Warm up
Imagine: you have chosen the best work for yourself, you have already had some experience, money, opportunities to take such a sabbatical. Would you do this? What would you prefer to do?
Watch the video (up to 03:11) and answer the questions:
https://youtu.be/Q2ASj4oYjNA
1.How long has he been working in the company before sabbatical?
2.Why did he start to think about a career break? 3.What fact was mentioned in Stefan Sagmeister’s TED talk?
4.Why don’t most people take a career break?
5.What did he do during his sabbatical?
Read the sabbatical ideas. Would you like to fulfill them? Why (not)?
Volunteer
If your interests lie in making the world a better place to live - for people, for animals, for the sake of the environment - volunteering could be a good use of your sabbatical. You could spend your time helping aworthy cause while learning a lot about yourself, and others, along the way. There are plenty of opportunities to use your specific skill set to impact the world. If you’re great with people, you could host fundraisers, knock on doors, or man a phone bank to raise money for the cause you’re most inspired by. If you’re better behind a computer screen, you could donate your coding and design skills to nonprofits who may not be able to afford a website or CRM tool that will help them accomplish their goals.
Seek Next-Level Education
A sabbatical may be the perfect time to pursue a higher level of education, or perhaps a second degree in a different concentration. Perhaps you want to enroll in an MBA program or make a smaller investment and take a few classes at a local college. Whatever the route, using this time away from your profession to learn is a great choice. Don’t stop at traditional education avenues either - invest in e-courses, head to a yoga studio to attain your teacher training certification, ask the people that you admire to teach you the thing that they’re an expert in, set aside time to read more books, listen to podcasts (or start your own) - the educational possibilities are endless.
Set An “Unreachable” Goal
A great way to use your sabbatical is to set an “unreachable goal”, something that you would never have done because it would require too much time, too much effort, and maybe too much money. Tell yourself that by the end of your time away from work you will climb to the top of each of the five tallest mountains on your continent. Make a pact with yourself to train for a triathlon and set a goal for your finish time. Pick a handful of rundown houses in your community and renovate them, then resell them. Find homes for 100 animals from your local shelter. Master every recipe in your favorite chef’s cookbook. These goals don’t have to be something that would land you in a record book - they should just be in pursuit of something that makes you feel like you’re growing into the person that you want to be.
Which of the ideas mentioned in the article did you like most?
Have you ever thought of volunteering for nonprofits?
Is it possible to get a sabbatical in your country? What problems can you face?
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