Quitting my job and traveling

[ford]

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I was wondering how I would look to potential employers if I quit my job because I feel like doing some traveling. Here is some back story. I have been a retail pharmacist at a major chain for 4 years. I paid all off my student loans off ~120k. I have close to a year of expenses in liquid cash (less if I travel). I have honestly wanted find a new job for a while bc i hate my job and can't really see myself there much longer. I have a prn gig that I can get atleast 2 or 3 shifts a month a when I come back. Are potential employers gonna look at me like I'm a bum when I come back looking for a job? Is this career suicide? Thanks.

 

[Dalteparin]

Are you employed at the PRN gig now? If you are, then there's less of a gap on your resume.


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[Momus]

I was wondering how I would look to potential employers if I quit my job because I feel like doing some traveling. Here is some back story. I have been a retail pharmacist at a major chain for 4 years. I paid all off my student loans off ~120k. I have close to a year of expenses in liquid cash (less if I travel). I have honestly wanted find a new job for a while bc i hate my job and can't really see myself there much longer. I have a prn gig that I can get atleast 2 or 3 shifts a month a when I come back. Are potential employers gonna look at me like I'm a bum when I come back looking for a job? Is this career suicide? Thanks.

If you really hate your job, you can quit. But if it's tolerable, and you want to take a long time off, you can always use a personal leave of absence 3 months, or if you can pull it off, do medical leave of absence 6 months and come back. A job is waiting for you after you are done with all your travelling. An employer can't fire you once you file this benefit. They have to at least provide you with a comparable job when you come back.

 

[BidingMyTime]

If you really hate your job, you can quit. But if it's tolerable, and you want to take a long time off, you can always use a personal leave of absence 3 months, or if you can pull it off, do medical leave of absence 6 months and come back. A job is waiting for you after you are done with all your travelling. An employer can't fire you once you file this benefit. They have to at least provide you with a comparable job when you come back.

In what state? Majority of states, there is a maximum of 12 weeks leave for FMLA and no personal LOA.

 

[Momus]

In what state? Majority of states, there is a maximum of 12 weeks leave for FMLA and no personal LOA.

CA, my company offers it. Manager recently used both in the same year. 7 months off total.

 

[Lnsean]

I think if you have the PRN gig on your resume, you'll be fine. If they pressure you to explain...just say you had to reduce your hours to take care of unexpected family matters.

 

[confettiflyer]

Yeah it's much easier to "hide" under a PRN heading and make it look like you've had continuous employment even if you took substantial time off for a vacation. That's the key, the illusion of continuous employment, anything that breaks that will substantially degrade your ability to obtain employment in the future.

 

[fcrc]

I always dreamed about doing that, although I only worked for a year, still have student debt, and had a car loan to worry about. Follow your gut! There are reasons to do it and reasons not to. Edit: Personally, though traveling for extended periods of time was a fantasy, having a huge gap in my resume would deter me from taking that much time off. Once you run out of money, you might regret it. But maybe that's just me.

 

[ford]

Hi, I appreciaite the responses. Yes, I currently have a prn gig. My old roommate is an independent pharmacy manager and he throws me shifts when he needs time off. I honestly never considered or knew about personal leave of abesence. I am definitely going to ask my dm. I just feel like that type of request is highly frowned upon in corporate culture. I guess leaving to travel is as well. The real problem is that I need to find new full time employment. I am definitely leaning towards leaving and traveling for 4-6 weeks. I busted my ass the last few years and have barely sniffed a proper vacation. I had no experience, no money, and plenty of debt 4 years ago and I somehow found a job. This is off topic but corporate pharmacy, student loans feels like some kinda 6 figured indentured servitude.

 

[Lnsean]

Hi, I appreciaite the responses. Yes, I currently have a prn gig. My old roommate is an independent pharmacy manager and he throws me shifts when he needs time off. I honestly never considered or knew about personal leave of abesence. I am definitely going to ask my dm. I just feel like that type of request is highly frowned upon in corporate culture. I guess leaving to travel is as well. The real problem is that I need to find new full time employment. I am definitely leaning towards leaving and traveling for 4-6 weeks. I busted my ass the last few years and have barely sniffed a proper vacation. I had no experience, no money, and plenty of debt 4 years ago and I somehow found a job. This is off topic but corporate pharmacy, student loans feels like some kinda 6 figured indentured servitude.

You seem like you're very responsible....paying off your loans and saving up. Take the vacation...keep the PRN gig...and take it from there. You don't know if you'll live past 30, or 40, or 50, or 60. I would think the best course if you don't want to risk losing the current job is to take a leave of absence or take mini vacations more frequently with your accumulated PTOs and such. Like you don't have to go for 4 weeks...maybe 4-5 days at a time but do it 6-8 times a year for a year or so? These are just suggestions.

