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I recently caught up with a friend of mine, and she mentioned that she had quit her job. Curious, I asked why. She felt the workplace had become toxic, and she also wanted to take a career break considering she’d been working for five years straight ever since she was admitted as an advocate. I understood where she was coming from; toxic workplaces can be overwhelming if you don’t know how to handle them. She also wanted to explore other career paths and wanted to take the downtime to research so she could figure out her next steps.
I know someone reading this is probably up in arms to hear that you would quit a perfectly good job in the name of a career break instead of taking advantage of your off days to sort out your issues. But this is a valid question; is a career break a luxury or a necessity?
If you were to loudly voice your intention to quit your job to take a break, you would be met with stigma. Don’t even get me started on quitting for mental health reasons. We have been conditioned to push through in our jobs no matter how intolerable or toxic our workplaces are. Why? Because that is what the ones who came before us did. They worked themselves to the bone just to make it to another day and earn their coins without stirring up any issues. Job security was and still is the priority.
However, the idea of taking a career break or a sabbatical from work has become more common in today's workforce. A lack of personal fulfillment, absence of work-life balance, or increasing stress at work leading to burnout may have been things our parents had to power through, but younger generations are less tolerant of such. We are prioritizing what matters to us, be it passion, health, or family, even if it means letting go of our careers for a little while.
Ultimately, the choice to take a career break today is entirely up to you. No one can force you to stay in a job that makes you miserable or does not align with your interests. However, if you have been considering a career break, you must have a strategy for your next steps. Taking a career break is not something you can just wake up and do the next morning. Here are a few signs that you may need to take a career break before getting back on the professional saddle.
You feel empty or bored with your job.
The ideal job has you waking up in the morning with a pep in your step, ready to tackle any task. If your current job makes you feel empty from Monday to Friday, you are probably not happy with it. Eventually, this will show in your productivity and the quality of work you produce; I can attest to this. The only way to change the circumstances is to take a career break so you can identify the problem.
Chronic health problems
If your health is in jeopardy, it may affect your output at work, and a career break could be necessary to focus on recovery. When you are constantly fatigued, not sleeping properly, and regularly under a lot of physical strain, it can significantly impact your health. You may not be able to power through it. This can also affect your mental health. You can go for a health check-up to determine the problem and take your next action accordingly. After all, good health is necessary to enjoy the fruits of your hard work.
You’re experiencing a lack of productivity or motivation.
People who are on the brink of burnout are usually less driven. You might be stuck in a rut if you do not look forward to projects, deadlines, and meetings or simply pass the time instead of working. At that point, no number of hacks, tips, or self-help books might be able to get you back on track. Taking a career break to rest can give you time to find out why you aren’t feeling motivated. Maybe you’re not interested in your job anymore, or you feel like you need a career change, in which case, some time off will help you see the bigger picture.
You don’t have a work-life balance.
Sometimes, you can overwork yourself to achieve career goals that you ignore in other areas of your personal life such as family, hobbies, self-care, travel, or relationships. This is essentially the stuff of life that makes this rat race all worth it. If you feel disconnected from yourself or loved ones, you aren’t dedicating enough time to that outside of work. If your work-life balance is suffering, it can impact your mental health and cause physical health issues. This could be a significant indication that you need to make a change by taking a career break to start from scratch or improving your work-life balance.
You want to try something new in your career.
When you want to venture into a new role in another industry, a career break can give you a buffer to transition smoothly. You can use the downtime to dip your toe into new relevant career opportunities by volunteering or taking up new hobbies before starting from scratch.
Read more on how to make a career change here: 6 Ways to Successfully Change Careers in 2021
You want to learn new skills or follow your passion
Suppose you’re feeling unfulfilled in your job. In that case, a career break might be the perfect opportunity to follow your heart’s desires, be it learning a new skill or language, traveling the world, or furthering your education. All these new endeavors could give you transferable skills you can use once you get back on the career path.
Of course, you may receive a lot of backlash from friends and loved ones for willingly quitting your job when there is seemingly nothing wrong according to them. Some people may choose to work through their problems while still on their career path, and others may need that career break to sort things out. Everyone is different. As you can see, there are several reasons why one would want to put their career on the back burner for some time. Whatever your reason, make sure it is something valid to you and not to others.