Ask HN: Taking Time Off?

Hi all, i wanted to ask the hive mind about subject of taking some extended time off.

I’m relatively early in my career, but have been fortunate financially since i started. I have the ability to pay expenses for a year, or longer.

My question is essentially: is it career suicide to take 3-6 months or more off of “official” work?

With the covid pandemic the past two years, and with work on top I’m feeling the burn-out. I think it would be better for me, and better for my work, if i took some time off.

This would probably involve separating with my current employer, and finding a new position at the end of the sabbatical. I would also keep my skills sharp, programming & collaborating with friends.

is it career suicide to take 3-6 months or more off of “official” work?

no

Certainly not a career suicide. Sharpen the saw, build things you can showcase, and have a good story to tell when you want to get back to work next year. Enjoy the time off.

fwiw, I'm currently ending ~6mo of time off. I'm further in my career, 15 YOE and in management. I didn't plan this and only did it as a result of joining a toxic startup.

The time off itself was great. I struggled to get away from needing to feel productive, but did explore some new tech and played some games. I would recommend a small break to anyone.

You would think being in management would make reentry harder, but I got a good pay bump and switched industries. The market is definitely hot. I also didn't get questioned about my time off. I framed it as "taking care of family" and that was the end of it.

I tell this to my newbies too - make sure you're developing good work habits. If this break is the result of the pandemic, do it. But if you're doing it to get away from work after only a few years of experience, be careful because unsustainable work habits don't go away.

I took about 12 months off from working and it was totally fine. When I started looking for work again most companies either didn't ask why I took the time off, or if they did I told them I just wanted to take some time off and they said "cool" and moved on.

The other benefit I got from this is I ended up moving into a different career direction when I did go back to work. Previously I had done a lot of infrastructure stuff in Go/Python, and during my time off I realized I wanted to do more low level work in C++. This wasn't my plan or intention in any way when I took time off, it was just something that occurred to me while I was taking a break. It ended up working out great for me and it's probably something I wouldn't have done had I not had the time to rest, think about things, and then study while preparing to interview again.