 

[297point1]

With the possible exception of Huey Long, I can't recall hearing about anyone on their deathbed saying they wished they had spent more time at work.

There seems to be a pathway for you to return in some form when your trip is over. So GO!!!

 

[BMBiology]

No surprise here. New graduates are getting burned out fast.

This is what I suggest: go on your travel if you are < 30 years old, dont have a family to support, have paid off your student loans. Tell your friend if you can put "full time employee" on your resume when you come back.

If you own a house in a cool neighborhood, put it on airbnb. Make sure you have maxed out your 401 k. Check if you can cash out your PTO/sick days.

Expect a more competitive environment when you come back. I have a friend who constantly traveled during the good years. He would work like crazy at various places and then use the money to travel. Non-stop. Obviously, he can't do that anymore. I wonder if he has any regrets now. Instead of investing in his career and save for a house, he used all of his money to travel. Nah, he probably does not regret it. You can always buy a house, but you can't buy time.

BTW, post some pictures here if you decide to go.

 

[Eichhoernchen]

Hey @ford I have a similar plan. I want to do the work and travel visa to be in Australia and travel around for a period of time. Sounds cheesy but you can always make more money, you cannot always make memories. Go for it! It's personality dependent but I do think travel is worth the risk. The US is probably the only country that frowns upon travel, no one else really, it's part of life and growing as an individual.

 

[Humble Sloth]

I was wondering how I would look to potential employers if I quit my job because I feel like doing some traveling. Here is some back story. I have been a retail pharmacist at a major chain for 4 years. I paid all off my student loans off ~120k. I have close to a year of expenses in liquid cash (less if I travel). I have honestly wanted find a new job for a while bc i hate my job and can't really see myself there much longer. I have a prn gig that I can get atleast 2 or 3 shifts a month a when I come back. Are potential employers gonna look at me like I'm a bum when I come back looking for a job? Is this career suicide? Thanks.

If you are a woman i think you can get a few months off by giving birth to a child. If you are a man consider breaking your wrist or getting diagnosed with severe clinical depression. I think you can get time off (not PTO though) for that kinda stuff.

 

[spacecowgirl]

If you are a woman i think you can get a few months off by giving birth to a child.

I did this a couple of times and it was seriously the least restful vacation ever. The people were very, very demanding and rude and did not speak English but mostly just yelled a lot. And the noise at night! I think I would sleep better on a float in a Mardi Gras parade. While the people are very adorable and charming, I will not be taking that kind of vacation again. Do not recommend.

 

[ford]

Update, if anyone was wondering. I spent three weeks traveling with my gf. Went to Rome again, Croatia, paris, and Amsterdam. Came home and started applying for jobs and updating all of my resumes. Averaged about 1 human resources phone interview per month until about October. I changed my strategy at that point and got a few in person interviews. Spent the time working out everyday, sleeping in, making my girlfriend meals, cleaning the house, drinking beer, and finding ways to have inexpensive fun. It was extremely relaxing. I rejected 1 sketchy offer from an independent. I got an offer at a state specialty pharmacy in November and started in January. Honestly, this is the best job I have ever had in pharmacy and couldn't be happier. It's crazy how improving your professional life trickles into improvements in your personal life. It worked out for me, but I probably wouldn't recommend this to another person unless you are serious about finding out how much you spend every month to the penny, setting a budget, and have a high tolerance for rejection.

 

[BMBiology]

No surprise here. New graduates are getting burned out fast.

This is what I suggest: go on your travel if you are < 30 years old, dont have a family to support, have paid off your student loans. Tell your friend if you can put "full time employee" on your resume when you come back.

If you own a house in a cool neighborhood, put it on airbnb. Make sure you have maxed out your 401 k. Check if you can cash out your PTO/sick days.

Expect a more competitive environment when you come back. I have a friend who constantly traveled during the good years. He would work like crazy at various places and then use the money to travel. Non-stop. Obviously, he can't do that anymore. I wonder if he has any regrets now. Instead of investing in his career and save for a house, he used all of his money to travel. Nah, he probably does not regret it. You can always buy a house, but you can't buy time.

BTW, post some pictures here if you decide to go.

Wow, this is some good advice. Can't believe it came me.


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[BMBiology]

Update, if anyone was wondering. I spent three weeks traveling with my gf. Went to Rome again, Croatia, paris, and Amsterdam. Came home and started applying for jobs and updating all of my resumes. Averaged about 1 human resources phone interview per month until about October. I changed my strategy at that point and got a few in person interviews. Spent the time working out everyday, sleeping in, making my girlfriend meals, cleaning the house, drinking beer, and finding ways to have inexpensive fun. It was extremely relaxing. I rejected 1 sketchy offer from an independent. I got an offer at a state specialty pharmacy in November and started in January. Honestly, this is the best job I have ever had in pharmacy and couldn't be happier. It's crazy how improving your professional life trickles into improvements in your personal life. It worked out for me, but I probably wouldn't recommend this to another person unless you are serious about finding out how much you spend every month to the penny, setting a budget, and have a high tolerance for rejection.

