Favorite Blog: Quitter to Winner

We recently discussed how many career breakers remain in the “career break closet” – keeping their upcoming travel plans from friends, family, and especially colleagues and bosses. Some spend months, if not years, planning their escape, but are afraid to share the news too soon out of fear of losing their jobs – much like Keith & Amy Sutter. “We could not afford, either financially or professional, for word of our plans to leak back to our companies before we were ready.”

Quitting can be difficult for anyone, especially career breakers. Doubts can seep in as you start to question your decision. Hearing others stories of quitting can make it that much easier, and now you can on “Quitter to Winner”, a resource for those quitting their job for a career break, sabbatical, entrepreneurial venture or new gig.

The blog was started by Michael Sjostedt, who noticed that “over the last few years people held onto jobs they weren’t satisfied with. But recent stats show that more and more workers are voluntarily leaving their gigs for yet-to-be-determined opportunities.

Job burnout certainly plays a role in the trend. Some might have a little red devil on their shoulders who whispers ‘life’s too short.’ Others have the hutzpa to strike out on their own, thinking they can crack the ‘earn more, work less’ algorithm.

Everyone’s got a reason and a story. I’m curious to learn why people jumped, how they navigated the free fall, and if they succeeded.”

You can read stories like Alice Gray and Lyon Graulty, who are taking several months off between jobs to bike the West Coast and raise money for Posada Esperanza, an Austin-based shelter for immigrant women and their children. Or James Morgan, who talks about his difficult transition from a teaching career into architectural woodworking. And Ryan Fuller and his wife, Jen, who got burnt out from their high-pressure consulting jobs and are now in rehab: via extended vacation in Argentina.

And be sure to visit their Facebook Fan Page as Michael features inspiring career-related stories, blogs, and job boards from around the web.

In the Career Break Closet

Are you stuck in the closet – afraid to come out and act like you really want to? I bet you are. In fact – I bet about 90% of you are. You are lurking in the dark, afraid to declare your secret desires, but willing to watch; from a safe place.

You are in the career break closet.

Research shows that about 90% of the people who read online media do not actually participate in the conversation; consumption vs. production. That’s fine, I understand, communicating online isn’t for everyone.

However I’m willing to believe that a percentage of that 90% are not lurking because they want to, but because they feel like they have to. They are staying in the closet because they can’t yet let people know about their career break plans. They must stay in the closet in order to remain at their jobs and while they quietly plan their getaway.

Keith and Amy Sutter from Green Around the Globe share their time in the career break closet:

In January of 2009 Amy and I made the big decision, to travel the world for a year. And with all of the excitement and anxiety that comes with such a big decision there was one unpleasant aspect that regularly kept us up at night. We now had a huge secret to keep from everyone we knew. There are practical elements to keeping your decision a secret initially. What if you decide not to do it? What happens if something comes up? A family member gets ill, you get ill. There are any number of potential events that could change your plans. So Amy and I went into the “traveler closet” for 6 months. This meant that as we were doing our initial research, reading books, blogs and anything else we could get our hands on, we had to be sure to keep it all under wraps. When friends came over for dinner we had to spend 10 minutes scanning the condo to make sure an incriminating book was not left laying out.

When we did start telling people, starting with close family we had to bring them into our “circle of trust”. We had to make sure we controlled who knew when. Practically it was to make sure we handled giving notice at our respective workplaces on our terms and in a professional manner. We could not afford, either financially or professional, for word of our plans to leak back to our companies before we were ready. The other reason to control the information is so that we would be the ones to personally tell every one of our family and friends. That reason was selfish, we wanted to be there to see or hear their unfiltered initial reactions. One of the best parts of planning the trip is telling the people you are closest to and getting their reactions.

I completely understand this feeling. When I was planning my career break to begin in September 2006, I actually started the planning a year prior to that. Even though I’ve never been married, I likened the planning process to that of a wedding. After all, most people who take a career break don’t simply decide one day and leave in a week; it takes time to shut down your ‘normal’ life in order to branch off into the adventurous unknown.

My year of being in the closet was one of the hardest I can remember. It was full of self doubt, stress, worry, indecision, and temptation. Only my closest friends knew of my plans as well as my family. I thought it was important to ease my family into the concept of my career break; especially my father.

As it got closer to my departure the really difficult things had to start happening. The ones where you knew there was no turning back…such as telling my landlord and subletting my apartment. It was exhilarating and terrifying all at once.

