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Im quitting and not looking for another job. Gonna use the savings to take a gap year, or a couple, work on some stuff I want maybe. Maybe more involvement in O

by dreen 5y ago

Im quitting and not looking for another job. Gonna use the savings to take a gap year, or a couple, work on some stuff I want maybe. Maybe more involvement in OSS is coming too? I've never had a gap year, it was all school, then immigration, work, university, more work. Any holiday time you fly back home. I kept hearing its not unusual for people in the west to take gap years, so thats what Im doing. edit: thank you all for advice, encouragement as well as for cautious pessimism. By the amount of upvotes Im hoping Im not the only one doing this. See you out there!

elevenoh 5y ago
>Maybe more involvement in OSS is coming too? Yep, that's what I'm seeing already. Financially incentivized OSS (much of which falls under the label 'crypto') is very attractive if you're in the top percentiles of competence & drive. Has there ever been an open, competitive, global, beurocracy-free, low barrier to entry market like this?
- AlexDanger 5y ago
  Can you give some examples of this financially incentivized OSS that falls under 'crypto' ?
  - elevenoh 5y ago
    Much of crypto codebases are open source, where at the end of the day you're pushing to an OSS codebase. If you're paid by a crypto co., foundation, grants, or are financially incentivized by your crypto holdings to contribute, you're often within the bounds of both OSS & crypto. example: devs that've contributed to Defi projects e.g. uniswap, or received ethereum or solana grants for their OSS code (i think nearly everything user-facing in these organizations is OSS).
Jenk 5y ago
Best of luck! I didn't do a gap year either. I left education at 16 and immediately went into FTE and have been there ever since (for longer than I dare count) and now that I am all wrapped up in a mortgage and kids I'm not sure I'll be taking a gap year any time soon (voluntarily, anyway!) FWIW I have worked with several colleagues who took a gap year and never stopped. They pick up remote contract work along their travels and continue living the life of a modern day nomad. Not one of them is unhappy :)
throwaway0a5e 5y ago
>I kept hearing its not unusual for people in the west to take gap years, so thats what Im doing. You hear a heck of a lot more about it on HN than happens in reality. Maybe I don't hang out with the trust fund crowd enough but I don't know ANYONE who's taken a "gap year" where they weren't doing something for ~40hr/wk in order to make a buck. I know a few people who didn't jump right into career stuff after college but even they did low pay large applicant pool type jobs at least tangentially related to their careers (e.g. working as basically unskilled labor on tourist fishing charters in Miami before getting a real entry level job on a container ship). Heck, even the people who took a year off before college were doing stuff tangentially related to their career/skillset in that time (e.g. working for geek squad prior to going to school for CE). I know a couple people who went from full time to part time or to less demanding jobs in their field prior to retirement. I know a couple people who did jobs not related to their vocational training for less than a year after they got out of the military but that was more of a stopgap to keep a roof over their head. I don't know anyone who's gone from full time to part time or less unless it's part of a career transition or approach to retirement. I'm sure there's someone somewhere who's managed to pay their rent by waiting tables and stripping for a grand total of 15hr/wk and spent the rest of the time doing art or writing a book or something. I'm sure there's someone who's banked a ton of money and taken a year off in the middle of their career. I don't know anyone who's pulled something like that off.
- dreen 5y ago
  I only heard about it from friends here in UK, and they would typically do it between collage and uni. Thats when I came here and had to start working to support myself.
- girvo 5y ago
  Pretty common for a sizeable portion of high school graduates in Australia to take a gap year either immediately after graduation or after their first year of uni
- ramraj07 5y ago
  A good fraction of people I’ve come across in uni in the US have taken gap years (or just take forever to finish college). This is not normal for regular immigrants these days. I did not have saturdays off from when I was 15 till I turned 32. Even then I was in a tech job which had great vacation but still not months at a time. It’s literally alien for folks like us to have an entire year where we don’t need to report to anything at all. I wish the OP the best, I’m still waiting for the day I can do the same but that’s at least years away.
Qw3r7 5y ago
Good luck, and have fun!
hutzlibu 5y ago
I recommend traveling. See all the places, you want to see, with no pressure of having to go back to work by a fixed date, soon. Meet people, make new connections, chances are, you will find new opportunities to work, along the way. Bonus points, if you have all your stuff packed somewhere and not have to pay any rent. But it depends what you want, if you like your home, keep it. Have projects in your home ... There are lots of things to be done. Doing nothing is also fine for a while, but gets booring very soon and puts you in lethargic state ... wasting your time.
- paulcole 5y ago
  I took 3 years off, didn’t do anything other than read, watch tv, go to the movies, and walk/ride my bicycle. Never traveled once. Loved every minute of it. Doing nothing doesn’t get boring for everyone. And it’s my time not yours so who’s to say what a waste is? My biggest advice is to do what you want and don’t feel like you have to live up to some HN-gap-year fantasy. You might regret sitting in your apartment surfing the internet (I didnt) but you might also regret traveling. It’s your time. Do what you want.
  - mrfusion 5y ago
    What did you end up doing after the 3 years? Why did you end it?
    - paulcole 5y ago
      Got a job. Had 6 months of expenses left in the bank and didn’t want to risk dipping into stocks. I wasn’t wealthy in the HN sense though. This was 2010-2013 and my rent for a tiny studio apartment was $550 a month. Other major expenses were just internet (50 a month), groceries (few hundred a month), gym (35 a month) and electricity (20 a month). No cell phone. No car. For the 5 years leading up to that I was working full time during the day and doing freelance SEO writing side. Was able to save quite a bit. But I was really fortunate to be in the right time/place. Rent in my city had basically doubled (and then some) since then, for example.
aphextron 5y ago
>Im quitting and not looking for another job. Gonna use the savings to take a gap year, or a couple, work on some stuff I want maybe. Maybe more involvement in OSS is coming too? Unless you have some serious FU money saved up, I'd strongly reconsider. A "gap year" as an adult can make you radioactive to potential employers. And that cash goes quick when there's none coming in. Trust me I know. It's alluring to just walk away. But trying to get a job when you're unemployed is literally 10x harder than while employed, regardless of the actual circumstances of your departure. Just try taking a few weeks off first. And if that's not enough, ask for a sabbatical. At the very least have something lined up for a few months after you leave. Don't fall for the "I can have another job in two weeks" meme. It's rarely true in reality for all but the very top of the market.
