Sabbaticals

There are many different types of sabbaticals. We’ve broken them down into three main Sabbatical Types:

Workplace - This is a sabbatical in which you leave your job for a time of renewal with the intention of returning to your same job or company

Between-Gigs - This is a sabbatical where you hand in your notice to your existing employer and take a break before moving on to a new job or different line of work

Unexpected - This ever-increasing type of sabbatical is taken when you lose your job. For most people, losing your job is like having your life raft snatched away, and your first reaction is survival: grab another, quick! With increasing competition for fewer jobs, it can be difficult and worrisome to be suddenly on the job market. In these circumstances, however, the best solution might be to take some time out to reassess and figure out what to do next — before you start looking for the next position. After taking this sabbatical, it is more likely that you will end up in a job that you enjoy and find rewarding. The sabbatical will benefit you personally and may even give you a competitive advantage professionally. In this way, a lay-off can be seen as an opportunity leading to any of the sabbatical motivations described below.

SABBATICAL MOTIVATIONS

Behind every sabbatical decision are uniquely individual motivations. Sabbaticals motivations typically fall into seven types: Career Enhancement, Course Correction or Reinvention, Family-Related, Emotional Healing, Volunteering, Life Enhancement, and Pre-Retirement. But these types of sabbaticals are not hard and fast — the mixture of motivations of sabbaticals makes them hard to fit into tidy boxes. As you read, you’ll probably recognize yourself in one or more of the types.

Career Enhancement

A career enhancement sabbatical can be taken from the workplace, between gigs, or to burnish credentials for your next career move. The motivation may be higher pay, more job satisfaction, a climb up the ladder to a position with greater responsibility, or just to come back a better, recharged employee.

Course Correction or Reinvention Sabbatical

Many people go to work every day with a terrible secret: they know they are in the wrong career, but they don’t know how to get out of it. A course correction or reinvention sabbatical can help you explore possibilities for change and lead you in a new or even unexpected direction, even returning to an old dream.

Family-Related Sabbatical

Often, family-related reasons compel one to take a sabbatical. When family obligations and job commitments clash, we can go into overwhelm and need a time out. A family-related sabbatical allows you to let go of the guilt and devote time to the people who need you most.

Emotional Healing Sabbatical

An emotional healing sabbatical is about taking the time to face one’s wounds and transition to a new “place” with lessons learned. The wounds may not be entirely gone at sabbatical’s end, but time and a new understanding of life will have made them more bearable.

Volunteering Sabbatical

Many people long to spend time volunteering. They want to contribute in some personal way to making the world a better place.  Some of us want to spend more time and have a stronger engagement than can be done while working. A volunteering sabbatical can be the answer.

Life Enhancement Sabbatical

Sometimes a sabbatical happens just because you want to take some time for yourself and see what it feels like to stop working for a while. Life enhancement sabbaticals often have an important dose of spiritual enlightenment as people seek ways to nourish their souls and get to know themselves better.

Pre-Retirement Sabbatical

As people approach retirement age, they often begin to think about what they will do in the next phase of their life, and they want to position themselves for it. A pre-retirement sabbatical in their 50’s or 60’s can help them explore what to do later.

Tell us about your sabbatical experience! Please fill out the survey below or post your story on our Blog.

TELL US YOUR STORY

Name (first name only is fine)
Email (optional)
City
Current Age
Age at Sabbatical(s)	Choose Age; Choose Age Under 12 12-16 17-21 22-29 30-39 40-59 60-99
Why did you take your sabbatical(s)?
What did you do during your time off?
Did you go back to the same job, another job, another company, another career?
What was the most important lesson learned?
Can you give us the name of any organization or corporation that offers sabbatical programs? (We already have a long list of companies that recognize the value of sabbaticals, and we’d love to expand the list)
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