If you have a tolerance for risk, you can do it without the riches and fame of a Matt Cutts. You also have to have a tolerance for that nagging feeling in your

If you have a tolerance for risk, you can do it without the riches and fame of a Matt Cutts. You also have to have a tolerance for that nagging feeling in your head that you are not being productive, while your peers are getting ahead in their careers. I took a year off in my twenties to backpack, after I'd been out of college and working for six years. I had some trouble finding a job when I came back to work again, but it wasn't too bad. I fell behind some of my peers that worked the whole time, but I don't regret my experiences. Again, now in my late thirties I took another year off to pursue a business venture that is high risk. Again, strictly financially speaking, I should have stayed with my previous employer. What I'm doing only makes sense if you think about life as a series of experiences, and not strictly about getting the highest corporate title (or most money) possible before death. I'm not wealthy enough to stop working. A lot of people would say that what I'm doing is irresponsible. But you only have one life. As a side note, the way the tax system works here in the states, working every other year, from June to June, would probably put you in a better position with respect to taxes, than working from January to December every other year.