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Anecdotally, I'm already seeing this at my tech company. A few coworkers have quit without a next job lined up in order to take a sabbatical. This past year, i

Anecdotally, I'm already seeing this at my tech company. A few coworkers have quit without a next job lined up in order to take a sabbatical. This past year, if you've been working at a US tech company it's been easy to save enough money to just quit for a little while, and the fact that people haven't been able to buy things like childcare or vacations means they may really feel the need to.

booleandilemma 5y ago
What do they do about health insurance?
- miked85 5y ago
  I would guess the usual options like ACA or COBRA.
- yladiz 5y ago
  Either COBRA, pay for anything you go to the doctor for out of pocket, or just don’t get sick.
- RandallBrown 5y ago
  I quit my job a few years ago to go hiking for 4 months and I got free health insurance from my state since I had zero income.
- JamesSwift 5y ago
  COBRA is actually retroactive so you don't actually need to purchase it until you _need_ it. So a lot probably just bank on not needing it.
- hourislate 5y ago
  Just buy catastrophic. It's cheap and covers you for the big things (auto accident, heart attack, etc). Lots of doctors that only charge $30 for a regular visit (no insurance).
- shiohime 5y ago
  You can still purchase healthcare insurance through healthcare.gov, for up to 60 days after losing employer-supplied insurance, whether you were fired, or quit. Also, the enrollment period is extended through August last I checked due to COVID. So, basically you can just purchase your own after leaving, if you want. Or you can go COBRA, but that's hella expensive.
  - ghaff 5y ago
    >Or you can go COBRA, but that's hella expensive. Well, it's expensive, in many cases, because you're paying for an unsubsidized high-end company plan.
tenaciousDaniel 5y ago
That's exactly what I did. Part of me feels guilty about it because I don't have kids, so I feel like I can't really complain by comparison. But I feel just so tired that I literally couldn't do my job anymore.
- magneticnorth 5y ago
  Yeah, I've been struggling this spring, too. I also don't have kids, and the hours I've been working are reasonable, but living through a year+ of pandemic has resulted in a weird kind of exhausted burnout. I'm actually hoping returning part-time to the office will help.
ghaff 5y ago
This article does call out for some actual data although the general point that people may not have seen this as the best time to switch jobs makes sense. That said, I've seen a pretty decent in and out flow of people from and to other jobs where I work. I've also seen some retirements. Which is par for the course naturally. On the other hand, it's not out of the realm of possibility to imagine people deciding to stick it out for another year when there's nothing to do anyway but figuring that right about now is as good a time as any if they were near to pulling the trigger anyway.
allenu 5y ago
This is something I’m considering myself. I’ve been working in the industry for a while and have always thought about taking a few months off from working but just never had the guts to leave the comfortable routine. Now I’m considering it seriously when it seems the pandemic has died down enough. Being cooped up working at home has made me realize time is precious and I should broaden my horizons a bit.

booleandilemma 5y ago

What do they do about health insurance?

miked85 5y ago
I would guess the usual options like ACA or COBRA.
yladiz 5y ago
Either COBRA, pay for anything you go to the doctor for out of pocket, or just don’t get sick.
RandallBrown 5y ago
I quit my job a few years ago to go hiking for 4 months and I got free health insurance from my state since I had zero income.
JamesSwift 5y ago
COBRA is actually retroactive so you don't actually need to purchase it until you _need_ it. So a lot probably just bank on not needing it.
hourislate 5y ago
Just buy catastrophic. It's cheap and covers you for the big things (auto accident, heart attack, etc). Lots of doctors that only charge $30 for a regular visit (no insurance).
shiohime 5y ago
You can still purchase healthcare insurance through healthcare.gov, for up to 60 days after losing employer-supplied insurance, whether you were fired, or quit. Also, the enrollment period is extended through August last I checked due to COVID. So, basically you can just purchase your own after leaving, if you want. Or you can go COBRA, but that's hella expensive.
- ghaff 5y ago
  >Or you can go COBRA, but that's hella expensive. Well, it's expensive, in many cases, because you're paying for an unsubsidized high-end company plan.

tenaciousDaniel 5y ago

That's exactly what I did. Part of me feels guilty about it because I don't have kids, so I feel like I can't really complain by comparison. But I feel just so tired that I literally couldn't do my job anymore.

magneticnorth 5y ago
Yeah, I've been struggling this spring, too. I also don't have kids, and the hours I've been working are reasonable, but living through a year+ of pandemic has resulted in a weird kind of exhausted burnout. I'm actually hoping returning part-time to the office will help.

ghaff 5y ago

This article does call out for some actual data although the general point that people may not have seen this as the best time to switch jobs makes sense. That said, I've seen a pretty decent in and out flow of people from and to other jobs where I work. I've also seen some retirements. Which is par for the course naturally. On the other hand, it's not out of the realm of possibility to imagine people deciding to stick it out for another year when there's nothing to do anyway but figuring that right about now is as good a time as any if they were near to pulling the trigger anyway.

allenu 5y ago

This is something I’m considering myself. I’ve been working in the industry for a while and have always thought about taking a few months off from working but just never had the guts to leave the comfortable routine. Now I’m considering it seriously when it seems the pandemic has died down enough. Being cooped up working at home has made me realize time is precious and I should broaden my horizons a bit.