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I'm happy for you but this is a super privileged viewpoint that most people can't really learn from. I'd be happy too if I could just take a year off and do wha

I'm happy for you but this is a super privileged viewpoint that most people can't really learn from. I'd be happy too if I could just take a year off and do whatever I want. Most people can't do things like traveling to different cities and trying out a new place for 3 months. It's just unrealistic and only reflects and incredibly tiny population. More importantly: has it really been the best thing you've done for your career? It sounds like you've had a great time but we don't know how this materially affected your career. What about your sabbatical has made your career better now that you've done it? All I've seen is that you've open sourced a Hugo theme, read a few books, and you worked on a side project. Sounds like something plenty of people do with 40 hour workweeks.

themoonbus 8y ago
I think a more accurate title could simply be "not working for a year is fun"... and then the immediate reaction is "no kidding".
- jhu247 8y ago
  Ha, that would've been better!
  - themoonbus 8y ago
    Snark aside, it is good to take a step back and re-evaluate life priorities. And also importantly, to be more mindful of work life balance... and if you're in a position to do so, advocate for more positive balance between the two at your next workplace.
- quickthrower2 8y ago
  Just due to fatigue (perhaps CFS not sure) I've taken 6 weeks off between jobs this year and last. The fatigue is probably why I'm getting crushed by these jobs. Watched all if breaking bad, did stuff like that. No achievements. Its nice to just rest. With kids there is still a lot to do. It feels like no job + kids is enough to keep me fulfilled if I had unlimited money.
whack 8y ago
> I'm happy for you but this is a super privileged viewpoint that most people can't really learn from. I'd be happy too if I could just take a year off and do whatever I want. Most people can't do things like traveling to different cities and trying out a new place for 3 months. It's just unrealistic and only reflects and incredibly tiny population. To be fair, he says the exact same thing in his opening paragraphs. I think there's value in people sharing their experiences, even if it isn't directly applicable to 99% of the population. I agree with your other points though. It sounds like he's happy with his decisions for personal-fulfillment reasons. He didn't do a good job of explaining how it advanced his career.
- jhu247 8y ago
  Thanks for the feedback, @whack. Saying that it's the "best thing I've done in my life" is way too dramatic, but at this point in my career it has been the best thing I've done because of how much I've grown personally. I don't consider myself a good writer so your point is very helpful.
  - sctb 8y ago
    (Hacker News is a threaded discussion forum, y'all! The addressee is structurally implicit.)
- bluto 8y ago
  Agree re not explaining how it advanced his career. I did something similar about 10y ago. Was burned out so skied all spring, hiked and went abroad during summer, did a small amount of contract dev then gradually decided it was time to get back to real work. Don't necessarily think it helped my career nor was I expecting it to. Had to explain to recruiters and companies the gap in my resume which not everyone could relate to ... but ... so what. I had a lot of fun.
jhu247 8y ago
Appreciate the feedback @acconrad. I understand that I'm extremely fortunate, and I try to point that out in the introduction of my article. Like @whack commented, I'm sharing my personal experience---both the good and the bad---and all the better if there's an element to it that a reader can relate to. As for your other point, does the best thing for a career have to make it _materially_ better? For me personally, the time off and self-reflection has been a better learning experience than if I hadn't quit, especially the ideas regarding agency and productivity, and these are things that will stay with me into whatever I do next. I don't doubt that people with 40 hour workweeks can do the little that I've done, but if you see the goals that I set out for myself these were just a minor aspect of what I wanted to accomplish.
- newnewpdro 8y ago
  The jury's still out on if this was good for your career. The title is borderline clickbait due to this word choice. I don't doubt taking a sabbatical was good for you in various ways, but your career is probably not one of them as of now. I've taken numerous lengthy sabbaticals, and find them the only way to maintain anything resembling a fair work:life balance. But I am under no delusions of them being good for my career, they're practically explicitly anti-career - I deliberately walk away from the competition for extended periods of time. I've just chosen to not care, because I prioritize other aspects of my life differently than one who lives to work.
  - dougmwne 8y ago
    You both seem to be making the exact same point from different directions. Being a burnt out husk is terrible for your career and work performance. You both feel like the sabbaticals are restoring the life side of the work-life balance. Therefore taking a break is actually enhancing your career. Just like sleeping at night helps you accomplish more during the day.
    - newnewpdro 8y ago
      Sabbaticals are beneficial in all sorts of ways, and it's possible those benefits may confer benefits to your profession. It is not safe to assume those potential benefits will outweigh the substantial negatives of not participating in the competition while your peers continue without you.
zzaip 8y ago
@acconrad This response feels unjustifiably bitter and negative. Joshua acknowledges his privilege in the second paragraph. His privilege neither invalidates his experience or makes it useless to share. While I too would be interested to know how the time off materially affected his career, I suspect that this hasn't fully revealed itself to Joshua yet. Despite the misleading title, I still enjoyed the read.
coldtea 8y ago
>I'm happy for you but this is a super privileged viewpoint that most people can't really learn from. I'd be happy too if I could just take a year off and do whatever I want. Most people can't do things like traveling to different cities and trying out a new place for 3 months. Most people 18-25 can. First, tons of people at those ages actively burn tons of money on BS like a useless college degree (and not even the kind that lands you an actual job). Not doing anything would be an improvement for them (and cost less). Second, you can do that with no money at all (tons of people do it on $5 a day style, or getting some work where they travel to pay for the costs, or just using one of the several of networks where you can exchange places for free, etc.). I know lots of people at that age that work for a few months and live off that for the rest -- and I'm not talking about making a full yearly wage on those months, they just live on little. When you're young a futon and a few pieces of stuff will do. (I actually know older people living like that too -- in cultures where not following some career and making do with little is not considered "white trash" or "hippie", e.g. in the countryside in Europe and so on). Also, you seem to be harshly criticizing the author and what he done in this span, but how are your choices working for you? Not great from what we read in your comment.
- debt 8y ago
  "tons of people do it on $5 a day style" Fallback is important though; that is the "if I run out of money, seriously, then what do I do?" There's a huge different between a $5/day lifestyle and a fallback to your parents basement vs a $5/day lifestyle and a fallback to, well, I guess I'll be living on the street. The difference in cognitive load and stress between the two is staggering. Having a fallback is a very privileged position to be in. Most entrepreneurs don't want to admit they can fallback to a parent's basement somewhere as it kind of kills their image.
  - coldtea 8y ago
    >The difference in cognitive load and stress between the two is staggering. Having a fallback is a very privileged position to be in. I dunno, in many cases I know (or used to know, not so young myself anymore) the fallback was either "back with the parents for a while to sort things out", "find some place to rent with/without a roommate(s) and get a job" (which could be waiting tables too). Nobody really has any "fallback" in the sense of money in the bank or family fortune. So not much privilege required. As said, when you're young and without spouse/kids.
qaq 8y ago
HN is not exactly most people it's very easy to get remote gig or save up money that would let you travel in Asia for a year. I bet if it was a priority for you you could too.

