Have you ever found yourself bored or rundown by your job? Or feeling like you’re not reaching your full potential? If so, taking a career break could be the answer.
A career break could mean the chance to travel, work abroad, pursue a new hobby, learn a new skill, or just take a break from the daily grind.
The benefits of taking such a trip away are well discussed and listed below are just a few reasons why it could be perfect for you.
Whether it’s a month or two – or a year or two – taking a break from your career could give you the motivation to make positive changes in your life.
Break your routine
It’s easy to get stuck in a rut with your job.
Constant emails, endless meetings, and the same routine week after week. Then outside of work, there are bills to pay, dishes to wash, family commitments, and weekends which seem to pass by way too quickly.
Sometimes you need more than a holiday to break the cycle. A longer period away from work, chasing new experiences, and travelling to new places could be the answer. All it takes is a shakeup of your routine to allow you to see what’s really important in life.
Breaking your routine will give you the time and motivation to chase new experiences and set new goals for yourself.
Gain a new perspective on work and life
Sometimes you need to step away from your work to see the bigger picture.
In particular, if you use a career break to travel, you are going to gain a whole new perspective. Suddenly, you’ll realise the office dramas of your co-workers are completely insignificant; people are suffering much worse in the world. You’ll see that being stuck at your desk is actually unproductive and that you’ll boost your creativity through the freedom of travel and new surroundings.
Some realise that striving to earn more money isn’t so satisfying; some people live much happier lives with a lot less than you have.
Spark a change
If you don’t like your job, taking a career break could be the spark you need to change your life.
Ask anyone who has taken a career break and they’ll tell you they’ve made major positive changes to their life as a result. Travelling to new places could spark a change in career, or pursuing a new hobby could help you make new friends or a partner.
Even just taking time off will give you the mental space to figure out what’s important in life.
Boost your resume
If you like your job, but feel like you might not be reaching your full potential, a career break could be the perfect way to take your career to the next level.
Consider taking a working holiday, volunteering overseas, immersing yourself in a different culture, learning a language, or stepping outside of your comfort zone. All these experiences will add valuable skills to your resume and they will give you an advantage when applying for a new job or asking for a promotion (if you like the sound of any, check out The Sabbatical Guide’s article on career break ideas to delve deeper into ideas you’d be passionate about.) Think of a career break as an opportunity to add leadership, teamwork, initiative, and problem-solving skills to your resume.
Not only will you give your resume a boost, but you’ll also boost your drive and motivation at the same time.
Why not?
If you’ve read this far, chances are you’ve started to see the benefits of taking a break.
So, stop and think for a second, what is holding you back from doing just that? Are you worried your boss won’t let you take the time off? Then make your argument for how beneficial a career break would be to you and your productivity. Got a family or partner to consider? Try talking to them about a potential career break and see how you can make it work for everyone. Is it a fear of the unknown or the challenge of breaking out of your comfort zone? If so, consider what you’ll miss out on if you don’t do it.
Life is too short to not take chances, so start planning your career break now!
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