Author Topic: take 3-12 month break from work?  (Read 6917 times)

maginvizIZ

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take 3-12 month break from work?
« on: January 09, 2019, 08:56:54 AM »
Hello,

I plan to switch jobs June 2019 (I have financial handcuffs on me, since they paid for my masters & 401k vesting period... $20k payback if I leave before).

Income: $65k (I think I could land a $80k job come summer in the same field (corporate finance for defense company)
Annual expenses: 2017 = $21k; 2018 = $17k
Networth = $225k

I know I'm not at FI... But I feel a bit... underwhelmed with work.  It's boring.  I simply do not have passion for corporate finance (I absolutely love personal finance)... But maybe it's not corporate finance... It's simply the company/industry I'm in (I've rotated into different finance positions within the company, most still sucked, some were tolerable).

I think I could get a severance package... Which is only 1 week per year worked (so only 3 weeks).  I could techincally ask for a severance package now, and not have to pay my tuition.  It'd be weird if they told me no, because I wouldn't quit until June (that'd be an awkward 5 months).


Anyway... I simply don't know what to do (weird to admit that).

Option 1: Get a new job.  The normal thing to do... Keep working.  I'd try to work in a different enough job in finance, as clearly I'm not a huge fan of my current job.
Option 2: Quit.  I would kind of stress about having a gap in my resume... It'd definitely be weird to see networth go down, not up... But maybe it would be worth it to decompress a bit, clear my mind, then jump back into the workforce.

Thoughts?

nessness

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Re: take 3-12 month break from work?
« Reply #1 on: January 09, 2019, 04:50:59 PM »
What would you ideally like to do? Are there other positions within your company that you think you'd like more? In my husband's experience working for a defense company, they are often willing to train people who want to make career changes within the company.

If there are other departments you'd like to work in, I'd start networking with people in those departments, and eventually putting out feelers that you're interested in getting involved in [what they do].

SKL-HOU

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Re: take 3-12 month break from work?
« Reply #2 on: January 10, 2019, 07:47:47 AM »
Can you make contacts and maybe somewhat secure a new job with a start date 3 months down the line? It would be difficult for any company to promise you this but worth a try to at least get some connections before quitting.

JAYSLOL

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Re: take 3-12 month break from work?
« Reply #3 on: January 10, 2019, 12:42:21 PM »
As someone who works a seasonal job I can tell you it's awesome to get a real break, not the 2 weeks off nonsense with a regular job, but a break long enough to relax, travel, take a course, renovate the house and then relax some more before going back to work.  I'll work longer, but I get a 3 month FIRE every year.  I recommend the quit and look for work after you decompress and have time to figure out what you want.  It's hard to clear your head when you're stuck in a job making you miserable.   Your expenses are low and you've got years worth saved up so I'd go for it if I were you.  You could even find a much lower paying job you enjoy doing as a temporary thing to keep from dipping into your savings, although it might not look awesome on the resume when you apply for the next higher paid position

use2betrix

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Re: take 3-12 month break from work?
« Reply #4 on: January 10, 2019, 04:51:48 PM »
Only you can truly know your skill set, your field, jobs available, etc. No one here will be able to determine if you can get another job as well as you. Going 6-12 months without a job when you planned for 2-3 gets stressful fast.

That being said, I am a contract work so I constantly work myself out of jobs. It had always been one job right after another. Never more than a few days off between at most.

In 2016 I had worked so many hours and made a ton I called it quits. My wife and I bought one way tickets to Asia. I’m a big time workaholic and have worked non stop since I was 14. I’m also very OCD about my routines and expected to be back working in a week or two.

Turns out, after about a week of rest, I learned I can actually RELAX. We ended up spending 2 months in Asia across 5 countries. After that, we hopped on our motorcycle and rode 3000 miles through Baja Mexico, camping on the beaches every other night. I went back to work for 4 months, finished a job, took another 4 month sabbatical with an equally amazing trip.

Those sabbaticals were truly life changing for obvious reasons. A big one of those reasons is finally getting a taste of FIRE. It also made it much easier to get back to work to be motivated.

