#CareerGap #MentalHealth #Work-lifeBalance
Hey everyone! I could really use some advice here. I’m a 32-year-old guy living in Sydney, and to say this year has been a challenge would be an understatement. 😞
After getting laid off in April, it was a struggle to find a new role, but I recently started a 6-month contract. Just when I thought life was looking up, I ended up tearing a chest muscle during training on my first day. While it’s not a complete tear and isn’t painful, I have an MRI confirming the injury, and surgery might be on the horizon. 💔
To top it all off, I also went through a breakup two months before losing my job. Talk about a rough patch! Mentally, I’ve been feeling burnt out, and it’s been tough to muster any motivation—it feels like I have to drag myself out of bed every day. I’m also anxious about falling behind financially, but the thought of taking time off from work feels necessary to get my mental health back on track.
Here’s where I’m concerned: I’ve got about seven years of full-time experience in my field, but my degree is in a different area. I worry that if I take a career gap for my mental health, I might seem unemployable. **How much of an issue is really having a career gap?** 🤔
Some common pain points that come up with career gaps are:
- Perceived Unemployment: Many worry potential employers will see a gap as a red flag.
- Skill Degradation: You might feel your skills could become outdated by not being in the industry.
- Financial Anxiety: The fear of not being able to support yourself is also daunting.
In light of these issues, here are a few suggestions:
- **Prioritize Your Mental Health:** Taking time for yourself isn’t just okay—it’s necessary! Consider doing a structured self-care plan.
- **Upskill in Your Downtime:** You could explore online courses to stay sharp in your field while addressing your personal needs.
- **Network and Seek Support:** Talk to people in your industry and share your experiences—they may surprise you with support!
I’m really curious to hear your thoughts. Have any of you experienced a career gap, and how did you navigate it? What tips do you have for managing the anxiety around it? Let’s chat! 😊
Hey mate. Sorry to hear you’ve been having a tough year, I can relate somewhat myself.
Obviously everyone will have different experience, but I took a career break in late 2019. I only planned on taking maybe 3-4 months off but then something happened in early 2020 which basically stopped every company in my industry from hiring for the best part of the rest of that year.
My career break ended up being 13 months (I was working during that time, but not in my field).
I have a lot of contacts, in a pretty niche field, so it didn’t impact me at all. Got hired for the first role applied for starting in January 2021, and in a subsequent company move I was asked about the gap in my resume, I was honest about it, and got the job.
Any company in this day that isn’t respectful or understanding of work-life-balance, or mental health stuff isn’t worth working for.
Seek treatment before deciding to quit your job. Time off may just kick the can further down the road.
Not financially the best decision, but mental health can be more important than finances.
You can always make more money. You can’t make more time.
Sorry to hear you are going through a tough time. Always prioritise your mental and physical health. Taking time off doesn’t necessarily make you less employable. It might be what you need to return back to work stronger. Many people take breaks for various reasons, whether for health, to start a family, to travel or go back to study, and they return successfully to their careers.
I would assess your finances and determine how much time you can afford to take off. Remember you don’t want to add financial stress to the situation too.
Mate take the time now – a short career break doesn’t mean anything to me. I hire people based on what is in front of me, so you may even do better after a good break. Enjoy yourself!!
Keep working for the 6 mo contract and get mental health support. After that 6 mos, take a holiday. Nothing to bat an eyelid at a couple months holiday.Â
A career break leaves you more employable than jumping in front of a train on account of bad mental health.
I know a guy who graduated in an engineering field and didn’t find a job in his field for 5 years or something. So I guess even a 5 year gap is manageable.
You don’t need a career break.
Just find something to do to fill the gap.
Eg start your own business, volunteer, study full time or travel.
As long as you have something to talk about, there shouldn’t be any issue with having a break.
Hope this helps.
I’ve done it, no one cares so long as you have a skill they want.
I took 9 months off to travel and it hasn’t been an issue
Ive had 6+ months off twice, done small temp contracts several times, changed countries 4 times, studies aomething completely different, started a new career in something totally different again, then ended up back in my original industry soing something totally different.
Its fine 🙂 just have explanations that make sense. I use travel/further study with a fate range in my cv.
Been there mate. Lost my steady IT job just after I turned 30, got diagnosed with a chronic autoimmune disease and then did my shoulder in the gym shortly after. Not being able to train nearly killed me as that’s how I manage my mental health. The compounding effect of all that shit nearly cost my marriage, my son and my home.
