Ask HN: Burned Out. Is a sabbatical a good idea and will I ever work again?

#1

Post by sabbatical13 » Mon, Jun 13, 2011, 5:38 PM UTC

Hi, I'm in my early 20s and based in the US. I started working at a big company in IT last year, and lately, I've become disillusioned with the work I'm doing and the people I'm working with. Since starting, I've slowly stopped working on personal projects, and can't seem do any real work on any of my ideas.

Getting up to go to work is starting to be a pain and I feel like I'm spending a quarter of my time worrying about office politics rather than getting any real work done. My productivity is approaching zero, and I can't even get myself to apply for other jobs when I get back home. I read the description of burnout from jacquesm and it hit me hard - almost all of it seemed true for me. A combination of burnout and depression and not enjoying what I'm working on is killing my passion and motivation. I don't even know if I'm mentally ready for another job.

I have around $10k saved up and instead of getting another job, I'm thinking of taking a 3 or 6 month sabbatical to reboot my career, explore East Asia and develop my skills. I imagine with expenses, I can get by with spending about $5000 if I live cheaply which I plan to do. I've had this idea brewing in my head for a while, but everyone I talk to thinks its crazy so I wanted to get some advice from HN.Note: I have no dependents or girlfriend and besides student loans, no real commitments.

What I fear is that once I return, I will not be able to get another job because employers will care about the resume gap. Who here has done something similar? If so: What were things you took into account before making the decision? What would you do to make the most of a sabbatical? What can I do to prepare the best for when I get back in terms of looking for a job / starting my own thing?

Thanks, really appreciate your recommendations and insights!

Re: Ask HN: Burned Out. Is a sabbatical a good idea and will I ever work again?

#2

Post by seasoup » Mon, Jun 13, 2011, 5:44 PM UTC

Do it. I took 7 months off after working for 5 years at megacorp and getting burned out. Take the time off to revitalize yourself. Don't do any coding or programming for a month at least. I went to China and studied martial arts for a month, then came back and spent time in the SF night life and Burning Man crowd.

Then I started working at a startup, which was much much better then working at megacorp. Much less politics, much more freedom to do what you want, and you have much more impact. Less soul sucking :)

Re: Ask HN: Burned Out. Is a sabbatical a good idea and will I ever work again?

#3

Post by rexreed » Mon, Jun 13, 2011, 5:47 PM UTC

Yes! If you need to refresh your mind, get a new perspective on what you are doing and what's important to you, and seek internal satisfaction, I think it's a great idea to take a sabbatical, or a long vacation of some sort.

Ignore the people who think it's crazy - they aren't walking in your shoes and feeling your malaise. Don't fear your return back to the workplace - in fact, I think spending time figuring out what's important to you and broadening your experiences and perspective should make you more interesting to prospective employers than if you trudged forward in a job that you have little zest for.

Keep a blog. Track your experiences. (In the old days, this would be a diary). Figure out what's meaningful to you. Expand your experiences - push your boundaries. This is your chance to rediscover what makes you tick and perhaps why you're doing what you're doing now. Or maybe that you actually want to do something else.