You’re a bit ahead of me financially since your spending is so much lower. I’ve been back at work for 13 months now and have at least 18 months left on my current contract. I would LOVE to take a break now and pick up where I left off, but it doesn’t work like that. They’re paying me such a stupid amount ($300k+/yr) that I can’t turn it down and have to just keep dreaming of the next sabbatical when this work is complete.

If you can make it work, do it! You have s lot saved and your expenses are low. Just make sure you seriously take advantage of the time off doing things you couldn’t do otherwise. I’d also get a good feel of the workforce to get a better idea on your return.

MissMuffins

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Re: take 3-12 month break from work?
« Reply #5 on: January 10, 2019, 07:18:53 PM »
I have been doing contract jobs instead of full time employment for the past few years, which means I have had some pretty long stretches (3-9 months each) off work. I'm currently gearing up to start another job after about 4 months off. My experience has been mixed, but I think the time off has intensified my desire to not need to work.

Having the time off is great. It's really nice to be able to do errands and other things during the day when most other people are at work. I've also noticed that my house is cleaner, my meals are better, and I'm better at my hobbies during the time that I'm not working. Taking time off makes me realize how amazing it is to have unstructured free time, and how much I want to be finished with working. It can get a little bit lonely since most of the rest of the world is at work, but I'm generally pretty introverted and need some quiet alone time in my life to relax and recharge.

I find the transition to go back to work is that much more challenging after an extended absence. The learning curve at a new job feels that much steeper when you haven't been using that part of your brain for a few months. I've also found that I feel much more stressed out during the transition because I'm trying to do all of the same things I was doing while I was off (cleaning house, making meals, keeping up with hobbies) but not having enough time for them. I've learned that I need to adjust my expectations to stay sane.

I still have a few weeks before I will be back to work, and I've already spent about 2 weeks working on adjusting. I'm trying to make sure my sleep patterns and morning routine is the same as it will be when I'm working again because I'm not a morning person. I'm also making a point of sharing household tasks with my partner, since I seem to take over most of them when I'm not working. Finally, I have a few large cleaning/organization projects I want to do before I go back, but I am also trying to not worry if they don't get done.

Classical_Liberal

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Re: take 3-12 month break from work?
« Reply #6 on: January 11, 2019, 01:53:01 AM »
Do it!

Here's a good article from a FIRE site about the finances.  You could take a decade off and still have plenty of money left. your only problem is fear of the unknown.  Let's face it, almost everyone who FIRE's under the age of 50 ends up reintegrated into the workforce in some form or another after a few years anyway. If you doubt me, do some research on the journals and blogs out there.  Work usually ends up much more meaningful and pleasant too, when doing it from a position of want, rather than need.  At your expanses, you can find any kind of work you want after a year of sabbatical and be just fine.  The worst case scenario is you love it so much that it reinvigorates you towards reaching full FI sooner.

Edit: PS the guy who wrote that gap year article saved to full FI, then FIRE'd, and now works part time meaningful contract work (case in point to the above).
« Last Edit: January 11, 2019, 02:04:03 AM by Classical_Liberal »

soccerluvof4

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Re: take 3-12 month break from work?
« Reply #7 on: January 11, 2019, 03:46:58 AM »
I would take a month and start applying and see what kind of feedback you get. Then if you like and feel comfortable with what you hear take your sabbatical. You stated you would be stressed without having a Job lined up and I'm not sure if that would go away and you would enjoy your time off. So for me I would find something to try and ease that stress.

Linea_Norway

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Re: take 3-12 month break from work?
« Reply #8 on: January 11, 2019, 04:30:41 AM »
A 3 month break feels really good. We did that once after working for 8 or 10 years at the same company and announced it 9 months ahead of time.
During that break we renovated our bathroom, which in total cost 5 weeks. Further we travelled on numerous trips.

If you are bored with your job, I very much recommend you to find either a new job or different work in your company. Coming back from a sabbatical will not make the same boring job more interesting.

jennifers

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Re: take 3-12 month break from work?
« Reply #9 on: January 11, 2019, 10:06:26 PM »
I vote for taking a long break from working and then finding a new job. No point in wasting your life being miserable.

