Imagine that your daily work routine is starting to overwhelm you. You feel like every day is the same – more meetings, tasks, projects and responsibilities. The work you once loved is becoming a burden, and dreams of new challenges, travel or developing passions seem further and further away. Sometimes you find yourself thinking: “What if I took such a break? Is it possible to get off the beaten track for a while and find a new perspective?”. Are you ready to discover what such a break could mean for you?
Taking a career break might sound like an unconventional step, especially in a world that often praises relentless progress. However, more and more professionals are choosing to pause, reflect, and recharge to come back stronger. Whether it’s to pursue a passion, travel, or simply reset, a break can unlock new opportunities and help you gain clarity on your career direction. It’s not about stepping away permanently but about recalibrating to move forward with more purpose and energy.
What Is a Career Break?
A career break isn’t just an extended holiday – it’s a deliberate step away from the daily grind for several months (and sometimes longer). For many people, it can be an opportunity to take a break that they haven’t had in months or even years. According to psychologists, we need a three-week break to really rest. Looking at the reality – most of us do not take such a break, and how – we are constantly surrounded by information, news from the world and in the end we remain overstimulated.
Career breaks can be used for various purposes: travelling, developing new skills, volunteering or simply spending time with family. In Poland, this trend is growing in popularity, especially among senior managers who lead large teams and often feel a great responsibility for other people. When the enormity of work, responsibilities and daily life becomes overwhelming, a career break is the solution for such people.
Break = Mind and Body Reset
A career break offers a unique opportunity to reset both your mind and body. When we’re constantly engaged in the hustle of daily work life, we often neglect our physical and mental well-being. A study by the American Psychological Association found that 77% of workers regularly experience physical symptoms of stress, including fatigue and insomnia. Another 2023 survey from Deloitte revealed that 84% of millennials have experienced burnout in their current roles, highlighting the widespread impact of chronic workplace stress.
A break allows you to step away from these stressors and demands, giving your body a chance to recover from burnout symptoms like fatigue, insomnia, or anxiety. Research from the Journal of Occupational Health Psychology shows that taking extended breaks can improve overall well-being and reduce the risk of chronic health conditions by 23%. It’s a time to rediscover healthy habits, whether that’s regular exercise, mindfulness practices, or simply getting enough sleep. According to Harvard Medical School, practising mindfulness for just 15 minutes a day can reduce anxiety and improve cognitive function.
How Can You Use Your Time Off to Grow Professionally?
According to the LinkedIn 2022 Survey, 53% of people say they are better at their job after having a career break, and 51% of hiring managers believe people who take career breaks can restart their careers at any time.
Engaging in skill development through courses or workshops can expand your professional toolkit, making you more versatile and valuable in your field. 69% of individuals who took a career break reported that it helped them gain perspective and figure out what they truly want from life, and 68% said it positively impacted their well-being. Networking also takes on a new dimension during this time, allowing for meaningful connections without the constraints of a packed work schedule.
Volunteering or freelancing provides hands-on experience in different environments, broadening your horizons and potentially uncovering new career paths. Furthermore, 74% of people who have taken a career break believe their employers valued the skills they gained during this time. This break also affords the luxury of time to refine your personal brand – updating your professional online presence to reflect your evolving expertise and aspirations.
Deep reflection on your career trajectory becomes possible, enabling you to craft a strategic plan for your professional future with clarity and purpose. 64% of people wish there was a better way to positively represent career breaks to employers, and 52% of hiring managers believe candidates should proactively bring up their career break during interviews and highlight what they learned. Interestingly, 48% of hiring managers think candidates undervalue themselves in terms of compensation or seniority when discussing their career breaks, while 50% believe people returning from breaks often gain valuable soft skills that are undersold by the candidates themselves.
Return to the Job Market
Imagine you are back on the job market after a few years away. Seemingly everything is the same, but you feel that a lot has changed. According to a survey conducted by IBCWE, 98.5% of women who have taken a career break plan to return. This clearly shows that such decisions do not mean the end of a career – on the contrary, they can be the beginning of a new stage.
More and more people are openly admitting that taking a break from work was a way for them to look after their health and well-being. The MiLI Insights report shows that employers are beginning to understand and appreciate this. It’s no longer about how much time we spent in the office, but how much that break allowed us to recover, gain a new perspective and come back stronger.
Returning to the market after a long break is a challenge, but as Robin Waite says, the key is to update your skills. This could mean taking an online course, learning new tools or keeping up with new trends in the industry. It’s a bit like getting back into the game, but with more knowledge and awareness of your skills.
PwC’s Hopes and Fears 2024 research shows that employees returning from a break are now looking for more – they want flexibility and understanding. Companies that offer mental health support and flexible working are becoming more attractive as people increasingly value work-life balance.
Returning to work after a break doesn’t have to be difficult. It’s a great time to reassess your priorities and find a place where you can grow on new terms, with a greater understanding of yourself and the world around you.
A Break As a New Beginning
Imagine that you are standing at the crossroads of your career – on one hand you have a comfortable, if somewhat monotonous daily life, and on the other a door leading towards an unknown break. Seems risky, doesn’t it? But this break, though full of unknowns, can become a key moment in your professional journey. It’s not an escape, but a chance to catch your breath, look at your life from a new perspective and rediscover yourself. It’s a moment to invest in yourself – for personal and professional growth. If you feel that this is the kind of break you need – approach this time with courage and the awareness that this break is not the end, but the beginning of something new. It’s a step that will allow you to come back with more energy, a fresh outlook and readiness for the next challenges that await on your professional path.
Fot. generated by AI, DALL-E 2[PL] Studentka Uniwersytetu Warszawskiego zafascynowana innowacjami finansowymi – DeFi, NFT, ICO oraz robo-advisory. Pomysłodawczyni inicjatywy ESG Future Ready, co-founderka Youth Entrepreneurial Community oraz Project Managerka w Women in AI Poland.
[ENG] Master’s student in Global Business, Finance, and Governance, passionate about DeFi, NFTs, ICOs, and robo-advisory. Creator of the ESG
Future Ready initiative and Project Manager at Women in AI Poland, with a focus on AI-driven solutions at CampusAI.
[PL] Studentka zarządzania w marketingu i e-biznesu. Zawodowo odpowiada za działania marketingowe, wspierając marki w świadomej budowie wizerunku oraz tworzeniu treści. Zawsze gotowa by spakować plecak, wsiąść w samolot i wyruszyć w nieznane.
[ENG] Master’s student of management in marketing and e-business. Professionally, she is responsible for marketing activities, supporting brands in conscious image building and content creation. Always ready to pack a backpack, get on a plane and set off into the unknown.