themoonbus 8y ago

I think a more accurate title could simply be "not working for a year is fun"... and then the immediate reaction is "no kidding".

jhu247 8y ago
Ha, that would've been better!
- themoonbus 8y ago
  Snark aside, it is good to take a step back and re-evaluate life priorities. And also importantly, to be more mindful of work life balance... and if you're in a position to do so, advocate for more positive balance between the two at your next workplace.
quickthrower2 8y ago
Just due to fatigue (perhaps CFS not sure) I've taken 6 weeks off between jobs this year and last. The fatigue is probably why I'm getting crushed by these jobs. Watched all if breaking bad, did stuff like that. No achievements. Its nice to just rest. With kids there is still a lot to do. It feels like no job + kids is enough to keep me fulfilled if I had unlimited money.

whack 8y ago

jhu247 8y ago
Thanks for the feedback, @whack. Saying that it's the "best thing I've done in my life" is way too dramatic, but at this point in my career it has been the best thing I've done because of how much I've grown personally. I don't consider myself a good writer so your point is very helpful.
- sctb 8y ago
  (Hacker News is a threaded discussion forum, y'all! The addressee is structurally implicit.)
bluto 8y ago
Agree re not explaining how it advanced his career. I did something similar about 10y ago. Was burned out so skied all spring, hiked and went abroad during summer, did a small amount of contract dev then gradually decided it was time to get back to real work. Don't necessarily think it helped my career nor was I expecting it to. Had to explain to recruiters and companies the gap in my resume which not everyone could relate to ... but ... so what. I had a lot of fun.