Maybe try to think of some positive spin you can put on your time off in case future potential employers ask about it. Volunteering or working on a personal goal or something.


maginvizIZ

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Re: take 3-12 month break from work?
« Reply #10 on: January 14, 2019, 02:47:48 PM »
Thank you for all of your responses!

Volunteering is a solid idea for the excuse for my gap... No one asks whether I volunteered an hour a week, or 40 hours a week, right?  :)

I would take a month and start applying and see what kind of feedback you get.

I like this idea!  Simply to test run my resume and job field.  Would be interesting to see how many interviews I could land... Just to get an idea.

Do it!

Here's a good article from a FIRE site about the finances. 

Almost everyone who FIRE's under the age of 50 ends up reintegrated into the workforce in some form or another after a few years anyway.

Loved the article!  I'm pretty much half FI right now (although I assume one day I'll have a wife and kids who pushes my expenses up), so it's cool to hear that taking a gap year only delays FIRE by 1.2 years.  I can handle that!

I have been doing contract jobs instead of full time employment for the past few years, which means I have had some pretty long stretches (3-9 months each) off work. I'm currently gearing up to start another job after about 4 months off. My experience has been mixed, but I think the time off has intensified my desire to not need to work.

Contract jobs... Do you think there's contract jobs for Finance professionals? Would be a cool idea to do contract work and take breaks inbetween!

They’re paying me such a stupid amount ($300k+/yr) that I can’t turn it down and have to just keep dreaming of the next sabbatical when this work is complete.

Um.. Yeah are they hiring? ;)   What type of work to do you for them?  $300k?! Go you!

What would you ideally like to do? Are there other positions within your company that you think you'd like more? In my husband's experience working for a defense company, they are often willing to train people who want to make career changes within the company.

I love creating spreadsheets.  VBA.  I don't know SQL (company doesn't use it), but I'd think I'd like that type of job.  I do know they have Business Process Analysts here, which is more IT than Finance... Some sort of automation, or managing a workflow and identifying & solving any bottle necks (not sure what that job title would be...)



Again, thank you guys!  I'll keep researching and thinking about this possibility.
« Last Edit: January 14, 2019, 04:36:42 PM by teltic »

MissMuffins

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Re: take 3-12 month break from work?
« Reply #11 on: January 16, 2019, 07:06:53 AM »
Contract jobs... Do you think there's contract jobs for Finance professionals? Would be a cool idea to do contract work and take breaks inbetween!

I am in Canada where parental leave is usualy 1 year, so I have been able to find contract roles in my field that are covering someone's leave. I also lucked into a 6 month contract position that was needed while the company spun off from a larger business. The downside of contracts is the job insecurity, but on the upside it is a good way to experience different things for a fixed period of time. I now have a better understanding of what I like, dislike, and don't realy care about in a workplace.
The role I'm starting soon is a contract that will lead to a full time/permanent job if everything is a good fit, and at this point I am really looking forward to the opportunity to have consistent employment. The time off was nice, but the constant transitions and financial strain are too stressful for me.

birdiegirl

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Re: take 3-12 month break from work?
« Reply #12 on: January 16, 2019, 02:58:43 PM »
Contract finance roles are very common in the US (not sure where you live).  I've used them many times but have always hired them through an agency. Robert Half is the largest one in my area.   You may want to find a couple agencies and talk to their reps to get a feel for how that process works. 

Since you are bored at work I would really encourage you to look for something else before you quit.  Once the paychecks stop coming in that will put a lot of pressure on you to find a new job sooner rather than later.  You might end up settling and find yourself in a role where you're bored again.   
« Last Edit: January 16, 2019, 03:03:14 PM by birdiegirl »

maginvizIZ

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Re: take 3-12 month break from work?
« Reply #13 on: January 18, 2019, 09:06:41 AM »
Contract finance roles are very common in the US (not sure where you live).  I've used them many times but have always hired them through an agency. Robert Half is the largest one in my area.   You may want to find a couple agencies and talk to their reps to get a feel for how that process works. 