So how many months were you unemployed?


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[ford]

BMB, I quit my job on mid-May and I pretty much started Jan 1 (~6.5 months). I also had a prn gig and was pulling down about $1500 a month tax free until next month.

 

[wucool33]

Why did you have to quit your job if you only took 3 weeks off?

 

[CetiAlphaFive]

Why did you have to quit your job if you only took 3 weeks off?

LOL.

At Target, you literally had to threaten to eat your own foot to get 2 consecutive days off.

 

[ldiot]

I don't see how a 6 month-1 year gap is that big of a deal anyways, it's not like you left the profession for 5-10 years. With that being said it's certainly not going to help you either. Just take a 1-2 week vacation or something.

 

[Old Timer]

You can always buy a house, but you can't buy time.

BTW, post some pictures here if you decide to go.

This is the most poignant thing you have ever written

When my students graduate I give them a book though religious in nature, the forward is the most important part:

Architecture of Time: Technical civilization is man’s conquest of space. It is a triumph frequently achieved by sacrificing an essential ingredient of existence, namely, time. In technical civilization, we expend time to gain space. To enhance our power in the world of space is our main objective. Yet to have more does not mean to be more. The power we attain in the world of space terminates abruptly at the borderline of time. But time is the heart of existence.”

― Abraham Joshua Heschel, The Sabbath

“Spiritual life begins to decay when we fail to sense the grandeur of what is eternal in time. Our intention here is not to deprecate the world of space. To disparage space and the blessing of things of space, is to disparage the works of creation, the works which God beheld and saw “it was good.” The world cannot be seen exclusively sub specie temporis. Time and space are interrelated. To overlook either of them is to be partially blind. What we plead against is man’s unconditional surrender to space, his enslavement to things. We must not forget that it is not a thing that lends significance to a moment; it is the moment that lends significance to things.”

― Abraham Joshua Heschel, The Sabbath

You only have so many days on this earth. Amassing large amounts of money and things at the expense of time is a waste. Shrouds have no pockets.

 

[CetiAlphaFive]

This is the most poignant thing you have ever written

When my students graduate I give them a book though religious in nature, the forward is the most important part:


― Abraham Joshua Heschel, The Sabbath


― Abraham Joshua Heschel, The Sabbath

You only have so many days on this earth. Amassing large amounts of money and things at the expense of time is a waste. Shrouds have no pockets.

This thread is like some sort of neutral zone where all of us grumps agree.

I spent a lot of money traveling during and right after school.

I don't regret one bit of it

 

[ford]

I guess to answer exactly why I quit. I started to feel like Peter Gibbons at work. Everyday I worked at Major Corporate Retail Chain was the worst day of my life so each successive day was the new worst day of my life. (not exactly but more or less) I felt like I had to deal with a bunch of "Lumberg's" for bosses. Also, I could never get more than 8 consecutive days off and absolutely never during the summer months. Always during late fall or early spring. I saved a bunch of cash and decided to reevaluate my career. The money was great, but honestly the work was making me depressed. I guess I realized that time is the only currency that matters to me (as long as finances are in order). I have a job now that I work M-F 8-5 with a 1 hr lunchbreak. I am treated like a human being. I sit or I stand whatever I please. I also realize that I am lucky to have landed this position and could have easily ended up in a similar situation if I didn't find this job. So I guess the short vacation was just a reward for me biding my time at a job I hated more than the reason why I needed to quit.

 

[Lnsean]

I guess to answer exactly why I quit. I started to feel like Peter Gibbons at work. Everyday I worked at Major Corporate Retail Chain was the worst day of my life so each successive day was the new worst day of my life. (not exactly but more or less) I felt like I had to deal with a bunch of "Lumberg's" for bosses. Also, I could never get more than 8 consecutive days off and absolutely never during the summer months. Always during late fall or early spring. I saved a bunch of cash and decided to reevaluate my career. The money was great, but honestly the work was making me depressed. I guess I realized that time is the only currency that matters to me (as long as finances are in order). I have a job now that I work M-F 8-5 with a 1 hr lunchbreak. I am treated like a human being. I sit or I stand whatever I please. I also realize that I am lucky to have landed this position and could have easily ended up in a similar situation if I didn't find this job. So I guess the short vacation was just a reward for me biding my time at a job I hated more than the reason why I needed to quit.

You cannot find external solutions to internal struggles.