Will Taking 6 Months Off to Travel Kill My Career?
Currently working as a second year Associate in PE. Super burned out and unhappy and want to move onto my next role after my bonus is paid out in Q1. Currently thinking I want to move away from PE and more into more of a corp dev / strategy / ops role, but feel like I can't even think properly while in this current job.
I have always wanted to do a big travel (and now is likely the best time to do so from a life planning stand point), and would use the time to really think about what I want to do next.
Has anyone done anything similar to this? Is this a really bad idea given the state of the market? Is taking time off to travel going to significantly impact my future job prospects? Any advice is greatly appreciated!
Just do it bro. We all have to stop thinking so long-term all the time. Always a chance that we don't live to see tomorrow.
Business school?
Agreed ^ that b-school is the best risk-adjusted way to travel a lot and get a nice gig at the end. Market isn't always forgiving of taking time off (especially this market).
If you're ok with maybe moving downstream or a different finance role, though, by all means. And even if you do, there's still a decent chance you can re-recruit for a similar PE job as the one you have.
I’ve thought about b-school before but given that my firm won’t pay for it seems like a huge amount of money to end up in a role not very different than my current one. I’m also dying to get out of my job ASAP and don’t know I have it in me to stick around long enough to go through GMAT studying/applying…
Most risk averse way to do this would be to get a new job and then negotiate a break
Just take the time off. I think most people overestimate the detrimental impact of a <6 month vacation, especially if you are wanting to move "downstream." Could also be a cool story to tell in interviews.
Anything longer than six months will probably raise eyebrows but won't be insurmountable.
Thank you. Think in general im feeling super bogged down these days and it’s hard to think big picture. 6 months in the grand scheme is nothing…
Do you work to live or live to work? Once you figure that out, you’ll get a better sense of what you should do
For what it’s worth, 6 months sounds fine.
Don’t you have a non-compete that you would need to comply with anyway? Most are like 3-6 months, so you can explain that dynamic if it comes up.
For what it’s worth, 6 months sounds fine.
Don’t you have a non-compete that you would need to comply with anyway? Most are like 3-6 months, so you can explain that dynamic if it comes up.
Not too sure about the non-compete….I’d need to look into it but great suggestion thank you!
If you were to die tomorrow or even in a year or two’s time, would you regret continuing working like a dog or taking a break and visiting the Himalayas?
Plus you might have a few months of non-compete in your contract - always a good excuse.
Lastly, what sustainable career would you have anyway if you are already on the verge of burning out?
Work to live, don’t live to work.
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