The three-signal test

Take it seriously when three signals appear together, over a full term, not a fortnight. One: the core work — not the admin, the core — bores or repels you. Two: you have no curiosity about what practitioners do next; you never read about it unprompted. Three: you cannot picture a version of the job you would want, even a good one on a good day.

One signal is a mood. Two is worth a conversation. Three, sustained over a term, is information.