Since you are bored at work I would really encourage you to look for something else before you quit.  Once the paychecks stop coming in that will put a lot of pressure on you to find a new job sooner rather than later.  You might end up settling and find yourself in a role where you're bored again.

After reading this article, I'm really gearing up towards the idea of taking a 1 year break. https://livingafi.com/2015/08/04/taking-a-gap-year/

It would be benefitial to contact Robert Half to get an idea on contract work before pulling the trigger.  I don't think there'd be any pressure to get a new job (other than the pressure of "everyone has to have a job" society has...).

Classical_Liberal

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Re: take 3-12 month break from work?
« Reply #14 on: January 18, 2019, 05:38:27 PM »
@teltic
I think you'll be very happy with your choice!  You're going to get a ton of people, even on here, trying to dissuade you.  The MMM forum is a victim of it's own success.  Whats now called leanFIRE used to be the norm.  Optimism, risk-taking, unconventional lives, etc.  They have all given way to fear. You DO NOT need millions to cash in some time freedom. So, follow your own road and don't look to these forums for approval of your plan. 

What I said above stands.  Even if you quit without a planned re entry job, everything will be fine.  Almost everyone under 50 who FIRE's at 4%WR or less ends up earning money again anyway.  It usual happens within just a few years. And it is usually a very pleasant experience when the work/income comes from a purpose or lifestyle standpoint.  So, you don't need to be FI to take advantage of your money.

That being said, make sure you are mentally prepared to cut the income stream so you dont freak out.  Your mind will be your own worst enemy. Have some plans, even if just leisure related.  IOW, Scratch whatever itch you have that makes you want to FIRE.

Some more fuel for you, I happened to listen to this last week.  This is a  podcast from Mad FIentst with Michael Kitces.  If you don't know him, he's a financial planner/researcher who's done a ton of work on SWR.  Anyway, the whole thing is interesting, but around 37 minutes in they start a conversation about early retirees.  Kitces basically states what I said in the second paragraph.

Good luck!!
« Last Edit: January 18, 2019, 05:44:38 PM by Classical_Liberal »

maginvizIZ

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Re: take 3-12 month break from work?
« Reply #15 on: January 21, 2019, 09:11:21 AM »
@Classical_Liberal Thanks for the response!

I mentioned to my family that I'm thinking of quitting and just taking a year off.  They all thought I was crazy!!  Saying I was going to mooch dinners every night and such... haha!

It's been interesting asking friends, and even here online for permission to do this.  Not sure why I feel like I need permission... 

I feel it'll be weird putting my 2 weeks in (I know my company is planning on doing layoffs... Been thinking about how to voluntarily get myself in it... 3 week severance if I make it happen).  June 6 is when I'm officially free!  I might wait a week or two to ensure 401k is truly showing 100% vested before I pull the trigger.

Anyway, it's happening.  I'm not going to put a timeline on my break...  But I'd hope it wouldn't be longer than 1 year (since I'm not FI yet).



Question with investments

Since my income will be approx. $32k for the year, I changed my 401k from pre tax post tax contributions (Small potatoes, 22% bracket instead of 24% bracket). 

I do see capital gains tax is 0% for income up to $39,375... Meaning I should realize ~$7k of tax free capital gains, correct?

Question with healthcare

Quickly checking healthcare.gov, Assuming I make $39k.  I'm showing the minimum plan is $99.29 per month($7900 deductible, I'm healthy so I'm not worried for the year).  Not bad...  Is there somewhere else I should be looking to compare plans?

Looks like Trump just ended the penalty for no health insurance starting 1/1/2019?  I'm a healthy person... Do I save the money and be uninsured for a year?
« Last Edit: January 21, 2019, 09:15:19 AM by teltic »

Classical_Liberal

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Re: take 3-12 month break from work?
« Reply #16 on: January 21, 2019, 04:28:01 PM »
@teltic

Awesome!  I hope you document your experience somewhere so that others can learn from your sabbatical. 

If you can manufacture your layoff, then by all means do!  Remember you can apply for unemployment benefits as well.  At least three more months of about 60% pay!  Not bad.

