[verisimilidude]

If you ever find yourself in a dead-end job that you love, you'll understand.

In my case, I had to leave a position I really liked because it simply didn't pay a livable wage, with no raise or promotion in sight. Taking low pay to engage your passion is great when you're single, but the game changes once you get married and/or have kids. For me, leaving had nothing to do with the rat-race and everything to do with meeting the basic needs of my family. I suspect others who've found themselves in this situation would be able to give other reasons, too, that are not related to growth for the sake of it.

[crpatino]

I have found myself in that situation too, and I also decided to jump ships.

My original point was that it is a qualitatively different position to be stuck in a job that prevents you from reaching your goals (or even get a paycheck above poverty line), than to be "stuck" in a job that fails to challenge your intellectual curiosity.