A Life Between Jobs

[Eagle43]

This could be a new trend for the still working.    I think the Aussies used to all take a one-year walkabout just after college. 

A snippet:  quote... Valerie Karasz, 33, had been working as a bankruptcy lawyer in New York for three years when she quit last November. After spending a leisurely holiday with family in Washington and Florida, she went to a wedding in New Zealand, then spent four months traveling in Australia, Southeast Asia and central Europe.

She started a new job at a law firm doing compliance work in the alcoholic beverage industry last Monday.

"I'm excited to go back to work and start in this new industry," she said. "I feel cleansed."

And maybe that's what the younger generation gets that their parents didn't: There's always another job. Having grown up in an era of relative prosperity and upward mobility, it's easy to come to that conclusion.

unquote

It will be interesting to see if this catches on....

 

[Arif]

That would be cool if the armed services did that. I wonder how many service members would volunteer to work say five years and take one off then retire in 24 years instead of 20. Divorce rate would probably go up and it's probably not too practical from the services point of view. Interesting none the less.

 

[FlowGirl]

That would be cool if the armed services did that. I wonder how many service members would volunteer to work say five years and take one off then retire in 24 years instead of 20. Divorce rate would probably go up and it's probably not too practical from the services point of view. Interesting none the less.

I believe there was a RAND study that proposed this as an idea for officer retention (I think officers were specifically targeted because unlike enlisted its almost impossible for them to come back in once they choose to leave).  Lots of people have education, travel, and family goals that simply can not be fit into a regular 20 year career.  This is probably true of any job, but some aspects unique to military (like deployments and constant moving around) can make them even more challenging to the service member.

Also many of our friends seem to fall into one of two categories: 1) Got out, regret it, want to come back in but can't or 2) Are staying in out of fear that they might end up in category #1, but feel bitter and trapped about it.  A one year sabbatical option, similar to whats offered to federal goverment employees, would, I think, lead to a much happier workforce and solve some retention problems at almost no cost.

On a personal note, I know we probably wouldn't be nearly that focused on ER if my spouses job was more flexible or offered a chance for sabbatical.

 

[justin]

I've given this some thought. I essentially have the wife convinced it would be a good idea to travel around the world for a year with the kids in tow. Problem is dumping both our jobs and then finding employment when we get back. My company would probably take me back, hers probably wouldn't.

 

[Calgary_Girl]

I've given this some thought.  I essentially have the wife convinced it would be a good idea to travel around the world for a year with the kids in tow.  Problem is dumping both our jobs and then finding employment when we get back.  My company would probably take me back, hers probably wouldn't.

What about taking a leave of absence (sp?)? Many companies up here offer this. I have a co-worker who's only been with the company for one year and he's already taking advantage of the policy by traveling Asia since April.

 

[Arif]

I believe there was a RAND study that proposed this as an idea for officer retention (I think officers were specifically targeted because unlike enlisted its almost impossible for them to come back in once they choose to leave).  Lots of people have education, travel, and family goals that simply can not be fit into a regular 20 year career.  This is probably true of any job, but some aspects unique to military (like deployments and constant moving around) can make them even more challenging to the service member.

Also many of our friends seem to fall into one of two categories: 1) Got out, regret it, want to come back in but can't or 2) Are staying in out of fear that they might end up in category #1, but feel bitter and trapped about it.  A one year sabbatical option, similar to whats offered to federal goverment employees, would, I think, lead to a much happier workforce and solve some retention problems at almost no cost.

On a personal note, I know we probably wouldn't be nearly that focused on ER if my spouses job was more flexible or offered a chance for sabbatical.

I probably would have stayed in if the Army offered something like this. Think of how recharged and focused you would be after one year out of the service.  
You are right, I know a few officers that got out and a few months later wanted to come back in. THey didn't have a problem getting back in because of the current retention issues as well as not resigning their commission. When I left I resigned my commission so they couldn't call me back but I also couldn't reenter. So far so good, no regrets and it's been six months. I think the key is to have a plan and some savings so you can ride out the rough patches in transition.
I had one friend who got out and became a teacher. He loved the job but after six months realized it didn't pay enough and returned to the Army. Not well thought out escape IMHO. Another was a dual military couple, she stayed in and he got out. After getting tired of following his wife around (like he was still in the Army) he decided to come back in. If you don't plan for the transition, life will plan it for you.

BTW- Flygirl what was the outcome of the survey. Since the option is not being offered I am curious as to why they didn't implement it.

 

[FlowGirl]

I'm not sure, the article I read was rather brief but I assume sabbaticals are simply too radical an idea for the military to actually implement.  But this looks like an interesting read:

http://www.rand.org/pubs/documented_briefings/DB418/

Looks like there's an electronic version of the report there too.

ETA: There's another report at:

http://www.rand.org/pubs/research_briefs/RB7564/

 

[Nords]

That would be cool if the armed services did that. I wonder how many service members would volunteer to work say five years and take one off then retire in 24 years instead of 20. Divorce rate would probably go up and it's probably not too practical from the services point of view. Interesting none the less.

Works fine in the Reserves & National Guard. Of course your pension starts at age 60 instead of at 20 years of service and there's that pesky gap in medical coverage but otherwise it works great. You get to do all the things you want to do instead of all the things that the assignment officer insists you must do.

My favorite example is the guy who teaches skiing somewhere in Colorado during the season and then does 180 days of active duty in a garden spot like Kuwait or Kosovo or on some other continent. We also know plenty of married couples (usually he's active and she's in the Reserves) who are juggling the family much better when only one of them is on active duty.