Re health insurance, Pretax 401K contributions come off the top of MAGI.  Meaning that if you max out 401K (19K this year) your MAGI will only be 13K plus capital gains/dividends/interest in post tax accounts (realize this only applies to work sponsored accounts, not personal contributions to IRA).  If you can manufacture your income to just over 15K (look up 125% poverty for exact $) you still get ACA over Medicaid.  Run that through the marketplace and I think you could get a bronze plan VERY inexpensively, maybe even free. Since you will have made more last year they may ask for an explanation of why your income dropped, so be prepared to give it.  Worst case, you just get the subsidies when you file taxes at end of year instead of monthly.  But, from what I've read of others experiences, as long as you explain yourself when estimating income, it's usually not an issue.  EDIT: Be sure your MAGI ends up above the Expanded medicaid threshold if you opt for this route, better to be a little over and lose a few bucks in subsidies than end up in the Medicaid rabbithole!

Investments... Well be sure you are OK with your investment plan.  If you subscribe to the 80%+ US equity index investing, like so many on here, it could be a wild ride.  This is part of the mental preparedness I discussed above.  It's one thing to see a 20% drop when you are still saving most of your income, totally another when you can't add to holdings during the drop.  So, no matter what, it'll be a good test run on how you feel about your investing. 

I'm planning another sabbatical and likely switching careers for a third time.  Probable execution is this summer/fall. For the short term I set up an 18 mo CD ladder with 1-year CD's for living expenses, as I have been preparing for awhile.  Online banks are paying high 2's% right now on that product, so not bad.  Each CD has 6 mos living expenses and they come to term 6 months apart. This way I can get a full year off without worrying and then 6 mos transition time to find my new gig, in case it takes awhile.  These funds are in a separate bucket from my eventual FI funds, so it helps to put a hard cap on how much I will spend down.

Last time I took a sabbatical, it was out of pure frustration. personal problems, and unplanned.  I was 31, I think.  It also happened to be around 2009 in the heart of the great recession.  Because I hadn't saved enough for it, I had to find some income to supplement savings.  Even in the midst of double digit unemployment, I found a series of part time work that was stress free, enjoyable, flexible, albeit relatively low paying from what I was used to.  One of them even lead to a second degree and my current career, which I enjoyed very much up until a year or so ago.  The amount of personal progress from that period was remarkable, without it I would be a mess, if even alive right now.  No regrets!!!  EDIT: I can only imagine how well it will go when well planned and executed.
« Last Edit: January 21, 2019, 05:03:16 PM by Classical_Liberal »

Linea_Norway

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Re: take 3-12 month break from work?
« Reply #17 on: January 22, 2019, 01:27:47 AM »
Looks like Trump just ended the penalty for no health insurance starting 1/1/2019?  I'm a healthy person... Do I save the money and be uninsured for a year?

Health problems can very suddenly appear. I have understood that in America health care can make you bankrupt. Do you really want to take that risk of losing all your money?

Perhaps you could look into it if there is an international travel insurance that can cover you cheaper than your American health insurance. There are some podcasts or threads on this forum about it, if I remember correctly.

Lordy

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Re: take 3-12 month break from work?
« Reply #18 on: January 22, 2019, 02:17:51 AM »
I'm a healthy person... Do I save the money and be uninsured for a year?

Are you willing to gamble all your FIRE progress on that?

To me, that is a ridiculous bet I would never take.

brunetteUK

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Re: take 3-12 month break from work?
« Reply #19 on: January 22, 2019, 03:39:31 AM »
Hi Teltic!

I have advice that goes both ways so hopefully food for thought.
I have worked in Corporate Finance for the past 8 years and I understand the "feeling bored" at your job and my advice here is => look for another job in finance!
The work and environment can change radically between companies and industries. As you've already moved around your current company I'd suggest moving to another company/industry and trying it out. Also you can move from corporate finance into commercial/management finance (this is a big generalisation but in accountant world people tend to either work with the past - audit etc - or the future possibilities - commercial fin etc.