- sfeng 5y ago
  I think this is horrible advice. I’ve hired all sorts of people with voluntary time off on their resume. Your experience doesn’t ‘expire’ in a single year. Life is about more than just working, if you have the money to take time off to enjoy your life you shouldn’t not do it out of fear.
  - 0xbadcafebee 5y ago
    He's right about it being harder to get a job while unemployed. You finish your gap year and then spend another 6 months trying to get hired. Maybe if you lived in SF it'd be easier.
    - sthu11182 5y ago
      Key thing, when you quit, don't burn bridges. I took a year off, did some traveling after working at my job for 8 years. At the end of the year, I applied to a few jobs, but my old boss contacted me to rehire me. I went back as if I never left. I am in a different field, so you experience may vary, but if you are in a good team, your old boss is likely to rehire you instead of investing in someone they don't know and have to train.
    - sumtechguy 5y ago
rikroots 5y ago
I've done this twice: the first time back in 2007 when I got made redundant and decided to use the time and money to study and indulge in my dream of writing a book; more recently (which is still ongoing) to recover from burnout and rediscover the joy of coding. I do not consider this time to be "gap year", but rather an investment in, and a reward for, myself. Why do I need such luxuries? Because time is short and nothing is destined. None of us are guaranteed to make it to retirement age. My Dad died when he was 54; my brother when he was 53. My sister survived her heart attack when she was 60 - luckily it happened when she was at work; she was a cleaner at a hospital. Keep a roof over your head, make sure you have enough food to live on. Don't leave it until the last minute to start looking for paid work. Most importantly, enjoy your time away from the capitalist treadmill - with good fortune this can become an investment in yourself that you'll never regret!
- mrfusion 5y ago
  Any tips on rediscovering the joy of coding?
  - rikroots 5y ago
    Make the work fun, and the result something that gives you (quiet) pride: https://codepen.io/kaliedarik/pen/ExyZKbY https://codepen.io/kaliedarik/pen/ExyZKbY
marvin 5y ago
Huh. Funny that you mention it. I decided this exact same thing for myself this winter, and just started. Same reasoning too. Is it only among technologists who have great recent returns in the stock market, or is this a wider trend?
- the_fire_friar 5y ago
  I think the FIRE movement is going to see a huge surge. Financial Independence Retire Early
  - malozite 5y ago
    I find the FIRE movement fascinating but also slightly depressing. Among the actually old (my parents' generation - in their 60s and 70s) retirees I know, around half of those retiring from decent 'knowledge worker' jobs have kept on working part-time to some extent. They are consultants, advisers, board members, independent researchers, and so on. They seem to be very happy - they are working at something they are good and believe in, while not having any economic constraint forcing them to work more than they want to, or for anyone they don't get along with. I can't imagine having 'Financial Independence', but not wanting to do something like this. I enjoy my work in general, and I would enjoy it much more if I had almost complete freedom to plan my day and to walk away from toxic situations. But all the FIRE people that I see online seem to be basing their lives on the other type of retiree - the ones who take leisure activities and sports such as bowling and tennis far too seriously, read and watch constantly but quite aimlessly, and go on endless trips to 'tick off' different world destinations.
    - marvin 5y ago
      I've been following this movement for well over a decade now, and it's not a heterogenous community. You see the entire spectrum, from people who just want to get really rich and indulge in expensive hobbies like keeping their own private jet, people who end up working and earning more after they're financially independent, to people who are burned out and can only imagine a retirement existence consisting of beaches and Netflix, plus quite a few bitter folks who mostly care about tearing others down. The 'RE' sort of implies not working, but I've seen plenty of accounts of people who ended up with varying degrees of work and income after they quit their regular jobs. For the folks who seem to seek retirement above all else, I wouldn't be surprised if burnout is both a big part of the motivation and the reason for why that is their main focus.
mmastrac 5y ago
I'm literally on that right now, working on fun projects. When you get older you just call it a sabbatical.
KineticLensman 5y ago
I haven't taken a gap year myself but a good friend took a six month unpaid travel-leave period in the company we both used to work for. He had a great time. When he finished and got back into work he realised that his break very similar to a female employee taking maternity leave. As it happened, our company was quite good with maternity leave, and many of the women who took it resumed very successful careers. So, perhaps worth checking at your own place to see how maternity leave is handled. He didn't notice any long term career effects although he had to re-establish himself somewhat with new people and projects that had appeared in his absence.
- lotsofpulp 5y ago
  > When he finished and got back into work he realised that his break very similar to a female employee taking maternity leave. I have not met a single woman who would compare maternity leave to a travel leave and a “great” time. Infants are a ton of work, and between recovering from the birthing process (a vaginal tear with a few stitches is considered one of the best outcomes), learning how to breastfeed, only sleeping 2 hours at a time due to breastfeeding, diastesis recti ruining your abs and making your core weak, pain from clogged milk ducts, pumping breast milk for storage since the US does not provide adequate leave so the kid has to go in daycare, hemorrhoids for a good portion of women, etc. I have no doubt anyone who has been through this would rather work an office job for 6 months.
  - kaesar14 5y ago
    I think all he meant was it was a similar break in terms of length of time and the company did a good job of re-integrating women who went on maternity leave for that length of time, leading to a good company culture in general for getting employees out for long amounts of time back into the thick of things.
    - lotsofpulp 5y ago
      Yes, I should have considered that! However, I do not think it is tenable for most employers due to the risk of the employee leaving permanently.
DrBazza 5y ago
> Maybe more involvement in OSS is coming too? Maybe not this directly, but I expect more people quitting "megacorp" jobs, will lead to another big wave of "innovation" in tech in the next few years as people spin up small companies to 'scratch that itch' they've had for a while.
wsc981 5y ago
In 2016 I took about half a year off, staying in Thailand and working on my hobby projects. Was one of the best, most happy periods in my life. It made me more focused on trying to reach early “retirement” so I can work fulltime on my hobbies. Hopefully I can achieve this goal before I’m 45 years old.
