid much lower than the standard market rate?

To make it worse, your attempts at bringing it up during the annual assessment exercise have fallen on deaf ears.

You are told that it’d be rectified during the mid-year review. But two mid-years have gone by and the result is nada.

Verdict: While money may not be the be-all and end-all of things, there is a limit to patience and self-esteem. So, if one last attempt fails, pack up!

You can’t recall your last promotion

You’ve done time in the company and then some. Three years as junior executive is still acceptable but seven?

Meanwhile, your peers (in other organisations) are already comfortably perched in middle management positions and are likely to be elevated to a higher rung in the corporate chain.

And it’s not as if you haven’t been turning out exemplary work.

You’re burned out

When you first started out, you had clear goals and with adrenalin-pumping vigour, you set out to achieve every one of them.

But suddenly, everything loses its glow. Jaded and dog-tired, you can’t bring that sparkle back into the job no matter what you do.

You no longer have the motivation to try anything new because you’ve been there, done that. Then it’s time to say, "It’s a wrap!”

You live in the office

You may love what you do, and the money may be good. But you’re always the first to arrive and last to leave because there's just tons to do.

Before you know it, quality time with the family is suffering. Your three-year-old is speaking Bahasa Indonesia and your nine-year-old has a better relationship with not you but some YouTubers.

Before you lose out on domestic bliss, yes, it’s best to walk.

You have the boss from hell

They come in many guises. There is the micromanager, the type who’s fussy about everything down to the last excruciating detail.

Then there is Ms Scatter-Brained who expects you to be her organiser personified.

What about the Invisible Man who runs the office from locations undetectable on Google Map?

Of course, it is the unlucky lass who gets stuck with The Lecher. Then there are The Yeller, who always lets her displeasure be heard a mile away; Rocky VI, the dude who makes you his "punching bag” by taking his frustrations out on you; The Diva, who expects you to fetch and carry for him/her and know that he/she ONLY drinks non-sparkling Perrier; and The Blamer, who has no qualms about letting you take the rap when things go horrifyingly wrong.

If any of these personalities remind you of your boss, then yes, you should quit.