What I'm trying to say is that you don't have to change from finance to architecture to find a rewarding job, you can build on the work you've put in and change from a highly corporate/suits everywhere company to a smaller, more flexible environment and find the culture fits better with you - or the other way around, I actually like the suits and politics.

But this advice doesn't go against taking time off, so there you go, have your cake and eat it!

I quit my previous job and took 3 months off to travel (and learn that I don't like to travel). In true mustachian fashion I calculated the risks, I researched my job opportunities for once I came back, what salary I could aim for, what my expenses would be while off work etc so I could be confident I wouldn't run into trouble. I also had savings for much longer than the 3 months period, which looks like you have too.

I must say I would recommend it to everyone, I learned things about myself that I wouldn't otherwise. I was able to really actually relax. I totally recommend it. The back into the workforce process was very similar to what I predicted, it took me another few months to get the job I wanted and now, one year later, I'm in a new job that's much more suited to me.

I would warn 2 things: a) being unemployed and looking for a job can be very depressing and make you regret ever thinking you needed a break. Prepare for it by doing you research beforehand, and having some action plan. I did despair a little once I was looking for a job, hadn't seen an money coming in for months and had kinda forgotten about the good times being off. It's ok, you will survive. Don't stop taking a risk just because you may have a depressing cold tuesday looking for a job.

b) you may feel financially insecure after you come back. I look at my savings rate for last year and it was only 10%, "that's terrible" I tell myself. "I should have stayed and worked, I'm not on track, I'm earning more and saving less, what's happening?" It depends on how you deal with your money and savings, I have to keep reminding myself that those 6 months off were amazing for my mental health and that I'm being short sighted for looking at a % and ignoring the other life aspects. It's ok, you will survive, there is more to life than money.

Hope it helps!





2Birds1Stone

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Re: take 3-12 month break from work?
« Reply #20 on: January 22, 2019, 08:41:56 AM »
In a very similar boat, and can commiserate about the need for "permission".

I'm glad you decided to go with! Following in your footsteps a month later!

Hope you start a journal or blog for us to follow along :)

maginvizIZ

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Re: take 3-12 month break from work?
« Reply #21 on: January 22, 2019, 03:31:06 PM »
@teltic
Investments... Well be sure you are OK with your investment plan.  If you subscribe to the 80%+ US equity index investing, like so many on here, it could be a wild ride.  This is part of the mental preparedness I discussed above.  It's one thing to see a 20% drop when you are still saving most of your income, totally another when you can't add to holdings during the drop.  So, no matter what, it'll be a good test run on how you feel about your investing. 

Ahh... This is good to think about.  I'm 80% index equities, 10% p2p lending, 10% bitcoin (gambling.. 100% HODL gamble). hmm... With all the free time I have, maybe I can churn a couple bank bonuses, that will get me a gauranteed ~8-10% annualized return, in exchange for a little leg work.  I see a bunch of "$200 bonus if you hold $15k in savings for 90 days"... Maybe I can churn 3-4 of those banks, which will help me with cash flow/emotions if stocks tank in 2019/2020.





I have worked in Corporate Finance for the past 8 years and I understand the "feeling bored" at your job and my advice here is => look for another job in finance!

What I'm trying to say is that you don't have to change from finance to architecture to find a rewarding job.


Ahh!  Yeah I've been thinking about that... Maybe I shouldn't give up on finance too soon.  Going forward, I'm not going to hold a job I dislike for 3 years...


But this advice doesn't go against taking time off, so there you go, have your cake and eat it!

I quit my previous job and took 3 months off to travel (and learn that I don't like to travel).

I would warn 2 things: a) being unemployed and looking for a job can be very depressing and make you regret ever thinking you needed a break. Prepare for it by doing you research beforehand, and having some action plan. I did despair a little once I was looking for a job, hadn't seen an money coming in for months and had kinda forgotten about the good times being off. It's ok, you will survive. Don't stop taking a risk just because you may have a depressing cold tuesday looking for a job.

b) you may feel financially insecure after you come back. I look at my savings rate for last year and it was only 10%, "that's terrible" I tell myself. "I should have stayed and worked, I'm not on track, I'm earning more and saving less, what's happening?" It depends on how you deal with your money and savings, I have to keep reminding myself that those 6 months off were amazing for my mental health and that I'm being short sighted for looking at a % and ignoring the other life aspects. It's ok, you will survive, there is more to life than money.