- the_fire_friar 5y ago
  Me too! I made this site to help: https://fiers.co https://fiers.co
  - wsc981 5y ago
    Nice, seems like a useful tool!
dominotw 5y ago
Same same!. I am going to start my gap yea in September and focus on finally getting that ski instructor certification that i've been dreaming about for years. I am going to start off my gap year with full time skiing and working on side projects on off/rest days and evenings.
donretag 5y ago
I have taken a year off before and a couple of months in between jobs. I think many of us have undergone once-in-a-lifetime type of stress in the past year that few would consider taking some time off as toxic. We all processed the events of the past year differently, and we all coped in different ways, but it still took a toll. I would encourage taking time off. The one major issue of taking some time off right now to travel is that it is incredibly difficult to do so. Many countries are still closed, or if open, have some sort of curfew. In the US, national parks are overwhelmed with tourists. If traveling solo, social distancing (either laws or new culture) makes it difficult to connect with strangers.
notjustanymike 5y ago
A 6 month gap was the healthiest emotional choice I ever made. Just be prepared that you have no idea how you'll react to it until you do it. I strongly recommend setting very light goals for the first month while you adjust, otherwise you'll stress yourself out. For me, I went with "Take one great photo a day."
- psychomugs 5y ago
  I've done two 366 photo-a-day projects (the first was in 2012, the second was 2020). Last year was simultaneously the worst and best time to do one; worst because of obvious reasons, but best because it was a quarantine monotony barometer ("monotometer") and helped me plan my days so that at least one interesting photographable thing would happen. I definitely felt burnout and oversharing, but I'd probably do it again and just keep the photos in a private album or print them immediately.
- afkoder 5y ago
  That's so wholesome. During my 6month gap I did nothing but see much THC I could put in my body, eat fried chicken, play computer games, watch porn, and generally decline physically, mentally, emotionally, etc. I think I learned a bad lesson by getting a much better and better-paying job than I had before the break, without putting much effort in.
f6v 5y ago
If you want and can take it - take it. You never know if you’ll be able to afford it in the near future.
rychco 5y ago
I’ve not taken a gap year or heard of anybody else that has either. My peers and I are all 1-2 jobs out of college, and we’re all terrified of having a gap in our resume. Apparently this concern is overblown, but we all seem to have learned it from our parents.
- libria 5y ago
  > we’re all terrified of having a gap in our resume I took a 1 year break and have had to answer a simple recruiter/interview inquiry regarding it for the next 5 years. I don't think it ever eliminated me from consideration but it was more like a necessary precaution. Not so great answers would include: * Anything beginning with "uh uh uh". Answer confidently. * "I was searching for work the whole time and just couldn't pass interviews" * criminal activity * anything indicating a bad work ethic or difficult employee * apathy, indifference, numb, lazy. Even if you felt that way the whole time, LIE. You took a year off, you want to look like you had an undying passion for something every day even a hobby.
  - ardit33 5y ago
    I started a startup, but it failed.... how about that. Easy peasy. It really depends on what you did. If you are an engineer and were keeping your skills sharp by doing a side project, then you shouldn't have any problem saying: I was working on my project/trying to do a startup. 99% of people will understand. Failed startups are neither a plus but not a negative thing either.
- ardit33 5y ago
  Gap years, or as they used to be called sabaticals, are common once you reach 8+ years of experience. If you are a good engineer, you can take mutiple years, and still be ok, as long as you keep your skills sharp. (i.e. have some kind of personal project that you work during those times)
- deleted 5y ago
  [deleted]
setgree 5y ago
I left my job in May and I'm hiking the Appalachian Trail now. I saved more than enough for living in a tent for 5 months (admittedly the tent was expensive but I already had it). So far it's been great. I've met a lot of folks who are burned out and taking some time to think. If long-distance hiking appeals, I'd be happy to discuss it. Long-distance hiking isn't for everyone but
- jhickok 5y ago
  My brother and I both got burnout last year and picked up thru-hiking, albeit more of the weekend warrior (3-7 days) variety. It has been a life-changer for both of us. We are planning on hiking part of the PCT for a month next year. Good luck on the AT!
- AcerbicZero 5y ago
  I had a buddy who disappeared for 6 months after our deployment, who we eventually found out was just hiking the Appalachian trail. It ended up being very helpful for him, and it’s something I’ve considered for myself on occasion. Good luck out there.
  - CoastalCoder 5y ago
    A cousin of my was a multiple-tour forward observer for the U.S. Army in the Korean War. He spent a lot of time doing extended hiking after that. I'm not sure if it was a result of his experience in Korea, but I get the impression he really wanted some extended alone time. I never asked because I didn't want to risk dragging him into some terrible memories.
    - gen220 5y ago
      It's a fairly popular activity for people in the military to get engaged in, for many reasons. Particularly people who were deployed in the field. The back country is an environment where one is able to apply physical skills and tools, earned over years of experience, and to which most civilians attribute no value. The solitude is nice, however I think most veterans actually prefer company on activities like this, there just aren't many people who can cope with the mileage or the off-the-grid aspects. I've never been in the military myself, but I'm a reasonably experienced backpacker. Discussions on the subject have made friends out of many coworkers, who had been deployed in the field while serving in the military. You should ask your cousin about it, maybe even ask if you can join him sometime; he'd probably actually really enjoy you expressing an interest and wanting to tag along.
saucymew 5y ago
Good for you, I hope this is a new journey of self-reflection and recharging for your next adventure.
hkrgl 5y ago
If you have the financial means to do so, I highly recommend taking a gap year. It was a very rewarding time for me - just working on projects that interested me (tech and non-tech) and at my own pace, instead of racing towards arbitrary deadlines set by the employer. It was also the time where I could actually learn some new skills, which is quite difficult when you have a full time job. I cannot wait for the next time I can take a year off!
poodler 5y ago
