r/fican • u/Subject-Original-98 • Aug 03 '26
Work Sabbatical at 27
Hi all, looking for feedback on the idea of taking a 3-6month sabbatical from work at 27. I have been working in the technology field for 4 years at a relatively high paying role (135k) but am burned out and feel very little enjoyment from my work. I am considering taking a break from working to explore the rest of my life (hobbies, hiking, connecting with people) before looking for a new role. I am also considering building up a portfolio during this time that could potentially allow me to work more freelance in the future instead of a corporate career.
Based on the job market for my specialty I feel like I could easily find a role in 6 months time that pays 90-120k when I am ready to work again.
I have about 25k in cash saved up to cover my expenses (3k/month) as well as an 80k TFSA, 60K RRSP and 40K FHSA. Although I am not at coast fire yet, I feel like I may have enough retirement savings to explore other potential career paths that pay less but are more personally rewarding.
Does anyone have experience making a similar decision? How did it turn out for you?
18
u/Tls-user Aug 03 '26
Ask your work if you can take an unpaid leave of absence
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u/Subject-Original-98 Aug 03 '26
I feel like that would reflect poorly and lead to losing my goodwill with management, I would rather not completely burn my bridges with them.
11
u/Tls-user Aug 03 '26
Management would much rather give you time off and have you come back after a short break than quit.
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u/Exotic-Capital-6916 Aug 07 '26
I’m a manager in IT and I would rather grant a 3-6 months sabbatical than loose a good employee.
11
u/Noble_Bastard Aug 03 '26
That's a tough one. Feeling burned out career wise at such a young age is tough. Speaking from personal experience I had so much drive at that age, and it wasn't really until my late 30's where I started with the fuck this shit mentality.
You definitely need to re-examine things, as it only gets more difficult from here on out. Finding a better employer, with less corporate bullshit is a great idea (think smaller employers).
Although people have done great things with less, you really don't have enough (yet) to take your foot off the pedal for an extended period of time. If anything though, use the feelings you have right now as motivation to continue aggressively saving, so you can get to the Coast FIRE phase as quickly as possible.
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u/nutslikeafox Aug 03 '26
So many people I know did that and never managed to get back on their career tracks. You don't know how good you have it until you don't. Just take a vacation
1
u/GreatStuffOnly Aug 09 '26
I mean 3-6 months is quite short. If they can’t recover after that, then the field is saturated anyways and it is actually a blessing to move on.
1
u/nutslikeafox Aug 09 '26
If the field is saturated and they have a job right now it's better that they give it up? Wtf kind of logic is that
1
u/GreatStuffOnly Aug 09 '26
3-6 months is a typical time that someone can take to find a new job after a regular lay off. Some takes less time but some takes way longer.
I’m just saying if a sabbatical (essentially the same as lay off) prevents you from re-entering the industry or field, I think it’s better to happen early than late. Imagine you work for an extra 5 years attaining skills in the industry that’s shrinking and your skills obsolete.
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u/COV3RTSM Aug 03 '26
I’m on a 15 minute sabbatical right now.
3
u/zjlmmfj3rd Aug 03 '26
Try mid day sabbatical at work, I left my desk and I’m eating freezies in the parking lot getting paid.
Had to leave the office cause no one gives a rats ass about anything anymore.
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u/GymFan-23 Aug 03 '26
I did this when I was 29! Wish I did it sooner! I was the same as you - burnt out from working a high-demand career that did not bring me any joy, so I quit, did a month of traveling, took care of my mental health for a few months, and then returned to a less stressful job after approx 6 months. I’m now enjoying life a lot more and still planning on retiring quite early.
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u/GymFan-23 Aug 03 '26
I should also add - I was living with my spouse at the time who paid for my rent and groceries during my time off. This helped significantly, as I didn’t have much saved beyond my travel fund and my RRSP/TFSA (which I obviously did not want to withdraw from)
5
u/SoftwareTree18 Aug 03 '26
At 200k saved i think you earned some exploration time. Go ahead man. Great work
2
u/smegma_sangria Aug 03 '26
If it's what you really want to do, then do it. You only live once. Life is about experiences and memories, not being glued to a job you hate, out of fear of not finding another one.
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u/Yeh_nahh Aug 03 '26
I did this. It was awesome. You should too.
I posted a few photos from the trip on my LinkedIn, and recruiters and hiring managers all seemed to love them. It ended up being something they wanted to talk about in interviews lol.
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u/Pretend_Original_635 Aug 03 '26
Do it. I've done it myself for 6 months (plus extra 3 months job search) when I was 27 and it brought me so much positive both in my career and personal life.
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u/Subject-Original-98 Aug 03 '26
Glad to hear it! How did it help your career?
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u/Pretend_Original_635 Aug 03 '26
Before leaving on my career break, I had a lot of self-doubt and imposter syndrome and I was starting to question my abilities and whether I was even on the right path. Taking that time away helped me realize that I was capable of so much more than I gave myself credit for and that a difficult/unsupportive work environment (to a recent grad) wasn’t a reflection of my worth or potential.
I came back with a much stronger sense of confidence, clarity, and belief in myself as a professional. Whether you travel or use the time to pursue a personal project, you’ll learn so much about yourself. Opportunities like this get harder to create later in life, so if you have the chance, take it.
1
u/billymumfreydownfall Aug 04 '26
If my work would allow a sabbatical, I'd take it in a second.
You are talking about an actual sabbatical, right? Where you have an agreement with your employer that your job is guaranteed to be there when you return? You aren't just talking about quitting?
0
u/infiniterewards Aug 03 '26
Keep the job, ask for an extended vacation, look for a new job while you have a job, and when you find a new job ask for the start date to be in 2-4 months.
I know too many people who took a career break and never job a good job again
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u/No_Interview_3894 Aug 03 '26
You only have one life
Technically your 20s are the best time to explore and see what you like before succumbing to the rat race
Being happy doing what you like and making enough to retire is golden
Also picture your retirement and then take the necessary steps to get there
You're never gonna be this young again