But I bit the bullet and took antidepressants, sought counselling and learned to slow down and manage my stress. It was a long road but I’ve come back from that dark place. If your financial situation allows it, definitely step away from work and work on getting yourself better. Sounds like you don’t have the capacity to keep working and do that simultaneously. No shame in admitting you’re not okay dude 🙂
Also, jobs are like buses, there’s always another on the way. I managed to completely change careers and am not as stressed anymore.
Recruiter: Hey can you explain this gap in your resume?
You: Oh yeah, of course, I signed an NDA so no, I am not able to discuss that.
It’s not an issue – people take year-long (or more) sabbaticals all the time.
It does sound like you need to reset and recharge.
I am older than you and I will be taking 9 months off from work to have a well-deserved holiday and spend more time with my family. As cliche as it may sound, we only live once and so do the people who are dear to us. So, it is very important to live and take care of ourselves. The constant fear of something, including not being able to find another job, can be a real trap that will continue holding us back from doing anything in life. Yes, we do have to be pragmatic, but if you can financially afford it, fear less and do what you think is good for you. If worse comes to worst, you can always pick fruits somewhere in the bush to sustain yourself whilst looking for a more permanent job. Many people in the world can only dream about the opportunities that people have in Australia and that includes, indeed, the very random example of picking fruits.
How will they know u took a break?
If you have a reference from the old place who’s a buddy, he can help.
Just make it up and close the gap. Resume isnt a legal binding document.
Say you had an NDA for that six months in place that is still binding.
It’s very difficult honestly to provide feedback especially if we don’t know your financial situation at the moment. If we say take a break, you might get stressed out seeing your savings go down especially with the current cost of living. But if your savings are high up there, this wouldn’t be an issue as long as your lifestyle isn’t that high.
Taking a break for your mental health shouldn’t be an issue. From what I have noticed, most Australian companies are not fuss about gaps as long as you have a good character and know how to carry yourself during interviews.
In our company, there are people who take 6-18 months off. Some come back, some find other companies.
If they ask about the career gap say you signed an NDA.
Bro, a career is not worth building your life around. Build a life, add a career. Why give 2 fks about what some recruiter is gonna think some day, when you’re the one to has to live with yourself every day.
Oh you mean when you were travelling around the country?
That’s a great break!
I took 6 months off to go do some manual labour type work. Put “Sabbatical” in front of whatever it is you’re doing and suddenly it’s fancy.
It might be a minus, but if you can display better examples of your skill, ability, and experience than the competition, you’ve got the job.
Ask to move part time for a few months
Pretty much every working woman has multiple gaps due to children and most still can get employment. It’s not the end of the world at all trust me. Just not something men expect to see themselves doing.
First thing I would do is seek out counselling if you haven’t already.
If you do take a break, own that shit on your CV.
August 2024 – January 2025
Took time off to work on personal projects and decompress.
I just had a 6 month break and decided to test the waters. Have had no difficulty getting interviews and offers.
Employers mainly care about what you can do for them now. They don’t care about your past as long as it doesn’t interfere with your ability to do the work now. Focus on the requirements for the job. Study and prepare as needed. If you focus on what the employer wants you’ll do fine.
I am a software engineer. I took a full year off in 2013 as I was totally burnt out. I went straight from VCE into university, graduated at 20 and started my first industry job the next week after my last exam. I then worked for 8 years full time.
It was slightly challenging getting a new job when I returned to work in 2014, but I did get one after a couple of months in a slow market. I probably took a 10k hit to my salary: when going for a job when you are not working you are negotiating from a weak position. I ended up staying in that job for five and a half years though.
Today no one cares. They barely did at the time. I definitely burned money during that year though. A year of lost wages is quite a bit of cash.
So in conclusion I do think it sets your earning potential back a bit, you might have to start back a bit lower, but it wont actually stop you from getting work.
I took nearly two years off to travel. It was hard to get the first job but after that it’s normal.
As an employer I would look more favourably on someone with a 6 month break (with a good reason) than someone with a lot of different jobs in a short period of time. I would expect you are ready to work and refreshed after a break.
Nah just lie.
You can spin anything really into a positive, even time off you can say you were travelling, or caring for someone, or simply needed a break.
I did a lot of temp work early in my career but ended up getting feedback when I went for full time roles that my resume doesn’t show that I can succeed in a commited long term role.
I then worked in a single job 10 years, and the next role I went for the feedback was that 10 years is a long time in one job so I might not be flexible in a new role.
Point being potential new employers can take anything and make it a negative against you, so you may as well just do what is right for you and take the time off you need, and then spin it into a positive when you plan to get back into the workforce.
I had to look after a sick relative… sorted
No she’s dead… prevents any further questions