If I was interviewing someone who took a year off, I'd want to know why they did that, and also I'd like to see that they have done something to get started again practicing so you are fairly ready to do some work. So it would be helpful to have some kind of good way to describe what you were looking for during your year, because peopel will want to ask you. I agree with others who say it would be an idiot company that would avoid people who take time off.
Ask HN: Thinking about a year off from work to travel. Am I making a mistake?
31–40 of 50 posts
Re: Ask HN: Thinking about a year off from work to travel. Am I making a mistake?
#32Sorry to be the wet blanket, but I actually don't think it is necessarily a no-brainer as others have said. If you do it, do it with purpose. Traveling will not fix your problems. It won't help you progress your career. It won't even necessarily expand your mind or help you learn new things. It will, however, with near 100% certainty reduce your bank account balance, and will potentially put you in a jam down the lin…
That's a really surprising experience, I would never have guessed that it would hurt. I learn new things constantly, but rely on a lot of deep ideas I have learned over time - how to craft code & design things (not just express it in c++ or something), how to work with people, how to express things tactfully, how to give negative comments without being personal. I use all this in my job. I wish I had taken time off years ago. Now I have a "career" and a family, its hard to take time off.
Re: Ask HN: Thinking about a year off from work to travel. Am I making a mistake?
#33Earlier quoted context omitted.
Glad you mentioned spending house payment. Another way to do this is to buy the house first, and rent it out while you are away on travels.
and spending what?
Put down the smallest downpayment allowed by law.
Start writing off bills like cell phone, internet, printing, write off a management fee. Basically using the property to lower your tax foot print (money saved is money earned)
Ideally buy a triplex or fourplex so it cashflows and generates a small, few hundred dollars a month.
Save the profits for a year or two. Travel.
I took that approach because I would rather wait a couple years and travel for years on end and knowing that my net worth is not taking a huge hit.
The choice was... do I want to travel now for a year and blow through my savings. Or do I wait a couple years and then travel for the rest of my life.
Re: Ask HN: Thinking about a year off from work to travel. Am I making a mistake?
#34There is an idea known as the "Regret Minimization Principal". It seems particularly applicable here. You have two options: travel or not travel. Looking back, which choice might you regret least? Choose that one.
perfect. thank you for this
Re: Ask HN: Thinking about a year off from work to travel. Am I making a mistake?
#35How about just travelling a month's time first, before deciding on a year? Go to south America, SE Asia or something, check it out and relax. It'll cost a month extra of rent, but it doesn't sound like the financials is a problem. And if you decide you want to travel more, you just return after the first month, get your affairs sorted and off you go again :-)
Re: Ask HN: Thinking about a year off from work to travel. Am I making a mistake?
#36If you care about money, the potential for regret is quite high. I barely care about money beyond survival, but I still feel a bit of regret about all the time and money I've spent both on traveling and repeated attempts to start companies. I'm at an age where I'd have a million in the bank if I'd relentlessly prioritized career and compensation. No matter how much I value other pursuits, it can still be difficult not to think about that from time to time.
At present, I do wish I had spent more time on trying to make products. I do not really see what traveling got me, other than a way to impress certain people. To me, experiences are fleeting, and memories might just as well be daydreams. I can have those for free.
Re: Ask HN: Thinking about a year off from work to travel. Am I making a mistake?
#37That's easy: plan a 2-month trip (8 weeks), and then come back.
If you really, really want to extend your trip, you can do that, but 2 months in, say, Thailand or something is an amazing experience.
Don't leave your great apartment, just sublet for 2 months or just keep paying rent.
Re: Ask HN: Thinking about a year off from work to travel. Am I making a mistake?
#38Make a list of places you would like to visit, things you would like to do in the US first.
Visit a college friend, family, see a live sporting event or concert in another area of the US.
Do you like hiking/camping/beaches/museums? Plan a trip to do something you'll enjoy.
Plan a short trip to one of those places. A 3 to 5 day get away.
Come back and reflect on where you want to go next/if this is something you want to do.
Experiment with a few trips like that before you sell your stuff shut down your home.
Next choose a destination in Europe and go for a couple weeks to test it out.
You'll get a feeling if it's something you want to do for 3 months, 6 months or a year.
I wouldn't worry too much about it being a red flag on your resume. Taking 6 months or a year off to travel is reasonable. Plus if you have the talent and experience and you're a good fit a company will hire you. And if taking time off is a red flag it might not be a company you want to work for.
Good luck, have fun. YOLO!
Re: Ask HN: Thinking about a year off from work to travel. Am I making a mistake?
#39Definitely go for it. No matter what you feel now, you will probably greatly enjoy the experience, even if you're not that excited about it beforehand.
I would sublet the apartment if possible, but if you can afford not to, that's fine too.
I don't know about the US, but as a Scandinavian my adventures in the my mid 20s certainly didn't hurt my employability. On the contrary I suspect that I've often been shortlisted because my résumé stands out. So make sure to do really interesting things! The main reason for that is of course that it will make YOU more interesting too.
So just do it, don't hesitate. Go for two years if you can afford it, there's plenty of time for working later. You will not regret it, but you will of course regret not going while you could. Once you have a family it will be much more expensive and complicated.
Re: Ask HN: Thinking about a year off from work to travel. Am I making a mistake?
#40A year is a long time. Why not 6 months? Or 3? I know a couple who traveled for a year. There were diminishing returns after the first few months of going city to city. Maybe pick a place and try to set up a life there for a little while?