Jobs Articles

Tuesday October, 30 2007

Anjeanette Rettig was so overworked and burned out from her high-tech public relations job that she wound up in the emergency room from stress migraines.

She needed a break, and a week at the spa wouldn't do. Her husband Kevin Rettig, a software developer, was up for taking one, too -- so the couple traveled around the world for an entire year in 2002, visiting almost 30 countries. When the trip was over, Kevin returned to the company he worked for before, even though they hadn't guaranteed him a spot upon his return.

Yes, you can take a year off without ruining your career (or your bank account). Kevin was able to return to his job because he made all the right moves before, during and after his trip, including top performance reviews, keeping in touch with his boss while abroad and taking a freelance gig with them upon return. That freelance work turned into a full-time position.

The Rettigs' situation is unique because the financial element was largely taken care of thanks to stock options Anjeanette cashed in. But it certainly wasn't enough to live off forever. When Kevin quit his job at General Lock, a San Diego-based private security hardware company, he gave his boss six months notice so he could find and train a replacement. "That was huge," says General Lock's CEO Marshall Merrifield.

While the company was happy with his work throughout his tenure, they couldn't forecast whether a position would be open in a year. Besides, Kevin didn't know if he even wanted to return to the same job. He and Anjeanette were thinking about starting a family and moving back to their native Ohio.

After several months abroad, thoughts about their future became inevitable. "There's a lot of time to think between planes and sightseeing," Kevin says. "I thought a lot about what would be interesting to do professionally. I realized I was in the right field when I left."

Kevin was in a position to broach the subject with his bosses upon his return because he had been checking in with them throughout the trip, something he figured was good business practice. He was right; it made asking about openings seem more natural.

A few countries later, Kevin told his boss that he wanted to return to work, but would telecommuting from Ohio be possible? Merrifield offered to test the scenario on a freelance basis.

"Good people are hard to find," he says. "There's always room for good employees. People are going to develop toward their strengths whether we help them or not. And you never know, the person you agree to hire back on after a sabbatical could turn out to do something like the next Eat, Pray, Love. (Merrifield is referring to a writer who took off on a spiritual journey and came back to pen a best-selling book.)

Daniel Buckenmeyer also settled into a job he loves after taking a year off. He too was burned out, but in his case it was because he worked full-time in marketing at a telecom company and attended the University of Chicago's evening M.B.A. program.

"I was frustrated with all the merging going on in the industry," says Buckenmeyer. "I wanted to figure out what my next career move would be, but I had to figure out where I wanted to go next." That's exactly what his trip helped him do.

His then-wife's company had an office in Brussels, so he attended graduate school there at Katholieke Universiteit Leuven, earning a master's degree in international business economics. (Buckenmeyer is now remarried.) His year off enabled him to indulge his passion for European history and travel extensively on the weekends. He took out a small student loan to help finance it.

Buckenmeyer is a self-described history buff, so he visited dozens of important World War II sites, including Normandy and the D-Day beaches. He read voraciously about them and the fall of the Berlin Wall. There were less academic pursuits too, like hang-gliding classes.

"It was a recharging year," he says. "I realized academia is where I belong." He blended two loves -- academia and entrepreneurism -- and now works at The Gigot Center for Entrepreneurial Studies at the University of Notre Dame as its associate director.

For some, volunteering may be a more appealing way to spend a year off. There are volunteer organizations that get employers to sponsor the experience. Take Building Blocks International, a service fellowship that enables employees to work full-time for four weeks to a year while using their management skills at community-based organizations around the world. Companies that work with BBI include Pfizer, UPS, King & Spalding, PwC and Cisco. Fellows usually receive their full salary.

To participate, employees apply either through their managers or to a committee. Aside from the good work done, it's a real resume booster.

Since most companies won't fund a year off, money is a major roadblock. Although the Rettigs had a healthy nest egg from stock options, they still needed a budget. They settled on the target number of $100,000 and sold many of their belongings, including their house and cars, to achieve it. The Rettigs brought a laptop equipped with Quicken to lay out a framework for what they could spend on a weekly basis.

Buckenmeyer puts it more bluntly. "Saving is such a lost art," he says. "When you're 24, you should think about the fact that when you're 34, you might leave a job and want to travel or do something else." He also suggests taking turns with a spouse to fulfill life dreams. For instance, one spouse might be able to work abroad [and travel with the other person on weekends] to keep the income steady. A few years later, switch.

If you're not totally able to swing a year off, Rold Potts, author of the travel guide Vagabonding, suggests taking work on the road. Obviously, some jobs aren't conducive to this, but many are. He recommends pitching it to the boss by explaining that it will ultimately make you more productive. It's not that different than working from home. Why not make that home in Italy?

"Travel need not be six months on a beach with Mai Tais," says Potts. "It's being immersed in another place. This puts you in a position to manage your time in a way you want. You can work three days a week and then hike or sample food from different regions from Italy."

As for the Rettigs, it's a good thing they took a year off when they did. Three months after returning from abroad, Anjeanette became pregnant. They now have two small children and no time for vacation.