Good on you. You will probably love it. I’m about 15 months into my “gap year,” similar story (except no immigration). I traveled on the cheap, switched careers, found a new city I love (and is way cheaper), and settled down with my gf. Word of warning: depending on what kind of friends and family you have, you might lose some people along the way. Taking a leap like that brought out a new side of people I thought I knew. Most were supportive, but some not at all. Focus on the “keepers” instead of the “haters,” stay positive, and enjoy it!
- JKCalhoun 5y ago
  Curious, what city? I'll take the easy way out and guess, Austin.
  - poodler 5y ago
    Kansas City!
tunechiboat 5y ago
I graduated in 2020 and immediately started working full time during covid. I didn't have time to do anything once I graduated. Quit my SE role to drive across the country with my cousin. Definitely recommend taking time off to pursue anything you want to do for yourself.
newhotelowner 5y ago
I never too time off. Even not between from job to owning a business. During the early Covid lock down was the best time. Had a really good sleep. Learned cooking. Biked with my son everyday. Walked in the evening everyday. Right before the covid-19, I visited my parents for a month in India and didn't do anything. Screen time reduced to 1-2 hrs a day - hardly any emails, no business calls, no Reddit, no HN or no news. That was the best time. Slept from 10pm - 6am everyday.
lastofthemojito 5y ago
Obviously "the West" is a big place and there are lots of cultures and in-groups within it. I can tell you as a non-elite, middle-class American that I've almost never heard of someone taking a gap year after beginning professional work. The one case that comes to mind was an ex's father who was burnt out on his accountant career. He took a year to follow his dreams on music-related stuff, which didn't pan out in terms of turning a passion into a career, and he went back to being an accountant (also, after causing his wife and kids some stress related to running low on money). I did however take a 6 week gap between jobs a few years back. I think things like that are common enough. I flew to Costa Rica, intending to spend a month backpacking around the country ... and honestly I got kind of bored after 2 weeks so I flew home early. Then I hopped in the car and drove cross-country at my own pace, seeing sights that I wanted to see, etc. Absolutely one of my favorite memories and I'd love to do something similar again. The important thing to remember is that this is for your growth, happiness, and well-being. You set the rules for your time off. If you travel the whole time or stay at home, or a mix, that's your call. If you do something to try to set yourself up for your next opportunity professionally or you completely stay away anything related to your profession, that's up to you. Don't follow a path just because you think it'll look good on Instagram or because you think it'll sound cool when you talk about it at parties in the future. (Or do, if those are high enough priorities for you). Good luck!
- ghaff 5y ago
  >I did however take a 6 week gap between jobs a few years back. I've never had enough time off between (my few) jobs since grad school. The circumstances have never been quite right. I did get a 3-4 week vacation the last time and that was mostly because I had done everything except pull the trigger while waiting to see if an offer came through--then pushed things out as far as I could. I actually had a month off the prior time as well but that was because of a post-9/11 layoff. As it turned out a conversation I had with someone I knew pretty much the following day panned out. But I didn't know that of course and it wasn't the time to just head off and vacation.
- Matumio 5y ago
  As an European tech-sphere data point: it seems somewhat normal to travel the world for half a year before your first job. Gap time later on is not so common. Still, I can easily name five colleagues who took one to six months off, some as unpaid vacation, some between jobs. Personally, six weeks sounds more like an extra-long vacation. I always took four to six months off before looking for a new job, or when on-job an unpaid month or two every other year. But that's definitively nowhere near the norm, many people don't understand it. I usually end up coding 20h per week on geek projects or random open source stuff. After six months I predictably get bored with it. I rarely end up doing the project I planned to do. So if you want any advice from me: Don't force yourself to do what you thought you wanted to do, before you had time. Look around and don't feel guilty for following that new interest you just discovered.
ludamad 5y ago
Careful with gap years to clear your plate to work on slower pace stuff - if you're anything like me, you'll have trouble doing the one thing day in and day out. Even with full freedom, it is hard to manage one's output
mattgreenrocks 5y ago
FYI, frame this as freelance consulting when you apply for your next job. You can talk about wanting something new and striking out on your own for a bit. IMO what you find out is a year is a long time without work from a time perspective. Hope you enjoy your year off!
- pbourke 5y ago
  Just chiming in that I absolutely detest this way of thinking. This isn’t a dig at you personally, but against the idea of living or presenting your life as some series of neatly explainable resume bullet points. I have been susceptible to it myself to a greater or lesser degree throughout my career.
  - mattgreenrocks 5y ago
    100%. My "independent consulting" time was a mask for burnout. I certainly did consult independently, right down to paying too much for health insurance. My time off was extremely valuable and made me realize I needed to rest and reinvent myself. Plus, as I get older I realize I can use the b-word at certain stages of interviewing as a way to filter out toxic people and institutions. But yeah, it's all a big game. Nobody is owed a tidy explanation of this.
ggggtez 5y ago
I did something similar between school and a job, but it wasn't so much intentional as acute burnout. In tech, we luckily have the luxury to take time off and recover when we need to. I worked on some closed source personal projects and worked on getting into shape. When I was ready to return, the employer didn't really care that I had taken time off.
mullen 5y ago
> I've never had a gap year, it was all school, then immigration, work, university, more work. Any holiday time you fly back home. I kept hearing its not unusual for people in the west to take gap years, so thats what Im doing. As a Westerner, I have never taken a gap year but I never met anyone who took one and wish they didn't. If you can make it work, take it, especially after the Pandemic because it's going to be an awesome time to travel.
blank_fan_pill 5y ago
IME 3-6 months is not uncommon but a full year is.
kristopolous 5y ago
When hiring I totally Want gaps in people's resumes. I've even asked people who hadn't why and whether they really want to be looking for work right now at all. I honestly try to maximize humanity, unhappy people can't do good work.
break_the_bank 5y ago
I'm considering this too but I might just wait till the beginning of 2022 hoping thats when the entire world opens up. I can't break my lease before November, so that helps me stay at my job. So many ideas though for 2022, 1. Cycle Eurovelo 6 2. Drive through the Pan American Highway 3. Learn different things at different places, Muay Thai in Thailand, surfing in Bali, Kali in the Philipines 4. Just travel doing nothing for a few months and then try 12 month 12 startups or something.

