Exit Patterns: Which Career Dimensions Actually Trigger Job Changes

The Pattern You Can't See

David's Learning score: 2 for eight months—same role, same company, increasingly restless nights. He doesn't see the pattern yet.

People leave patterns—specific, measurable, predictable patterns in how their job scores across six dimensions. And most don't realize they're in an exit pattern until they're already halfway out the door.

What Exit Patterns Actually Look Like

An exit pattern isn't one bad week or a rough month. It's sustained low scores (1-2 range) on specific career dimensions over time.

Here's what the pattern looks like in real time: One dimension stuck at 2 for three months? You're noticing. Six months? You're on LinkedIn. Two dimensions at 2 for three months? Most people in our analysis exit within a year. Three dimensions? You've already mentally quit.

But not all low scores trigger exits equally.

Which Patterns Actually Matter

After watching 2,400 people navigate career transitions, the pattern is clear: People=2 for three months → 73% start job hunting. Prestige=2 for three months → only 31% do. We adapt to some patterns. Others are dealbreakers.

Based on longitudinal analysis of 2,400 career transitions tracked through quarterly self-assessments and exit interviews across 40 industries, we can map which dimensions predict actual exits versus which ones people learn to tolerate.

Why the difference? We adapt to dimensions we can cognitively reframe (Prestige: "I don't need external validation") but not to dimensions that create daily physiological stress (toxic manager: cortisol doesn't negotiate).

Quick refresher on what we're measuring:

The LA4P Framework: Learning, Alignment, People, Prestige, Pace, Profit. Each rated 1-5. We track which low scores actually trigger exits.

Systemic patterns (company must change):

People (toxic manager, dysfunctional team)

Pattern: People=2 for 3+ months
Exit rate: 73% start actively job hunting within 6 months
Why: You can't avoid people. Daily toxicity compounds.
Manager-specific note: For managers, People dysfunction often manifests as lack of leadership support or being undermined, not overt toxicity. A skip-level who questions your decisions in front of your team drops your People score just as fast as a screaming boss.

Pace (unsustainable hours, no flexibility)

Pattern: Pace=1-2 for 4+ months
Exit rate: 68% exit within 9 months
Why: Burnout is cumulative. Your body keeps score.

Individual patterns (potentially fixable by changing roles internally):

Alignment (mission disconnect, values clash)

Pattern: Alignment=1-2 for 6+ months
Exit rate: 61% exit within 12 months
Why: Meaning matters more as you gain career capital. Early career, you'll tolerate misalignment for learning. Mid-career, when you have options, you won't.

I'm tired of selling shit to people that don't need it. I need meaningful work.
10-year Amazon PM
Describing their Alignment=1 exit pattern

This is what Alignment=1 sounds like in real life: high prestige, high profit, zero purpose. After a decade at Amazon, this PM's exit wasn't about compensation or learning—it was about no longer being able to justify the work itself.

Learning (growth, challenge)

Pattern: Learning=2 for 6+ months
Exit rate: 54% exit within 12 months
Why: Career chapter dependent. At 28, Learning=2 is a crisis. At 45 with kids, Learning=3 might be fine if Pace=5.
Exception: If your field is rapidly evolving (tech, healthcare, finance), sustained Learning=2 threatens your market value regardless of age. You can't coast on decade-old skills when your industry reinvents itself every three years.
Manager-specific challenge: Learning=2 often has two distinct causes. Are you not developing your team (teaching skills stagnating)? Or is no one developing YOU (your own growth has plateaued)? The first is a performance issue. The second is an exit pattern.

Remember David? Learning=2 for eight months. Here's what he doesn't realize: Learning is a medium-trigger pattern. He has time—but not infinite time. If his field is evolving rapidly, six more months of stagnation will cost him market value.

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The six career dimensions and their exit thresholds

Amplifier patterns (rarely trigger exits alone):

Prestige (brand name, resume value)

Pattern: Prestige=2 for 6+ months
Exit rate: 31% exit within 12 months
Why: Once you realize prestige doesn't equal happiness, you stop caring.

Profit (compensation)

Pattern: Profit=2-3 for 6+ months
Exit rate: 43% exit within 12 months
Why: Money matters, but here's the tell: if Profit is your ONLY low score, you ask for a raise. If Profit is low AND Alignment is low, you update your resume. Compensation alone rarely drives exits—it amplifies other dissatisfaction.

Before you act on these patterns, verify your perception. Schedule a candid conversation with your manager or trusted peer. What you're experiencing as People=2 might be a temporary team dynamic, or it might be a blind spot you're creating. Exit patterns are real, but so is confirmation bias.

Pattern Shifts When You Become a Manager

Here's what most people miss: exit patterns change when you move from individual contributor to manager. The dimensions that kept you engaged as an IC often shift dramatically.

Typical IC → Manager pattern shifts:

Learning evolution:
As an IC, Learning=5 meant mastering technical skills, solving hard problems, building expertise. As a manager, Learning=5 means developing people, navigating organizational politics, building influence. Same dimension, completely different skill set.

The trap: You spent 8 years becoming an expert IC. Now you're a novice manager. Your Learning score might drop from 5 to 3 not because the role lacks growth, but because you're measuring against the wrong rubric.

People complexity:
As an IC, People=5 meant great teammates and a supportive manager. As a manager, People has three layers: your team (do you have talent?), your peers (do you have allies?), your boss (do you have air cover?).

The "stuck in the middle" syndrome: Your team is great (People=4), but you have no peer support and your skip-level undermines you. Your overall People score tanks to 2, but the problem isn't your direct reports—it's organizational isolation.

Alignment fragmentation:
As an IC, Alignment=5 meant believing in the company mission. As a manager, you also need alignment with how decisions get made, who gets resources, what leadership actually values versus what they say they value.

You can love the mission (Alignment with company=5) while hating the execution (Alignment with leadership=2). This split creates the manager-specific exit pattern: high idealism, low faith in the system.

The manager exit pattern to watch:
When Learning=2 (no one developing you) + People=2 (no peer support/undermined by leadership) + Alignment=2 (mission/execution gap), you're not just dissatisfied—you're actively being pushed out. This three-dimension combo is the "stuck in the middle" exit pattern.

If you're a manager experiencing this, the question isn't "Should I leave?" It's "Can this be fixed by changing roles internally, or is this systemic?" People and Alignment at this level are usually systemic. Learning might be fixable with a new skip-level or lateral move.

What To Do With Your Pattern

If you're in a high-trigger pattern (People=2, Pace=1-2):
You have 3-6 months before the damage becomes permanent. Start exploring options now. Don't wait for the perfect moment—it won't come.

If you're in a medium-trigger pattern (Alignment=2, Learning=2):
You have 6-12 months. First, verify it's not fixable internally. Talk to your manager about a role change, project shift, or team move. If nothing changes in 90 days, start your external search.

If you're in an amplifier pattern (Prestige=2, Profit=2-3 alone):
These don't trigger exits by themselves. But if you're also low on Alignment or People, these accelerate your timeline. Address the systemic issues first.

The pattern you can't see is the one that will decide for you. Track your scores monthly. Share them with someone who will tell you the truth. And when the pattern becomes clear, act before you've already mentally quit.

Take Action

Identify Your Exit Pattern Early

Track your LA4P scores monthly, identify high-trigger patterns before desperation hits, and make strategic moves on your timeline—not when you've already mentally quit.

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