FlowGirl, I remember that USMC sabbatical proposal. One of the O-6s at MARFORPAC said that anyone who took it would be permanently branded a loser by selection boards and program heads. The logic was that if the USMC could afford to give you a year off, even without pay, then you weren't worth having around for the rest of the time. If your dog's not in the fight 24/7 then you're just not relevant to the future of the U.S. military. I feel sorry for the LCOL who's been assigned the Home Depot billet as Nardelli's pet project executive assistant. I can't see the JCS ruminating around the crisis center and asking "Well, what would Home Depot do?"

I can remember when the submarine force wouldn't send anyone to graduate school because they were too desperately needed on sea duty or on instructor duty in the nuclear training pipeline. The submarine force still discourages sending its officers to war colleges if it can "encourage" them to finish all their joint stuff through correspondence courses and residency programs. The idea is that if it's worth doing then the submariners will make the resources available to you for those hours when you're not actually at work but not yet actually asleep-- you know, that time wasted with family and living and other extraneous stuff.

At a detailer's briefing in 1997 the junior officers were being brainwashed briefed on all the exciting new shore-duty opportunities. The detailer, an O-5, had just stumbled badly with his sales-talk assertion that Pentagon duty would put a JO right in the middle of the world's most beautiful unmarried women. ("Sir, would my wife still be eligible to receive a portion of my paycheck?") To recover, he said "How many of you have finished your JPME phase I assignments on your own time?" One or two hands went up. "How many of you would like to be able to do it three or four evenings a week while you're at department head school?" A couple dozen hands went up. "What if we made that policy mandatory?" Zero hands. You could see the retention rate plummeting right there.

Like good nukes, that policy was established a couple years later.

 

[BunsGettingFirm]

Eagle, nice find. I read the article, and I couldn't agree with it more. I tried to get my last employer to up my vacation days from 3 to 4 weeks, the standard for people with 10 years of experience. Nope, the ten years had to be with the same company. The stupid thing is that they then let it slip that this is one of those negotiable things during hiring because, frankly, there are employees with only about 3 years of actual full-time work running around with 3 weeks of vacation because they did their two summer internships with the company. Oh, well, if the company reward dogged loyalty over competence, then that's too bad.

 

[brewer12345]

I have pretty much decided that if I ever end up between jobs for a while (not having much luck these days), I will almost certainly take 3 to 6 months off.

 

[justin]

I have pretty much decided that if I ever end up between jobs for a while (not having much luck these days), I will almost certainly take 3 to 6 months off.

Yep. I think I'll sit back and collect the 6 months of unemployment handouts while I'm "looking for a job". Catch up on some sleep, play with my daughter, read some books, etc. A forced sabbatical.

 

[CCdaCE]

She started a new job at a law firm doing compliance work in the alcoholic beverage industry last Monday.

"I'm excited to go back to work and start in this new industry," she said. "I feel cleansed."

I feel cleansed? What? Does she verify if the Gin & Tonics are mixed according to the little bartender's book? "Nope, too much tonic."

-CC

 

[Ed_The_Gypsy]

The Europeans call this a 'gap year'. I think it is a really good idea. My 'gap year' involved 3 years in the US Army. I had a good time, learned something and survived the experience. I fervently wish that my children will have a similar experience--especially the 'survive' part.

Gypsy

 

[SteveR]

I was between jobs in 2002.....about a week. :

The plan was to work a year with company B....let them pay for the relo costs and then find a "real" job with company C at the new location. This did not happen. I am still with company B and company C has not had what I want so I guess I will just stick it out for another 12-13 months and then quit for good.

Plan B would be to quit...travel and decompress for a year and then do some part time work just for spending $$ and to find a reason to get out of the yard and house for a few hours a week. Who knows? Once we get free of corp. life we may just do volunteer work. DW has already been asked to do some paid evaluation work for a non-profit she works with.

 

[planning101]

Here's another article:
http://www.iht.com/articles/2006/06/16/yourmoney/mplay17.php

Well, I am heading towards that trend too since my company's leave of absence policy is nonexistent rigid...  But the main issue here is finding the next job.  Should I go for the one that I have technical expertise even though I'm tired of it but still can get a comfortable income?  Or dare I venture towards the unknown job with the skills and values I like?  Decisions, decisions. 

By the way, I'm wondering what kind of job would need skills like these (got the skills description from "What Color is Your Parachute" by Richard N Bolles):
- gathering info by observing things & people
- acute sense of hearing, smell, taste & sight
- communicating well in person/phone
- guiding a group discussion, conveying warmth
- analyzing, breaking down parts
- planning out step-by-step; computing & working with numbers; compiling research
- organizing, clarifying.

Hmmm... maybe I need to research and observe more....  (paralysis by analysis) 

 

[justin]

By the way, I'm wondering what kind of job would need skills like these (got the skills description from "What Color is Your Parachute" by Richard N Bolles):
- gathering info by observing things & people
- acute sense of hearing, smell, taste & sight
- communicating well in person/phone
- guiding a group discussion, conveying warmth
- analyzing, breaking down parts
- planning out step-by-step; computing & working with numbers; compiling research
- organizing, clarifying.

Market researcher leading focus groups

 

[planning101]

Market researcher leading focus groups

That sounds interesting. Never really thought about that since I'm not a business major. But I really like reading world news.

 

[HFWR]

The plan was to work a year with company B....

Hey SteveR, ever met the boogie-woogie bugle boy? I heard he was with company B...

 

[SteveR]

Hey SteveR, ever met the boogie-woogie bugle boy? I heard he was with company B... 

I knew someone would just have to go there. :

 

[HFWR]

And I'm just the guy to do it... 8)