by dreen 5y ago

elevenoh 5y ago

>Maybe more involvement in OSS is coming too? Yep, that's what I'm seeing already. Financially incentivized OSS (much of which falls under the label 'crypto') is very attractive if you're in the top percentiles of competence & drive. Has there ever been an open, competitive, global, beurocracy-free, low barrier to entry market like this?

AlexDanger 5y ago
Can you give some examples of this financially incentivized OSS that falls under 'crypto' ?
- elevenoh 5y ago
  Much of crypto codebases are open source, where at the end of the day you're pushing to an OSS codebase. If you're paid by a crypto co., foundation, grants, or are financially incentivized by your crypto holdings to contribute, you're often within the bounds of both OSS & crypto. example: devs that've contributed to Defi projects e.g. uniswap, or received ethereum or solana grants for their OSS code (i think nearly everything user-facing in these organizations is OSS).

Jenk 5y ago

Best of luck! I didn't do a gap year either. I left education at 16 and immediately went into FTE and have been there ever since (for longer than I dare count) and now that I am all wrapped up in a mortgage and kids I'm not sure I'll be taking a gap year any time soon (voluntarily, anyway!) FWIW I have worked with several colleagues who took a gap year and never stopped. They pick up remote contract work along their travels and continue living the life of a modern day nomad. Not one of them is unhappy :)

throwaway0a5e 5y ago

>I kept hearing its not unusual for people in the west to take gap years, so thats what Im doing. You hear a heck of a lot more about it on HN than happens in reality. Maybe I don't hang out with the trust fund crowd enough but I don't know ANYONE who's taken a "gap year" where they weren't doing something for ~40hr/wk in order to make a buck. I know a few people who didn't jump right into career stuff after college but even they did low pay large applicant pool type jobs at least tangentially related to their careers (e.g. working as basically unskilled labor on tourist fishing charters in Miami before getting a real entry level job on a container ship). Heck, even the people who took a year off before college were doing stuff tangentially related to their career/skillset in that time (e.g. working for geek squad prior to going to school for CE). I know a couple people who went from full time to part time or to less demanding jobs in their field prior to retirement. I know a couple people who did jobs not related to their vocational training for less than a year after they got out of the military but that was more of a stopgap to keep a roof over their head. I don't know anyone who's gone from full time to part time or less unless it's part of a career transition or approach to retirement. I'm sure there's someone somewhere who's managed to pay their rent by waiting tables and stripping for a grand total of 15hr/wk and spent the rest of the time doing art or writing a book or something. I'm sure there's someone who's banked a ton of money and taken a year off in the middle of their career. I don't know anyone who's pulled something like that off.

dreen 5y ago
I only heard about it from friends here in UK, and they would typically do it between collage and uni. Thats when I came here and had to start working to support myself.
girvo 5y ago
Pretty common for a sizeable portion of high school graduates in Australia to take a gap year either immediately after graduation or after their first year of uni
ramraj07 5y ago
A good fraction of people I’ve come across in uni in the US have taken gap years (or just take forever to finish college). This is not normal for regular immigrants these days. I did not have saturdays off from when I was 15 till I turned 32. Even then I was in a tech job which had great vacation but still not months at a time. It’s literally alien for folks like us to have an entire year where we don’t need to report to anything at all. I wish the OP the best, I’m still waiting for the day I can do the same but that’s at least years away.

Qw3r7 5y ago

Good luck, and have fun!

hutzlibu 5y ago

I recommend traveling. See all the places, you want to see, with no pressure of having to go back to work by a fixed date, soon. Meet people, make new connections, chances are, you will find new opportunities to work, along the way. Bonus points, if you have all your stuff packed somewhere and not have to pay any rent. But it depends what you want, if you like your home, keep it. Have projects in your home ... There are lots of things to be done. Doing nothing is also fine for a while, but gets booring very soon and puts you in lethargic state ... wasting your time.

paulcole 5y ago
I took 3 years off, didn’t do anything other than read, watch tv, go to the movies, and walk/ride my bicycle. Never traveled once. Loved every minute of it. Doing nothing doesn’t get boring for everyone. And it’s my time not yours so who’s to say what a waste is? My biggest advice is to do what you want and don’t feel like you have to live up to some HN-gap-year fantasy. You might regret sitting in your apartment surfing the internet (I didnt) but you might also regret traveling. It’s your time. Do what you want.
- mrfusion 5y ago
  What did you end up doing after the 3 years? Why did you end it?
  - paulcole 5y ago
    Got a job. Had 6 months of expenses left in the bank and didn’t want to risk dipping into stocks. I wasn’t wealthy in the HN sense though. This was 2010-2013 and my rent for a tiny studio apartment was $550 a month. Other major expenses were just internet (50 a month), groceries (few hundred a month), gym (35 a month) and electricity (20 a month). No cell phone. No car. For the 5 years leading up to that I was working full time during the day and doing freelance SEO writing side. Was able to save quite a bit. But I was really fortunate to be in the right time/place. Rent in my city had basically doubled (and then some) since then, for example.

aphextron 5y ago

>Im quitting and not looking for another job. Gonna use the savings to take a gap year, or a couple, work on some stuff I want maybe. Maybe more involvement in OSS is coming too? Unless you have some serious FU money saved up, I'd strongly reconsider. A "gap year" as an adult can make you radioactive to potential employers. And that cash goes quick when there's none coming in. Trust me I know. It's alluring to just walk away. But trying to get a job when you're unemployed is literally 10x harder than while employed, regardless of the actual circumstances of your departure. Just try taking a few weeks off first. And if that's not enough, ask for a sabbatical. At the very least have something lined up for a few months after you leave. Don't fall for the "I can have another job in two weeks" meme. It's rarely true in reality for all but the very top of the market.

