If you’re thinking about a sabbatical, or already on one, Sabbatical Club
is for you.
If you’re staring down the long highway of a 9 to 5 wondering where your rest stop is, you’re not alone.
And, if you’ve found your off ramp only to discover that it’s actually kinda scary to disconnect from the 9 to 5, you’re not alone either.
The Sabbatical Club is a place to be inspired, find connections with others on or considering sabbaticals, and find resources to make your own sabbatical plan.
More professionals than you might think are finding ways to take a break from their normal routine: whether with a thoughtfully planned long weekend, or a two-week vacation without work email, or even a whole 6 months off.
And whether or not your job officially sponsors a sabbatical or leave of absence, you deserve to take a break – and to have that break feel as rewarding as you need it to be. A break in your normal routine lets you remember what’s possible. It opens space to imagine what might be. And sometimes, it just gives you time to breathe and remember why you love what you do.
Got a question about sabbaticals?
We’re starting a conversation here and we want to know what’s on your mind.
Who are we?
Alicia Lane
A friend once compared watching my career unfold as watching someone hop from rock to rock while crossing a stream. The path across the water unveiling itself one hop at a time.
I immediately connected with this image of my career. My first full-time job was as a personal trainer, then I traded in my spandex for an office job as an advertising copywriter which eventually led to over a decade spent in human-centered design.
I’ve leapt to a new dry rock when my interests serendipitously matched with an opportunity someone else created. It’s been a combination of hard work, courage, and pure luck, which is why I often find myself saying “try to create your own luck”.
But for a while, I’ve felt the urge to make my next leap in a different way. Instead of leaping to a new job, I want to jump towards the things that make me feel free and fully me. I want to leap towards the dreams, ideas, and activities that I ponder over and over in my head.
After a couple of years of considering this, I finally felt ready to make the leap into a sabbatical. I’m excited to share what I do and learn along the way, and hope to connect with others who are dreaming of similar leaps in their own lives.
Sarah Goelitz
I’m a human-centered designer who finally decided to design a human-centered life for herself.
I used to think sabbaticals were only for college professors, clergy, or the wildly wealthy. I’ve now come to believe that with a little planning and creativity, it’s possible for many of us to take the time we need to rest, find clarity, or hear ourselves think.
My career so far has been a winding path from nonprofit to startup to a large corporation, roles and titles evolving as the tech world changed. I launched products and worked with teams that made my heart sing. At the same time, I found myself dreaming about a space that was free of back-to-back meetings, performance management gymnastics, casual sexism, workplace “vulnerability” that somehow always benefited those with power. And I sensed a coming turn in my own career path, but couldn’t put my finger on exactly what it would be.
I wanted to read, create, and connect with my dreams. As I reached out for help and advice, I discovered that plenty of people had taken their own sabbaticals for a variety of reasons: to find a new career path, to be refreshed after an intense chapter of life, to create, to connect with loved ones, to just be. It was far more normal than I thought. So I decided I’d take 6 months, gathered my courage, and put in my notice. Now, after a 6 month sabbatical, I know it was one of the best decisions I ever made.
Here’s to taking time – whether a long weekend, six months, or anywhere in between – just for you.