Did your 3 month hole in your resume get brought up in interviews?  Do you think it hurt your chances are getting jobs because of it?  I would think everyone would understand to quit a job to travel...


It will definitely be weird seeing my net worth go down, not up.   I do have 135 days to figure this all out (Not that I'm counting!)... Whether I take 12 months, 3 months, or just suck it up and get a new job with no gap (I really hope I take a gap).  We will see!

I'll have to start a journal as it gets closer to June, so you guys can follow me there :)

brunetteUK

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Re: take 3-12 month break from work?
« Reply #22 on: January 24, 2019, 03:29:55 AM »
Hi Teltic!

Quote
"Did your 3 month hole in your resume get brought up in interviews?  Do you think it hurt your chances are getting jobs because of it?  I would think everyone would understand to quit a job to travel... "

Yes, people do want to know why I had quit my previous job and I noticed some recruiters were wary of it, you could tell they were wondering whether something fishy had happened or if I was not very committed to the work.

Using travel as a reason kinda worked but that's something people don't wanna hear, again they wonder if you're gonna quit on them to go travel again.

A friend recommended this approach and it's what worked best: tell a nice, neat story that reassures everyone you have good judgement. In my case it was this: "My finance department for product ABC was being merged into the mother company finance department so the opportunities for career development became very limited. I decided to resign so I would have time off to study and finish my CPA and also do some travel."

This way I put the responsibility on the circumstances/the company to a certain extent and showed how I made the best/took charge of a situation. Employers want people with guts but not too much that they'll be wondering if you are going to dump them too.

Good luck!




IOPsycho

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Re: take 3-12 month break from work?
« Reply #23 on: April 04, 2019, 08:29:42 PM »
Hi Teltic!

Quote
"Did your 3 month hole in your resume get brought up in interviews?  Do you think it hurt your chances are getting jobs because of it?  I would think everyone would understand to quit a job to travel... "

Yes, people do want to know why I had quit my previous job and I noticed some recruiters were wary of it, you could tell they were wondering whether something fishy had happened or if I was not very committed to the work.

Using travel as a reason kinda worked but that's something people don't wanna hear, again they wonder if you're gonna quit on them to go travel again.

A friend recommended this approach and it's what worked best: tell a nice, neat story that reassures everyone you have good judgement. In my case it was this: "My finance department for product ABC was being merged into the mother company finance department so the opportunities for career development became very limited. I decided to resign so I would have time off to study and finish my CPA and also do some travel."

This way I put the responsibility on the circumstances/the company to a certain extent and showed how I made the best/took charge of a situation. Employers want people with guts but not too much that they'll be wondering if you are going to dump them too.

Good luck!






Haven't tried it myself but I heard the recommendation recently to talk to a non-profit you're involved in and ask if you can call yourself their "volunteer outreach coordinator" if you're willing to take a few meetings and spread the message while on sabbatical. Especially works if you're traveling, there may be other non-profits they'd like to hear/learn from. This way there is no "gap" and you can say you took off to do volunteer work for a year.

CatamaranSailor

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Re: take 3-12 month break from work?
« Reply #24 on: April 09, 2019, 08:36:15 AM »
I took a year off and traveled with my son. Best decision ever. Had no trouble finding another job when I came back. The interviewer just wanted to hear about our adventures!

Lordy

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Re: take 3-12 month break from work?
« Reply #25 on: April 10, 2019, 03:40:01 AM »
I followed this thread and after long consideration I will leave my six-figure job in a few weeks to take a few months off.

I am looking forward to focus on health, travel slowly and just recharge.

Classical_Liberal

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Re: take 3-12 month break from work?
« Reply #26 on: April 11, 2019, 01:49:50 AM »
I followed this thread and after long consideration I will leave my six-figure job in a few weeks to take a few months off.

I am looking forward to focus on health, travel slowly and just recharge.

Nice!!