Then there was work. As an IT manager we were always planning out into the future. When we started having to plan out past my future at the company – and only I knew about it – stress overwhelmed me. The thought of committing to things at work knowing that I would be leaving and would never even see or really care about that project was not as fun as once might think. In fact, my sense of responsibility got the best of me when I started having nightmares about leaving my job…the job I hated.

So – why I am feeding all of your career break closet dwellers stories that will keep you in the closet? I’m telling you this stuff because I WISH there would have been something like Briefcase to Backpack and Meet Plan Go when I was in the closet. Hence, it’s one of the driving reasons why we developed the site and the nationwide event.

Briefcase to Backpack is a safe place where you can actually crack the door of the closet open for a bit and actually speak up; talk about your fears, excitement, plans, and indecision. We’ve all been in your position. You can comment and not use your real name if you want…no one will know! We just want you to know that we, and our community of career break veterans, are here for you to make the transition from Briefcase to Backpack a little easier.

When you can finally tell people, it makes all of the waiting worth it and sometimes it even comes with benefits! Here’s Warren and Betsy Talbot’s story:

When we made the decision to leave our lives in Seattle to travel the world there was a huge question around when I would tell my employer. After all, I would be walking away from a great job as a Director and leaving a career behind. We set the date for 2 years out to give us time to save and sell everything we own, and as a result we were torn between sharing our excitement with others and the fear of being exposed at work. To help relieve some of the pressure we started our Married with Luggage website/blog using the aliases Husband and Wife.

However, the truth is that keeping the secret was something that I knew I could not do until we left. After months of wrestling with the decision, we decided that the pain of keeping the secret was not worth the risk posed by telling everyone. Thus, 14 months before we were set to leave on our multi-year trip around the world, I told my bosses about our plans. The response was overwhelmingly positive and they have all been more supportive than I could have imagined. In the year since telling them I have been promoted, given a new opportunity to drive change, and have been assured that if I ever want to return the door would be open. After so much angst it was an amazing feeling to be able to share my plans with everyone in my life.

Sometimes coming out of the closet can be the best thing for you! If I can even get one of you closet lurkers to speak up, then it will be worth it! Come on…speak up, tell us about your career break dreams and preparations, ask us questions, and feel free to come out of the career break closet for a little while; your in good company.

Photo Friday: A Map for Saturday

This Photo Friday is a special video edition! Mike Tieso shared with us how “Travel Reawakens Your Passions” and what inspired him to travel was watching the documentary “A Map for Saturday: One Year Around the World”. So we wanted to offer you a glimpse of how moving it is. And we are thrilled to have the star, director and producer of the documentary, Brook Silva-Braga, join us on the panel of Meet, Plan, Go! in NYC this September.

Want to see your photo here? Join our Facebook Fan Page and upload your career break photo onto our Wall. Add a brief description & we may choose to feature it here!

Top Benefits of a Career Break

I’m happy to report that the term ‘Career Break’ seems to be popping up all over these days! I hope that has a little to do with our upcoming Meet, Plan, Go! event. Regardless of why – we are happy to see people talking, writing, and reporting about them. However, this month’s career break news seems to be a mixed bag of positive and negative! What is a career breaker to believe?!

Let’s start with the disturbing headlines. I woke up and saw this headline in my inbox one day:

Women told to forget about babies if they want to scale career heights
Headhunters’ survey suggests that taking even a few months’ career break for the sake of children will harm prospects of winning a top executive job.
- That’s the message from a new survey, conducted by InterExec, which showed that 53% of those questioned said that women who want a big business post should give up all thoughts of maternity leave – or what they prefer to call a “career break”.

Sure – I know they are talking about a maternity leave career break as opposed to a sabbatical/travel career break – but they are both breaks in your career. If motherhood isn’t an acceptable reason to take a break in your career then it’s going to be darn hard to sell breaking from your career to travel the world. Therefore I put this in the category of disturbing.

However as you consider taking a career break – consider the other point of view – the progressive point of view. Think about how a career break can actually build your skills to find an even better career upon returning. Regardless of why you put your career on pause, the benefits are still the same – you get some time to step away from the rat race and replenish.

Time away from your day to day work and desk duties is necessary. Just take this excerpt from an article about how time away from your cube is the cure for creative blocks.

As Jonah Lehrer writes in a recent Guardian piece, “Several new science papers suggest that getting away – and it doesn’t even matter where you’re going – is an essential habit of effective thinking.” Certainly, we’ve all experienced the feeling that work concerns are just less important the farther away we get from the office. Now there’s proof to back up the classic “out of sight, out of mind” expression.