sfeng 5y ago
I think this is horrible advice. I’ve hired all sorts of people with voluntary time off on their resume. Your experience doesn’t ‘expire’ in a single year. Life is about more than just working, if you have the money to take time off to enjoy your life you shouldn’t not do it out of fear.
- 0xbadcafebee 5y ago
  He's right about it being harder to get a job while unemployed. You finish your gap year and then spend another 6 months trying to get hired. Maybe if you lived in SF it'd be easier.
  - sthu11182 5y ago
    Key thing, when you quit, don't burn bridges. I took a year off, did some traveling after working at my job for 8 years. At the end of the year, I applied to a few jobs, but my old boss contacted me to rehire me. I went back as if I never left. I am in a different field, so you experience may vary, but if you are in a good team, your old boss is likely to rehire you instead of investing in someone they don't know and have to train.
  - sumtechguy 5y ago

rikroots 5y ago

I've done this twice: the first time back in 2007 when I got made redundant and decided to use the time and money to study and indulge in my dream of writing a book; more recently (which is still ongoing) to recover from burnout and rediscover the joy of coding. I do not consider this time to be "gap year", but rather an investment in, and a reward for, myself. Why do I need such luxuries? Because time is short and nothing is destined. None of us are guaranteed to make it to retirement age. My Dad died when he was 54; my brother when he was 53. My sister survived her heart attack when she was 60 - luckily it happened when she was at work; she was a cleaner at a hospital. Keep a roof over your head, make sure you have enough food to live on. Don't leave it until the last minute to start looking for paid work. Most importantly, enjoy your time away from the capitalist treadmill - with good fortune this can become an investment in yourself that you'll never regret!

mrfusion 5y ago
Any tips on rediscovering the joy of coding?
- rikroots 5y ago
  Make the work fun, and the result something that gives you (quiet) pride: https://codepen.io/kaliedarik/pen/ExyZKbY https://codepen.io/kaliedarik/pen/ExyZKbY

marvin 5y ago

Huh. Funny that you mention it. I decided this exact same thing for myself this winter, and just started. Same reasoning too. Is it only among technologists who have great recent returns in the stock market, or is this a wider trend?

the_fire_friar 5y ago
I think the FIRE movement is going to see a huge surge. Financial Independence Retire Early
- malozite 5y ago
  I find the FIRE movement fascinating but also slightly depressing. Among the actually old (my parents' generation - in their 60s and 70s) retirees I know, around half of those retiring from decent 'knowledge worker' jobs have kept on working part-time to some extent. They are consultants, advisers, board members, independent researchers, and so on. They seem to be very happy - they are working at something they are good and believe in, while not having any economic constraint forcing them to work more than they want to, or for anyone they don't get along with. I can't imagine having 'Financial Independence', but not wanting to do something like this. I enjoy my work in general, and I would enjoy it much more if I had almost complete freedom to plan my day and to walk away from toxic situations. But all the FIRE people that I see online seem to be basing their lives on the other type of retiree - the ones who take leisure activities and sports such as bowling and tennis far too seriously, read and watch constantly but quite aimlessly, and go on endless trips to 'tick off' different world destinations.
  - marvin 5y ago
    I've been following this movement for well over a decade now, and it's not a heterogenous community. You see the entire spectrum, from people who just want to get really rich and indulge in expensive hobbies like keeping their own private jet, people who end up working and earning more after they're financially independent, to people who are burned out and can only imagine a retirement existence consisting of beaches and Netflix, plus quite a few bitter folks who mostly care about tearing others down. The 'RE' sort of implies not working, but I've seen plenty of accounts of people who ended up with varying degrees of work and income after they quit their regular jobs. For the folks who seem to seek retirement above all else, I wouldn't be surprised if burnout is both a big part of the motivation and the reason for why that is their main focus.

mmastrac 5y ago

I'm literally on that right now, working on fun projects. When you get older you just call it a sabbatical.

KineticLensman 5y ago

I haven't taken a gap year myself but a good friend took a six month unpaid travel-leave period in the company we both used to work for. He had a great time. When he finished and got back into work he realised that his break very similar to a female employee taking maternity leave. As it happened, our company was quite good with maternity leave, and many of the women who took it resumed very successful careers. So, perhaps worth checking at your own place to see how maternity leave is handled. He didn't notice any long term career effects although he had to re-establish himself somewhat with new people and projects that had appeared in his absence.

lotsofpulp 5y ago
> When he finished and got back into work he realised that his break very similar to a female employee taking maternity leave. I have not met a single woman who would compare maternity leave to a travel leave and a “great” time. Infants are a ton of work, and between recovering from the birthing process (a vaginal tear with a few stitches is considered one of the best outcomes), learning how to breastfeed, only sleeping 2 hours at a time due to breastfeeding, diastesis recti ruining your abs and making your core weak, pain from clogged milk ducts, pumping breast milk for storage since the US does not provide adequate leave so the kid has to go in daycare, hemorrhoids for a good portion of women, etc. I have no doubt anyone who has been through this would rather work an office job for 6 months.
- kaesar14 5y ago
  I think all he meant was it was a similar break in terms of length of time and the company did a good job of re-integrating women who went on maternity leave for that length of time, leading to a good company culture in general for getting employees out for long amounts of time back into the thick of things.
  - lotsofpulp 5y ago
    Yes, I should have considered that! However, I do not think it is tenable for most employers due to the risk of the employee leaving permanently.

