Employment is also a flywheel. Much has been written about the fact that recruiters and employers prefer candidates that are already employed and have been continuously employed for long durations without gaps. Make of it what you will but the reality is that taking two years off means that landing a job will be substantially harder than it would have been if you worked during that time. Attitudes towards this seem to be changing for the better but the last time I embarked on a job search I had several people misread my resume, ask me about an employment gap that wasn't there, then act relieved when I corrected them.
Question for international HNers: is this a US-centric phenomenon?
> the reality is that taking two years off means that landing a job will be substantially harder than it would have been if you worked during that time
When I got back from driving Alaska->Argentina I was out of money, so I went back to Software Engineering.
I put the trip on my Resume and put "Learned Spanish, learned to think on my feet, negotiation skills and quickly adapting to new information".
I applied for three positions and every one asked me in detail about the trip and how they would love to do something similar. I was offered all three positions.
But yes, also that it's developing for the better. I see sabbaticals from dedicated top-talent professionals more often now than before, it sets an example, and paves the way a bit for more mediocre people to do it without a huge corporate status impact. Some are even able to package it in a narrative that turns their year of a fun sabbatical into some self-development journey.
And I also find there's more opportunity to approximate the benefits of sabbaticals. Lots of employers are experimenting with remote work. And I see some friends who are able to play a smart game, e.g. during a 3 month period each year:
* taking a 40 hour workweek down to 32 hours
* having fridays off, having 3-day weekends and 4-day workweeks
* working remote for 3 months
* early shifts & lunch at their desks (e.g. 7am - 3pm shift)
* having the afternoon and evening off in remote location with lots to do and see
* take 1 week off every 6 weeks, or 2 every 12, to fully travel for a set of time without working.
* stay in 2-3 cities in one or two countries, and rent out their own home on Airbnb or sublet.
* avoid a bad weather season back home
* pick based on time zone differences to make early or late shifts easier
It's not quite a sabbatical, but it does allow you to detach from your routine life at hoe, travel and see a lot of the world, have adventures and meet new people without compromising your career (much).
Especially nice in junior roles to have this lifestyle remote if the alternative is to be a no-name number coming to the office every day for no reason in a big org. But if you can work under an inspiring technical talent / leader, I'd definitely recommend that instead.
Question for international HNers: is this a US-centric phenomenon?