The article talks about how getting away is essential for effective thinking. But adds more advantages to time away from your cubicle.

“Going even further, another study sparked by the productivity of expats like Nabokov, Hemingway, Yeats, Picasso, Gaugin, and Handel showed that not just traveling but living abroad for an extended period of time can improve our capacities for problem solving and creative thinking.”

Last I checked, employers are looking for great problem solvers and creative thinkers! So don’t hesitate to talk about these enhanced skills in your interview. You were actually expanding your skillsets when you were traveling or living abroad. Believe it. Promote it.

The real key to re-entry back into the workforce is BELIEVING that a career break is a positive career enhancing experience. If you don’t believe that yourself, then you’ll be eaten alive in your interview.

So I challenge you to forget about the first article about maternity ‘career breaks’ and focus on this one…the one that provides you the fuel for your interviews!

Here’s more ammo for your interview as you re-enter the workforce:

“It turns out that being exposed to cultures that function differently from our own – from language to social customs to public transport – awakens the brain, alerting it to a much broader range of possibilities for being, living, and making.”

So while most people are sitting at their cube year after year turning their brains to corporate mush, you can actually awaken yours by traveling!

What other skills do you think you gain from taking a career break and traveling?  Please share them with us!

Reflecting: How Travel Reawakens Your Passions

Extended travel offers an inspiring break for more than just those stuck in a rut in their career. It is also great for those who need to recharge their lives – like Teresa Gotay and Mike Tieso from Art of Backpacking. They share with us how travel reawakened their passions and set them on their life paths.

TERESA:

When life give you lemons, you don’t always have to make lemonade. What if you’re in the mood for iced tea? You envision your life to go one way, and it ends up another. All my life, I envisioned a cookie cutter lifestyle of going to school, starting my career and getting married before the age of 25. As my 24th birthday recently passed, I have yet to complete any of the three.

In early 2008, in my Senior year at St. John’s University, I lacked financial aid, decent credit and the motivation to finish school. For years, I was surrounded by the notion that you had to finish school as soon as possible before the rat race began. After working countless 9-5 jobs, bartending in between, moving in and out of many apartments in New York City, my life battery needed a recharge.

2010 became the year of travel and self-discovery. I spent 5 months traveling through South America getting a taste of the backpacking experience. It left me with a craving for more and the appreciation of people, culture and travel.

At times, I felt guilty for going on a grand adventure with baggage back home. But, I never felt so motivated and spiritually awakened by the sights of new places, the experiences with new people and the new-found adoration for my life sabbatical. It was the right time and just what I needed to get back on track.

As an aspiring writer; uniting my love for travel and writing brought me to Art of Backpacking as a way to channel this experience. Working with my longtime friend Mike, who embarked on his own journey in 2009, became the vibrant equation for a site dedicated to illustrating the Art of what else? Backpacking!

MIKE:

The greatest ideas can come from the even the most ironic spaces. A few years ago, I was enjoying my normal lifestyle; watching television at home with family. I got caught up watching “A Map for Saturday”; a pivotal documentary for backpackers to get the ideal glimpse of a world that would change my life.

There it was; my inspiration to see the world and travel. It seemed so far fetched as I was not yet a college graduate, but working full time at in the Corporate world of UPS. Stuck in the middle of student loans, car payments, credit card bills and one expensive lifestyle. And what worse way to realize this than in a cubicle; with my boring routine lifestyle that saw neither versatility nor exciting escapes.

Like any normal 20something; I enjoyed the nightlife and having fun. If I knew then what I knew now, I could have been backpacking for years! One small decision led me to quit my job and sell all my possessions, eliminate debt, and save over $10,000 to travel for 11 months.

Fast forward to May 2009 where I took off to Beijing, China to embark on a journey that would change me to my inner core. It became second nature traveling on a whim through Asia, Australia and South America; as if I’ve been doing it all my life. Traveling gave me identity, meaning and focus to give my life value and much needed color. I’m even returning to China this August (2010) to teach English for a year.

Opportunities to travel are possible and not unattainable. When you’re passionate about something; you find ways to make it happen. Sometimes you need a change of pace to truly discover what your life goal is. Mine is to travel and to share that love of travel with the world.

As good friends with the love of travel; we can agree that Art of Backpacking is our melting pot of thoughts, ideas and inspiration to provide to others who want to do as we’ve done. As young individuals, we reiterate the idea that it’s okay if you need a break. Don’t feel guilty for opening your eyes to what the world has to offer. There is no better time than right now!

