Taking a Career Break during a Crisis
2020 would no doubt go into the history books as the year which the entire world battled with a common enemy. For many, it was a year plagued with loss, grief, pain and hardship. Exacerbated by an economic recession, many businesses had to close shop and the employed were understandably clinging on to their rice bowls and hiding any dissatisfaction of their 9–5s.
At arguably the most precarious period of our lifetime, I however decided to take a pause in my career; I (voluntarily) resigned from a comfortable and stable job to embark on an 18-month Master’s programme.
For the risk-averse, this would be the time to remark how risky a step it was, especially when many others were desperately finding work. It is a fair remark but I actually don’t think there is a good or bad time to take a career break. What is more important before taking that leap is acknowledging that it takes more planning than one thinks, in order to truly enjoy the pause, and hence the decision cannot be made on a whim.
As sabbaticals/career breaks become less of a taboo in the workplace these days, there are many online resources available to guide you through the thought and execution process. Some of the ones I find helpful are found on:
But perhaps it is worthwhile supplementing these resources by addressing the notion of a career break in the middle of a global crisis, such as the current Covid-19 pandemic.
Rationalise if now is indeed the best time
Assessing the timing of your career break had never felt more essential, until it coincides with a crisis.
There are two key questions to ask if the right time is indeed now, since a crisis fundamentally alters many assumptions made during the initial planning process:
- In a worst-case scenario, how much more will you lose if you take the break now and do you have enough to cover the losses? (Details elaborated in the next point)
- Are you able to proceed with what you plan to do during your break?
If the intention of your break is to say, travel the world then existing travel restrictions are clear indicators that your plan inevitably needs to be postponed. Having gone through a relocation myself (this is probably worthy for another post), I can attest to the stress behind providing additional justification, filling up superfluous paperwork, and constantly adjusting plans while waiting for belated approvals. Some crises are also very dynamic which make advanced planning futile. For instance, we have seen how countries had to quickly shut down borders to prevent the virus spread which left many people’s mobility plans go awry.
Prepare for the worst-case scenario in your cost-benefit analysis
Everyone’s threshold for risk is different, so is one’s requirements for comfort. I have always been on the conservative side and prefer planning for a worst-case scenario, to ensure I have sufficient resources buffered for prolonged rainy days. But I cannot emphasise the need for this mindset particularly in times of dire situations. Voluntarily taking a career break during a recession, for example, may mean taking a longer time to find employment again and your cashflow need to be able to support that.
Reviewing how to adjust your lifestyle and making the adjustments at the onset can also be a great measure — for many mid-career professionals taking a break, we ought to be conscious that the lifestyles which we were comfortable with might not be the most sustainable way of living when without an income. I find speaking to loved ones or even a wealth planner helpful in understanding how to reasonably adjust your lifestyle to lead a sustainable but still decent way of living during a career break. In my case, I have forgone all the aesthetics and gym packages since doing my Master’s and instead turn to more affordable solutions. That does not mean I do not miss these luxuries but there is always another time and place for them…
Explore alternative ways to fulfil your career break goals
It must be heart-wrenching when your painstaking plans derail because of an uncontrollable variable such as a crisis, but let’s take a moment to recall why you are taking a break. Was it to pursue a passion? To learn something new? To gain new perspectives?
I recall a while ago, I had wanted to take a year off to do volunteer work to explore the possibility of pursuing a social impact career. For unrelated reasons, it did not take off but I never lost sight of my intent to investigate social impact work. It took me a few years before I finally participated remotely in a social enterprise consulting programme last Spring, which allowed me to learn about the industry and even work with social enterprises. Because it was a remote programme, I was able to balance it with my full-time job and did not have to take any time off. What I got out of the experience were newly acquired knowledge about social impact and heightened interest to pursue this career path, exactly what I always wanted anyway.
My point is, as long as we keep our eyes on the prize (your why), we can always figure out how to get there in more ways than one. In fact, crises give us the opportunity to be creative in our approaches and that may even mean not needing to take a long career break, if at all.
Commence your comeback earlier
If you are, like me, fortunate enough to overcome all odds and take that career break as planned, congratulations! Treasure the entire journey and make it worthwhile — I sure am. But as we all know, good things will eventually come to an end and it is important to keep yourself updated on the developments of the crisis.
This will help you to anticipate how the market will be performing when you are about to return to the workforce. Regardless whether it is expected to just be coming out of a crisis or still in the heat of one, commencing preparatory work earlier can be helpful to ease the return. I must confess that I am still 12 months away from the end of my break and have not made any proactive steps to position myself for the return.
Nonetheless, there are many ways — proactive and reactive — to transit back to the workforce such as reaching out to old industry contacts or updating your LinkedIn regarding any breakthroughs/learnings from your career break and slight hints of it coming to an end soon.
Taking a career break ultimately is a difficult choice and it takes courage and sacrifice. Trying to do it during a crisis can feel like life is mocking at your decision but I firmly believe if you don’t lose sight of your intent and make wise modifications to your plan, the break will be all the more meaningful and worthwhile.