DrBazza 5y ago

> Maybe more involvement in OSS is coming too? Maybe not this directly, but I expect more people quitting "megacorp" jobs, will lead to another big wave of "innovation" in tech in the next few years as people spin up small companies to 'scratch that itch' they've had for a while.

wsc981 5y ago

In 2016 I took about half a year off, staying in Thailand and working on my hobby projects. Was one of the best, most happy periods in my life. It made me more focused on trying to reach early “retirement” so I can work fulltime on my hobbies. Hopefully I can achieve this goal before I’m 45 years old.

the_fire_friar 5y ago
Me too! I made this site to help: https://fiers.co https://fiers.co
- wsc981 5y ago
  Nice, seems like a useful tool!

dominotw 5y ago

Same same!. I am going to start my gap yea in September and focus on finally getting that ski instructor certification that i've been dreaming about for years. I am going to start off my gap year with full time skiing and working on side projects on off/rest days and evenings.

donretag 5y ago

I have taken a year off before and a couple of months in between jobs. I think many of us have undergone once-in-a-lifetime type of stress in the past year that few would consider taking some time off as toxic. We all processed the events of the past year differently, and we all coped in different ways, but it still took a toll. I would encourage taking time off. The one major issue of taking some time off right now to travel is that it is incredibly difficult to do so. Many countries are still closed, or if open, have some sort of curfew. In the US, national parks are overwhelmed with tourists. If traveling solo, social distancing (either laws or new culture) makes it difficult to connect with strangers.

notjustanymike 5y ago

A 6 month gap was the healthiest emotional choice I ever made. Just be prepared that you have no idea how you'll react to it until you do it. I strongly recommend setting very light goals for the first month while you adjust, otherwise you'll stress yourself out. For me, I went with "Take one great photo a day."

psychomugs 5y ago
I've done two 366 photo-a-day projects (the first was in 2012, the second was 2020). Last year was simultaneously the worst and best time to do one; worst because of obvious reasons, but best because it was a quarantine monotony barometer ("monotometer") and helped me plan my days so that at least one interesting photographable thing would happen. I definitely felt burnout and oversharing, but I'd probably do it again and just keep the photos in a private album or print them immediately.
afkoder 5y ago
That's so wholesome. During my 6month gap I did nothing but see much THC I could put in my body, eat fried chicken, play computer games, watch porn, and generally decline physically, mentally, emotionally, etc. I think I learned a bad lesson by getting a much better and better-paying job than I had before the break, without putting much effort in.

f6v 5y ago

If you want and can take it - take it. You never know if you’ll be able to afford it in the near future.

rychco 5y ago

I’ve not taken a gap year or heard of anybody else that has either. My peers and I are all 1-2 jobs out of college, and we’re all terrified of having a gap in our resume. Apparently this concern is overblown, but we all seem to have learned it from our parents.

libria 5y ago
> we’re all terrified of having a gap in our resume I took a 1 year break and have had to answer a simple recruiter/interview inquiry regarding it for the next 5 years. I don't think it ever eliminated me from consideration but it was more like a necessary precaution. Not so great answers would include: * Anything beginning with "uh uh uh". Answer confidently. * "I was searching for work the whole time and just couldn't pass interviews" * criminal activity * anything indicating a bad work ethic or difficult employee * apathy, indifference, numb, lazy. Even if you felt that way the whole time, LIE. You took a year off, you want to look like you had an undying passion for something every day even a hobby.
- ardit33 5y ago
  I started a startup, but it failed.... how about that. Easy peasy. It really depends on what you did. If you are an engineer and were keeping your skills sharp by doing a side project, then you shouldn't have any problem saying: I was working on my project/trying to do a startup. 99% of people will understand. Failed startups are neither a plus but not a negative thing either.
ardit33 5y ago
Gap years, or as they used to be called sabaticals, are common once you reach 8+ years of experience. If you are a good engineer, you can take mutiple years, and still be ok, as long as you keep your skills sharp. (i.e. have some kind of personal project that you work during those times)
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setgree 5y ago

I left my job in May and I'm hiking the Appalachian Trail now. I saved more than enough for living in a tent for 5 months (admittedly the tent was expensive but I already had it). So far it's been great. I've met a lot of folks who are burned out and taking some time to think. If long-distance hiking appeals, I'd be happy to discuss it. Long-distance hiking isn't for everyone but

jhickok 5y ago
My brother and I both got burnout last year and picked up thru-hiking, albeit more of the weekend warrior (3-7 days) variety. It has been a life-changer for both of us. We are planning on hiking part of the PCT for a month next year. Good luck on the AT!
AcerbicZero 5y ago
I had a buddy who disappeared for 6 months after our deployment, who we eventually found out was just hiking the Appalachian trail. It ended up being very helpful for him, and it’s something I’ve considered for myself on occasion. Good luck out there.
- CoastalCoder 5y ago
  A cousin of my was a multiple-tour forward observer for the U.S. Army in the Korean War. He spent a lot of time doing extended hiking after that. I'm not sure if it was a result of his experience in Korea, but I get the impression he really wanted some extended alone time. I never asked because I didn't want to risk dragging him into some terrible memories.
  - gen220 5y ago
    It's a fairly popular activity for people in the military to get engaged in, for many reasons. Particularly people who were deployed in the field. The back country is an environment where one is able to apply physical skills and tools, earned over years of experience, and to which most civilians attribute no value. The solitude is nice, however I think most veterans actually prefer company on activities like this, there just aren't many people who can cope with the mileage or the off-the-grid aspects. I've never been in the military myself, but I'm a reasonably experienced backpacker. Discussions on the subject have made friends out of many coworkers, who had been deployed in the field while serving in the military. You should ask your cousin about it, maybe even ask if you can join him sometime; he'd probably actually really enjoy you expressing an interest and wanting to tag along.

saucymew 5y ago

Good for you, I hope this is a new journey of self-reflection and recharging for your next adventure.

hkrgl 5y ago

If you have the financial means to do so, I highly recommend taking a gap year. It was a very rewarding time for me - just working on projects that interested me (tech and non-tech) and at my own pace, instead of racing towards arbitrary deadlines set by the employer. It was also the time where I could actually learn some new skills, which is quite difficult when you have a full time job. I cannot wait for the next time I can take a year off!

poodler 5y ago

Good on you. You will probably love it. I’m about 15 months into my “gap year,” similar story (except no immigration). I traveled on the cheap, switched careers, found a new city I love (and is way cheaper), and settled down with my gf. Word of warning: depending on what kind of friends and family you have, you might lose some people along the way. Taking a leap like that brought out a new side of people I thought I knew. Most were supportive, but some not at all. Focus on the “keepers” instead of the “haters,” stay positive, and enjoy it!