Art of Backpacking will be co-hosting our Meet, Plan, Go! event in Philadelphia.

Photo Friday: Sinai Peninsula

This Photo Friday is from Sara Erdman who shared this beautiful photo of trekking through the Sinai Peninsula in Egypt on our Facebook Fan Page. She said it was part of a fabulous three week break in Egypt, and we can see why it was! Thanks for sharing Sara!

Want to see your photo here? Join our Facebook Fan Page and upload your career break photo onto our Wall. Add a brief description & we may choose to feature it here!

Meet, Plan, Go! – In the News

We are less than a month a way from our Meet, Plan, Go! events and buzz is growing! Here is what people are saying:

WANDERING EDUCATORS – Extraordinary Travel Inspiration
We all know how important travel is – it can, literally, change the world. But do you feel stuck, waiting for your next sabbatical (or summer vacation)? Do you dream of making a life change to travel the world? Well – I’ve got an extraordinary resource for you. On September 14, 2010, a nation-wide movement will occur, to help people get inspired to get out there and follow your dreams of extended travel. It’s called Meet, Plan, Go – and it is groundbreaking. Meet, Plan, Go was founded by Michaela Potter, Tara Russell,  and Sherry Ott (our very own Photography Editor – Love her photos of the week!), and one of the hosts is our Solo Travel Editor, Janice Waugh. All these incredible, well-traveled intercultural writers and travelers working together? VERY COOL.

CONSULTING REHAB – Meet, Plan Go! Be There. Seriously.
Listen up.  This is important.  We want to tell you about an outstanding event that will be taking place on Sept. 14th in thirteen cities across the US and Canada called Meet, Plan, Go! Its entire purpose is to provide you with inspiration, contacts and resources to “plan the trip of a lifetime” – and then go.  You’re probably wondering how much something this awesome would cost.  Well, I hope you’re sitting down: this event is free.  If you live anywhere near one of these cities, we think you should go.

TRAVELS WITH ADAM – On Travel Meetups and Talking Travel
There are a few BIG travel meetups each year. Whether for professional industry travel writers, or for travel bloggers. And now there’s a new one to add to the mix: Meet Plan Go!. Of course, during its inaugural year, I’m on the road. But just like I lived vicariously through people’s travels while I was sitting at work, I can now live vicariously through these travel meetups while traveling. So, if you’ve even got an itch of desire to travel more, I’d suggest signing up to attend this free seminar.

For more links to Meet, Plan, Go! articles, visit “In the News”.
And you can follow the streaming conversation on
Twitter: #MeetPlanGo

Hostel Tips for Career Breakers

It was one month into my 15 month career break and for the first time I was alone. I had the first month to ease into travels first with my friends, next with my sister; but now I stood in front of the hostel in Capetown as my sister pulled away in the taxi.

I was nervous, very nervous; this was going to be my first hostel stay in my entire 36 years of life. Suddenly I was overwhelmed with fears – fears I would meet no one, fears it would be uncomfortable, fears I would be the oldest person there, fears I was somehow going backwards in my life. After all, the last time I stayed in a shared sleeping arrangement (dorm) I was in college. However, I knew that if I were going to travel for 15 months, I would need to overcome those fears.

And I did…only to come to realize how irrational those fears were.

Hostels are a great option for career breakers of all ages, and more people then you think are utilizing them to keep expenses down, and provide social outlets as part of their career breaks. If you are like me and have never stayed in a hostel before because you think they are just for young partying backpacker types, then prepare to have that myth shattered.

Before you start your career break here are some strategies for easing into hostels as an accommodation for the first time.

Take a Test Run

You’d never buy a car without driving it first – so why not use that same idea and give hostels a test run? You don’t have to be out of the country to try out a hostel; did you know that there are many, many great hostels in the US? I recommend on your next short trip, instead of booking yourself into a Marriott or Holiday Inn, check out Hostelling International USA and see if there’s a hostel in your destination. This is a great chance to try one on and see what you can expect. Some of the hostels in San Francisco , New York City , Chicago,  and Martha’s Vineyard are in amazing locations with great facilities. You’ll find the staff is very knowledgeable about the tourist attractions, and you’ll probably save half the money you would have spent on a hotel to be used at a fabulous restaurant instead!

