Sat in the parking lot of my old office in Columbus for 20 minutes after my first week at the new job
So I switched from insurance claims to IT support about 5 weeks ago. On my way home from the new gig I pulled into the old office lot on High Street just to grab a coffee at the place next door. That's when I noticed my old building still had the same sad sign out front with the missing letter. I sat there and watched people I used to eat lunch with walk out at 5:15 exactly, all looking at their phones with that same tired face I probably had for 6 years. Here's the small win: I didn't feel one bit of jealousy or that weird pull to go back in. My new team actually said thanks twice this week and nobody panicked when I asked a dumb question. I start at $4,200 more than I made there and I'm home by 5:40 instead of 6:30. If you're on the fence about leaving somewhere that's just fine, that parking lot visit might be the test you need. Anyone else go back and look at their old job from the outside just to check how they felt?
That parking lot test is real, I did the same thing after leaving a call center job and it hit me how tight my shoulders used to get walking in there. The "nobody panicked when I asked a dumb question" part is huge, that alone tells you you're in a better spot. Give it a few more months and you won't even feel the need to drive by anymore.