JKCalhoun 5y ago
Curious, what city? I'll take the easy way out and guess, Austin.
- poodler 5y ago
  Kansas City!

tunechiboat 5y ago

I graduated in 2020 and immediately started working full time during covid. I didn't have time to do anything once I graduated. Quit my SE role to drive across the country with my cousin. Definitely recommend taking time off to pursue anything you want to do for yourself.

newhotelowner 5y ago

I never too time off. Even not between from job to owning a business. During the early Covid lock down was the best time. Had a really good sleep. Learned cooking. Biked with my son everyday. Walked in the evening everyday. Right before the covid-19, I visited my parents for a month in India and didn't do anything. Screen time reduced to 1-2 hrs a day - hardly any emails, no business calls, no Reddit, no HN or no news. That was the best time. Slept from 10pm - 6am everyday.

lastofthemojito 5y ago

Obviously "the West" is a big place and there are lots of cultures and in-groups within it. I can tell you as a non-elite, middle-class American that I've almost never heard of someone taking a gap year after beginning professional work. The one case that comes to mind was an ex's father who was burnt out on his accountant career. He took a year to follow his dreams on music-related stuff, which didn't pan out in terms of turning a passion into a career, and he went back to being an accountant (also, after causing his wife and kids some stress related to running low on money). I did however take a 6 week gap between jobs a few years back. I think things like that are common enough. I flew to Costa Rica, intending to spend a month backpacking around the country ... and honestly I got kind of bored after 2 weeks so I flew home early. Then I hopped in the car and drove cross-country at my own pace, seeing sights that I wanted to see, etc. Absolutely one of my favorite memories and I'd love to do something similar again. The important thing to remember is that this is for your growth, happiness, and well-being. You set the rules for your time off. If you travel the whole time or stay at home, or a mix, that's your call. If you do something to try to set yourself up for your next opportunity professionally or you completely stay away anything related to your profession, that's up to you. Don't follow a path just because you think it'll look good on Instagram or because you think it'll sound cool when you talk about it at parties in the future. (Or do, if those are high enough priorities for you). Good luck!

ghaff 5y ago
>I did however take a 6 week gap between jobs a few years back. I've never had enough time off between (my few) jobs since grad school. The circumstances have never been quite right. I did get a 3-4 week vacation the last time and that was mostly because I had done everything except pull the trigger while waiting to see if an offer came through--then pushed things out as far as I could. I actually had a month off the prior time as well but that was because of a post-9/11 layoff. As it turned out a conversation I had with someone I knew pretty much the following day panned out. But I didn't know that of course and it wasn't the time to just head off and vacation.
Matumio 5y ago
As an European tech-sphere data point: it seems somewhat normal to travel the world for half a year before your first job. Gap time later on is not so common. Still, I can easily name five colleagues who took one to six months off, some as unpaid vacation, some between jobs. Personally, six weeks sounds more like an extra-long vacation. I always took four to six months off before looking for a new job, or when on-job an unpaid month or two every other year. But that's definitively nowhere near the norm, many people don't understand it. I usually end up coding 20h per week on geek projects or random open source stuff. After six months I predictably get bored with it. I rarely end up doing the project I planned to do. So if you want any advice from me: Don't force yourself to do what you thought you wanted to do, before you had time. Look around and don't feel guilty for following that new interest you just discovered.

ludamad 5y ago

Careful with gap years to clear your plate to work on slower pace stuff - if you're anything like me, you'll have trouble doing the one thing day in and day out. Even with full freedom, it is hard to manage one's output

mattgreenrocks 5y ago

FYI, frame this as freelance consulting when you apply for your next job. You can talk about wanting something new and striking out on your own for a bit. IMO what you find out is a year is a long time without work from a time perspective. Hope you enjoy your year off!

pbourke 5y ago
Just chiming in that I absolutely detest this way of thinking. This isn’t a dig at you personally, but against the idea of living or presenting your life as some series of neatly explainable resume bullet points. I have been susceptible to it myself to a greater or lesser degree throughout my career.
- mattgreenrocks 5y ago
  100%. My "independent consulting" time was a mask for burnout. I certainly did consult independently, right down to paying too much for health insurance. My time off was extremely valuable and made me realize I needed to rest and reinvent myself. Plus, as I get older I realize I can use the b-word at certain stages of interviewing as a way to filter out toxic people and institutions. But yeah, it's all a big game. Nobody is owed a tidy explanation of this.

ggggtez 5y ago

I did something similar between school and a job, but it wasn't so much intentional as acute burnout. In tech, we luckily have the luxury to take time off and recover when we need to. I worked on some closed source personal projects and worked on getting into shape. When I was ready to return, the employer didn't really care that I had taken time off.

mullen 5y ago

> I've never had a gap year, it was all school, then immigration, work, university, more work. Any holiday time you fly back home. I kept hearing its not unusual for people in the west to take gap years, so thats what Im doing. As a Westerner, I have never taken a gap year but I never met anyone who took one and wish they didn't. If you can make it work, take it, especially after the Pandemic because it's going to be an awesome time to travel.

blank_fan_pill 5y ago

IME 3-6 months is not uncommon but a full year is.

kristopolous 5y ago

When hiring I totally Want gaps in people's resumes. I've even asked people who hadn't why and whether they really want to be looking for work right now at all. I honestly try to maximize humanity, unhappy people can't do good work.

break_the_bank 5y ago

I'm considering this too but I might just wait till the beginning of 2022 hoping thats when the entire world opens up. I can't break my lease before November, so that helps me stay at my job. So many ideas though for 2022, 1. Cycle Eurovelo 6 2. Drive through the Pan American Highway 3. Learn different things at different places, Muay Thai in Thailand, surfing in Bali, Kali in the Philipines 4. Just travel doing nothing for a few months and then try 12 month 12 startups or something.