The Case for Mini Career Breaks - Preface
Life is long if you know how to live it.
Unfortunately, for most of us, living requires earning a living.
Among people who have careers, there’s a few approaches to work/life balance: Working 24/7 even while “on PTO”, work-hard/play-hard, frequently dipping into negative PTO balances, and the classic clock-in, clock-out then call it a day.
What all approaches have in common is: Lifestyle preference. We all choose different lifestyles, and have different desired lifestyles.
Money, health, and time to ourselves are major factors. Whether or not you love your job, you can probably relate to the tension between wanting to live your life and needing money to do that.
I’ve always been of the mindset that it’s important to love what you do, find joy in the every day, and suffer as minimally as possible. In essence, HAVE FUN! Life is short! Joie de vivre, carpe diem & c'est la vie ☮️
Yes, I do believe working can be fun, and unfortunately that’s part of why I’ve spent a cumulation of countless months working overtime for little financial reward, pushing myself to the limits to improve internal operational efficiencies and company profits.
Though I have also dipped into negative PTO and seem to have a chronic problem where my time-off never accumulates fast enough.
I enjoy working, and I enjoy living. As an American it feels a rarity, and problematic to want to live solidly in both buckets.
Considering options for a balanced approach to this mindset, while I’m theoretically in favor of a years-long hiatus for all, that seems slightly unrealistic. I think Europe has it right where you take a month holiday at the end of summer. Alas, I live in the Midwest, so I must engineer my own happiness unless I want to move overseas.
The corporate world moves fast. As we’re all aware, AI is rapidly accelerating the way we work and live, and I do believe it’s true that if you’re not involved you risk getting left behind.
I don’t mind admitting that I would prefer to stay up-to-date with corporate trends, and actively contribute. I’m personally not anti-corporation or anti-capitalism.
Yet, I also have a strong desire to “take it easy”, enjoy slow mornings (that bleed into lazy afternoons), and relish in impromptu lingering-lunches with family and friends.
Enter: The mini career break.
Through the past 15 years I’ve managed to incidentally alternate hustling with adventuring, and have enjoyed 4 mini-breaks in addition to having traveled countless places. Places like Ecuador, Canada (2x), Paris, Scotland, and a coast-to-coast USA roadtrip to name a few.
In my upcoming thought pieces I’ll dive into each of my four mini breaks, why I took them, how I approached them, and what I gained from them.
Have you taken a career break, whether forced, planned, or spontaneous? Or know someone who has? Please comment & share, I’d love to hear from you.