Ease into Dorm Rooms

Hostels have many varied layouts and options. Many of them offer private rooms (some with a private bath and some without) in addition to the traditional dorm style rooms. If the thought of sleeping in a bunk bed again makes you cringe, then ease into it by first booking private rooms in hostels (which are still cheaper than a hotel!). Enjoy the social aspects of the hostel but still have your private room with bathroom. After you’ve stayed in a private ensuite room, move on to private rooms with a shared bathroom. Next, start to try out the dorm accommodations. You’ll realize quickly it’s no big deal to sleep in a dorm setting again.

Finding Like Minded People

Many people think that hostels are simply one big party of beer pong, and late night revelers; but that’s not the case. Sure, each hostel has it’s own personality, and some may cater to a younger partying clientele, but they are not ALL like that. So how do you find the one with the ‘right’ personality that will add to your chance of meeting more career breakers like yourself? Many career breakers are couples , so one good thing to consider when looking for a hostel is find one that caters to couples and has private rooms. The likelihood that you’ll meet more career breakers is higher in hostels offering a variety of accommodations.

Another good way to get a feel for a particular hostel environment is to read the reviews! A booking site like Hostel World has reviews from people who stayed there.  The reviews often including things like age travel expertise so you can get a great feel for the type of people staying there as well as what the atmosphere and cleanliness is like!

Career Breakers and more mature extended travelers shouldn’t overlook hostels as they are designed to accommodate the long-term traveler. All types of people stay in hostels, and I’m willing to bet that you’ll meet people you can get along with in any hostel if you go in with an open mind. Put your stereotypes of hostels aside and try one out; it may help you extend your career break budget even longer!

Photo Friday: Mt. Kilimanjaro

This Photo Friday is from Marie Elena Martinez who shared another Photo Friday with us from French Polynesia.

Marie also shared with us her trepidation of traveling to Africa, despite being an experienced traveler. And that is where this photo is taken – 12,598 feet above the clouds at Shira Camp – Mount Kilimanjaro, Tanzania.

Day 2.  Mount Kilimanjaro, Tanzania.  Shira Camp.
The one part of climbing Kilimanjaro that wasn’t excruciating was the view.  Being above the clouds insured the most glorious sunrises and sunsets.  Taking breakfast against this background kept me going…even at 12,500 feet!

For a full accounting of Marie’s seven days on Africa’s tallest mountain last month, check out The Kili Diaries on her travel blog Marie’s World. And stay up to date on her adventures and writing on her Facebook Fan Page.

Want to see your photo here? Join our Facebook Fan Page and upload your career break photo onto our Wall. Add a brief description & we may choose to feature it here!

ESL Certification: Teach Around The World

This week Alisha Robertson told us her tips on how to incorporate teaching ESL into your career break travels. She mentioned that she actually got certified to teach ESL while she was still living in America; but what does that certification entail and is it really necessary?

First of all, certification normally comes in a couple different forms – CELTA (Certificate for English Language Teaching to Adults) is the most known and recognized. It’s a certification offered by Cambridge University and known throughout the world. Most places require that you have a certificate in order to teach at an English Language school. Keep in mind that certification is not necessary for volunteering, however it does help your effectiveness!

CELTA certification is the same all over the world. It consists of 4 weeks of learning content. It can usually be done in an intensive one month of classes or in night classes over the course of a number of months. It’s not a cake walk – there are homework assignments and instructors are grading & constantly critiquing you.

What It’s Not
You won’t learn grammar rules! The certification is simply learning how to manage the classroom, plan a lesson, and teach a range of grammar lessons. It basically teaches you how to analyze grammar so that you can implement it in the classroom.

Real Life Experience
Implement what you learn immediately…that afternoon! You get experience teaching by instructing students of various levels and being critiqued by the instructors. You have to plan the lesson and deliver it just as you do when you are teaching abroad.

Is It Necessary?
Sometimes. It certainly can’t hurt and it’s actually a great learning experience. With a university degree and a CELTA, you can pretty much get a job anywhere in the world. That’s a powerful combination. However with no CELTA, it’s still possible to get a job – but much harder. Most schools will require a certification no matter what your background is (unless you are already a teacher!). But in person networking is always best; more often than not once they see your career background they will probably give you a second look.

However, why not consider certification while you are in the planning stages of your career break – it’s something that can be done while you are working and will simply expand your options while on the road for working or volunteering. Places like Teaching House, with 4 locations in the US, offer night classes that can fit your schedule. Plus – as an added bonus you meet a lot of great international people who love to travel and live abroad – so you’ll immediately bond with them!

Teaching House has locations in New York City, Boston, Miami, and San Diego.

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