A Bengaluru-based techie who claimed facing severe burnout took to Reddit to ask whether taking a six-month career gap would hurt his professional life in the long run. Despite having a year's worth of savings, no debt, and a working spouse, he expressed anxiety about re-entering the tech job market and how the recruiters would view the career gap.
“I’m 28, based in Bangalore, with ~6 years of experience and currently earning ₹30–35 LPA. I’m considering taking a 3–6 month break because I’ve been feeling burned out and want to focus on my health, spend time with my wife, travel, and think about what I want from the next phase of my work life,” an individual wrote.
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The man explained that he is in a “relatively comfortable position”, adding that his wife is working and his savings can cover “roughly a year of expenses.” He added that his household's monthly expenses are around ₹1.5 lakh.
Explaining his financial situation further, the man revealed, “I have no loans or debt, and my parents are financially independent, well settled, and have pension.”
{{/usCountry}}Explaining his financial situation further, the man revealed, “I have no loans or debt, and my parents are financially independent, well settled, and have pension.”
{{/usCountry}}However, he continued that there is mainly one thing that is holding him back from making a decision - it is the impact on his professional trajectory. “I’d be giving up a ₹30–35 LPA income for several months and would eventually need to re-enter the PM job market.”
He posted on Reddit, urging people for advice. He asked if the recruiters would care about the gap if he decided to take a career break.
“Would you recommend taking 3–6 months off or keeping it shorter, and what did you actually do during your break?”
What did social media say?
People had mixed feelings about the man’s post about considering a career break. While some encouraged him, others argued that the job market was tough.
An individual advised, “Left a great role at a similar comp last year. Thought of 6 months initially, but that stretched to ~18 months with short consulting assignments of my liking in between. My wife was not working at the time, and we had both decided to figure things out together. Joined the workforce 2 months back, at a much higher comp. Kar lo, ho jaaega.”
Another commented, “Job nahi milegi phir… job market is very bad.” A third expressed, “Just take a vacation - leaving the job us extreme decision. I, too, left to join my husband abroad and it was a nightmare getting back to the workforce (IT Professional, btw).”
A fourth wrote, “Well, since you asked , I decided to take a break from my Big 4 job (I have 5 years of experience after my MBA in Finance) for 3 to 6 months as well. That break, sadly for me, was a misstep. I started searching for jobs later and after 2.5 years, I am sitting with no job and a highly depressed state of mind due to getting rejected left and right. Praying that it pans out for you.”
(Disclaimer: This report is based on user-generated content from social media. Hindustantimes.com has not independently verified the claims and does not endorse them.)