A Career Sabbatical Can Help Your Career

The pressure and stress of the workplace leave most of us fatigued and burned out on the job. We yearn for rejuvenation, not just physically but also psychologically. We realize, however, that a week's break from the office is not enough. We are looking at a career sabbatical — an extended break from a career that can give us the time to be with ourselves and the perspective to think about the bigger picture.

Career sabbaticals are a good opportunity to focus on what we really expect from our professional lives and whether we really want to pursue what we are currently into. A sabbatical can help us gauge whether we are getting what we really want from our career and life. Of course, while a career sabbatical might sound very attractive, it is extremely important to give careful thought to whether it is really the right time to take a break. It is important to justify why you want a career break and what you hope to achieve from it. Simple problems like fatigue, boredom, and a shortage of personal time are not sufficient reasons for making such a big decision.

That said, there can be many valid reasons for taking a career sabbatical. The most common ones are:

To study further
To travel and see the world
To give back to society by contributing time to charitable organizations
To pursue a hobby
To socialize and spend quality time with friends and family

There can also be numerous benefits from taking a sabbatical. Here are some of the most common:

To recharge and rejuvenate
To discover hidden talents
To develop new skills
To gain new knowledge that will help you professionally

Many companies have policies to facilitate career breaks for their employees. While most of them will not continue to pay an employee during a break, they will, however, continue to provide certain benefits and guarantee a job upon the employee’s return. If your organization doesn’t already have such policies, then you might try to come to an independent arrangement with your employer. The result of such negotiations would depend considerably, of course, on how valuable you have become to the organization during your tenure and how important your skills are to your department. If you cannot secure any sort of guarantee from your employer, and feel that you are left with no option but to quit your job to take a career sabbatical, then you should weigh the pros and cons of such a decision carefully. Family and friends are a particular blessing during such times as they can help you make the right decision.

It is possible that you could lose all that you have earned and achieved through years of hard work in your profession by taking a career break. However, if you plan to develop new skills and take up a new profession after the break, then there is not much to worry about. Whether a sabbatical is right or wrong at this stage of your career really depends on your priorities and future plans.

Taking leave from your current job is always preferable to quitting your job for a career sabbatical. Here are a few things you should do while on your sabbatical if you plan to come back to your current profession:

Keep in touch with your colleagues to stay informed about the happenings in your organization
Be aware of industry developments and news
Hone your current professional skills and don’t allow yourself to get rusty
Prepare yourself to return to a different organization when you come back

Taking a career sabbatical should never be an impulsive decision, because you need to plan well in advance how you are going to manage your financial commitments without your monthly salary during this period. In such times, you have options like advanced planning to save for the break, getting a loan, or working on other projects.

Career sabbaticals are gaining acceptance in the corporate world today. If your current job is causing distress and unhappiness, then a break is definitely a wise decision. Get out and gather new skills, and come back rejuvenated to take on the world!

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A Career Sabbatical Can Help Your Career