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We generally associate sabbaticals with university professors, who on a regular basis self-fund year-long excursions away from the normal routine, using the time to rejuvenate, travel or delve more deeply into a research interest. But Katrina McGhee, a career break and sabbatical coach, has been working with a different group of people who need a career refresh: Folks in their 30s and 40s who have sacrificed to achieve some success, are sensing burnout, worry they have chosen the wrong career path and are stuck spinning on a hamster wheel they need to escape.
It’s a journey she took herself at age 31, realizing market research wasn’t her life’s work. She saved US$40,000 over a few years to travel widely, and when down to $5,000 began to plan her return to work.
A key lesson for her from that 20-month break – and those she counsels – is that she had been pouring energy into things she didn’t want anymore. The break devoted energy to her dreams. It can also open doors to a new way of life. Travel shows you other cultures and lifestyles. It gives you space to create your own ideas and reconnect to desires that have been bottled up. Your perspective expands. “You realize you have more control over the trajectory of your life and can live a life that is more inspiring,” she says in an interview.
Another key lesson for her and others is that it is more painful to fail at a life you don’t want than to struggle to create the life you do want. The struggle – even if it comes with its own failures – has purpose and is driving you forward. And if it doesn’t work out, you can always go back, but perhaps still be ahead.
She surveyed her clients last year – the count is nearing 100 – and all are happy they took a break. But she stresses a break is not a magical cure-all to fix your life. The habits you have and the things you don’t like about your life are part of you and will continue to accompany you. The break gives you a chance to see what needs changing and consider how to do that.
Some people give up before doing that. They get worried about money draining, feel lazy or uncertain and grab a side job or even a new full-time one prematurely. “That discomfort is normal. And it’s in the discomfort that the change happens,” she says. “If you go through that ring of fire, a whole new world opens up for you.”
She repeatedly finds three main barriers to taking a career break:
- Money: The adventure must be funded and it involves financial instability. You have to start saving for it and change habits, downsizing your life by focusing better on where to spend your income. She says you also need to see it as an investment rather than an extravagant expense. “A lot of people I coach have access to the money but they will tell you they can’t afford it. It’s because they aren’t valuing it as an investment in their well-being,” she says.
- Career: It can feel like you are sabotaging the many years of hard work and sacrifice in your career. But she counters this journey will provide more clarity about who you are and what you want. It can provide space to acquire new skills. It can help you recharge, amp up your motivation and come back to the work force with more energy. That will make you a stronger performer and better candidate for promotions or different jobs.
- Perception: People worry they will be viewed as lazy, irresponsible or incapable. She counters that it is irresponsible to give up the chance to more fully develop and pursue your talents and needs because others around you might be skeptical.
So, consider it. “I have seen it improve people’s careers,” she says. “It improved mine. I got five offers in five weeks – one a dream job I was so excited to have.”
Quick hits
- Executive recruiter Gerald Walsh leads off a list of red flags in job interviews that scream “don’t hire me!” with these five: Speaking negatively about former employers; long, rambling answers; displaying little or no enthusiasm for the company or the job; a pattern of leaving jobs because of disagreements with bosses; and ambiguity about why you left a particular job, especially when you weren’t moving to another one.
- Don’t be afraid to use notes in a talk, even if other presenters aren’t, says public-speaking coach Jezra Kaye in her newsletter. To pull this off with confidence, practise a lot so that you know what’s in your talk and can look at the audience often. Also, format your notes so that when you glance down at the page you can immediately find where you are.
- External competitiveness is a curse but internal competitiveness – trying to improve yourself – is a blessing, argues venture capitalist Sahil Bloom.
Harvey Schachter is a Kingston-based writer specializing in management issues. He, along with Sheelagh Whittaker, former CEO of both EDS Canada and Cancom, are the authors of When Harvey Didn’t Meet Sheelagh: Emails on Leadership.