jhu247 8y ago

Appreciate the feedback @acconrad. I understand that I'm extremely fortunate, and I try to point that out in the introduction of my article. Like @whack commented, I'm sharing my personal experience---both the good and the bad---and all the better if there's an element to it that a reader can relate to. As for your other point, does the best thing for a career have to make it _materially_ better? For me personally, the time off and self-reflection has been a better learning experience than if I hadn't quit, especially the ideas regarding agency and productivity, and these are things that will stay with me into whatever I do next. I don't doubt that people with 40 hour workweeks can do the little that I've done, but if you see the goals that I set out for myself these were just a minor aspect of what I wanted to accomplish.

newnewpdro 8y ago
The jury's still out on if this was good for your career. The title is borderline clickbait due to this word choice. I don't doubt taking a sabbatical was good for you in various ways, but your career is probably not one of them as of now. I've taken numerous lengthy sabbaticals, and find them the only way to maintain anything resembling a fair work:life balance. But I am under no delusions of them being good for my career, they're practically explicitly anti-career - I deliberately walk away from the competition for extended periods of time. I've just chosen to not care, because I prioritize other aspects of my life differently than one who lives to work.
- dougmwne 8y ago
  You both seem to be making the exact same point from different directions. Being a burnt out husk is terrible for your career and work performance. You both feel like the sabbaticals are restoring the life side of the work-life balance. Therefore taking a break is actually enhancing your career. Just like sleeping at night helps you accomplish more during the day.
  - newnewpdro 8y ago
    Sabbaticals are beneficial in all sorts of ways, and it's possible those benefits may confer benefits to your profession. It is not safe to assume those potential benefits will outweigh the substantial negatives of not participating in the competition while your peers continue without you.

zzaip 8y ago

@acconrad This response feels unjustifiably bitter and negative. Joshua acknowledges his privilege in the second paragraph. His privilege neither invalidates his experience or makes it useless to share. While I too would be interested to know how the time off materially affected his career, I suspect that this hasn't fully revealed itself to Joshua yet. Despite the misleading title, I still enjoyed the read.

coldtea 8y ago

>I'm happy for you but this is a super privileged viewpoint that most people can't really learn from. I'd be happy too if I could just take a year off and do whatever I want. Most people can't do things like traveling to different cities and trying out a new place for 3 months. Most people 18-25 can. First, tons of people at those ages actively burn tons of money on BS like a useless college degree (and not even the kind that lands you an actual job). Not doing anything would be an improvement for them (and cost less). Second, you can do that with no money at all (tons of people do it on $5 a day style, or getting some work where they travel to pay for the costs, or just using one of the several of networks where you can exchange places for free, etc.). I know lots of people at that age that work for a few months and live off that for the rest -- and I'm not talking about making a full yearly wage on those months, they just live on little. When you're young a futon and a few pieces of stuff will do. (I actually know older people living like that too -- in cultures where not following some career and making do with little is not considered "white trash" or "hippie", e.g. in the countryside in Europe and so on). Also, you seem to be harshly criticizing the author and what he done in this span, but how are your choices working for you? Not great from what we read in your comment.

debt 8y ago
"tons of people do it on $5 a day style" Fallback is important though; that is the "if I run out of money, seriously, then what do I do?" There's a huge different between a $5/day lifestyle and a fallback to your parents basement vs a $5/day lifestyle and a fallback to, well, I guess I'll be living on the street. The difference in cognitive load and stress between the two is staggering. Having a fallback is a very privileged position to be in. Most entrepreneurs don't want to admit they can fallback to a parent's basement somewhere as it kind of kills their image.
- coldtea 8y ago
  >The difference in cognitive load and stress between the two is staggering. Having a fallback is a very privileged position to be in. I dunno, in many cases I know (or used to know, not so young myself anymore) the fallback was either "back with the parents for a while to sort things out", "find some place to rent with/without a roommate(s) and get a job" (which could be waiting tables too). Nobody really has any "fallback" in the sense of money in the bank or family fortune. So not much privilege required. As said, when you're young and without spouse/kids.

qaq 8y ago

HN is not exactly most people it's very easy to get remote gig or save up money that would let you travel in Asia for a year. I bet if it was a priority for you you could too.