Biting the bullet...

[ropegoat]

I'm sure there are other posts on this, but figure I'd open it up.

LIke most of us, I sit at a desk all day and play with numbers (I'm an engineer). The result of this, is that I get a paycheck and live a decent middle-class life- it could easily be a career if I want it to.

I'm 25, have no commitments, a little bit of (cheap) school debt, a fit body, and a few thousand in the bank. Work has been rough lately, and for the nth time since starting there I'm thinking about quitting, except this time, it feels more serious. More than a nagging thought, more than something we all tell ourselves we "should" do.

Time to bite the bullet and climb for a year...

 

What questions do I need to be asking myself? What logistics should I consider? I'm looking forward to the humor.

[JosephH]

Can you start your car reliably three time in a row in under five minutes?

 

Does it leak more than a quart of oil per month?

 

Yes and no to those questions?

 

Well, then hell son, the only thing likely stopping you is the fact you're an engineer and overthinking it...

[tomtom]

Try to get yourself laid off or fired. That way you can collect unemployment benefits to fund your roadtrip.

[DPS]

You will never be this young again. There are no do-overs in life and time spent climbing mountains will not be deducted at the end. Sooner than you can imagine you will wake up a 41 year old with a rapidly deteriorating body and a wife and kid (maybe 2) and a heavy mortgage. The only questions you need to ask yourself are what do you want to climb and where? A reading from the Gospel according to Mark may be in order: http://www.gymjones.com/knowledge.php?id=15

[Rad]

When I was wrapping up grad school, I was contemplating taking some time off to travel before starting a new position and gaining a new set of responsibilities. Before doing so, I talked to members of my thesis committee, asking them if they had take time off in their careers at all. I got back two answers:

 

1 - I took time off and it was the best thing I ever did and I wish I'd taken more.

 

and

 

2 - I never did take time off and I really wish I had.

 

So....I bought an around the world ticket and spent a year traveling, mostly in Southeast Asia. The dollar was strong and the asian currencies were really low, so I was able to have an amazing trip for about $16,000 for the whole year, including plenty of air travel. I had planned to connect with friends for different parts of the trip but most bailed. They fell into two camps: those with enough money but no time, and those that felt like they couldn't quit their jobs because they didn't have enough money. Traveling alone actually ended up being better because it's easier to meet the locals that way.

 

That year was incredible. I've done shorter trips since then, but now I have three kids, a mortgage, a job, fun consulting on the side, volunteer projects, and climbing when it fits in. So I don't have that kind of carefree travel on my horizon.

 

Seize the day!

[DPS]

Another word of advice: don't burn your bridges with your current employers or co-workers. You may end up working for/with them again in the future.

[denalidave]

Another word of advice: don't burn your bridges with your current employers or co-workers. You may end up working for/with them again in the future.

Yes, go for it. And DPS has some sage advice too... I now find myself returning to an employer in Alaska I last worked for over 10 years ago. Would have never happened if I'd burned that bridge back then.

 

I've never regretted any of the time off or trips I took when I was young and free. I do regret not going through with many adventures when I had the chance to do so, though.

[denalidave]

You'd better bring your clip board, slide rule and tape measure on the trip though.

[denalidave]

Try to get yourself laid. off or fired. That way you can collect unemployment benefits to fund your roadtrip.

This is good advice whether you stay, or go.

[Sol]

get the phuc out of there and go climb!

[Hugh Conway]

So....I bought an around the world ticket and spent a year traveling, mostly in Southeast Asia. The dollar was strong and the asian currencies were really low, so I was able to have an amazing trip for about $16,000 for the whole year, including plenty of air travel. I had planned to connect with friends for different parts of the trip but most bailed. They fell into two camps: those with enough money but no time, and those that felt like they couldn't quit their jobs because they didn't have enough money. Traveling alone actually ended up being better because it's easier to meet the locals that way.

 

$43/day budget is doable, but perhaps unenjoyable allin, in this day in age. Including transport it'll be mostly crappy transport, lodging and not much booze. The worlds changed and places aren't nearly as cheap as they were. And that was before the $ went down the shitter.

 

STILL WORTH IT! GO! GO NOW!

 

[MarkMcJizzy]

Try to get yourself laid off or fired. That way you can collect unemployment benefits to fund your roadtrip.

 

Try to get laid off. You may be eligible for UI if you are fired for cause, but you also may be ineligible

[JBC]

Try to get yourself laid off or fired. That way you can collect unemployment benefits to fund your roadtrip.

 

Try to get laid off. You may be eligible for UI if you are fired for cause, but you also may be ineligible

 

A few note on unemployment - (which may vary a bit from state to state), but in general is accurate for most places

 

If you are fired for cause - you are NOT eligible for unemployment. You can dispute this and MAY win, but most likely not if your employer has adequate documentation. also getting fired for cause will not make it easy to get back into the job market, and very difficult with that employer. (Relates to burning bridges mentioned earlier.)

 

In order to collect unemployment you must be actively looking for work. Some places this is easy to fudge, but many require monthly or weekly paperwork showing when & where you have applied - tough to do when traveling. Even more difficult is that some may require face to face meetings.

 

Just a few things to think about when considering unemployment.

[Dane]

For most that I know to live/lived a comfortable life you'll actually have to work pretty hard for 15 or 20 years some where in your life.

 

You get to decide which 15 or 20 years.

 

Bet no one ever died saying, "wished I could have worked more". Bet more than a few have died wishing they could have climbed more.

 

Once you are over the initial shock of being unemployed I suspect you'll find the experience way more fun that you ever imagined.

You are one of the lucky ones to have that kind of option.

[Rad]

Another word of advice: don't burn your bridges with your current employers or co-workers. You may end up working for/with them again in the future.

 

I'll echo the don't burn bridges comment. Same is true in any part of life. You never know who'll turn up as your boss or dating your boss or working next door.

 

Also, if you feel the need to take time off just tell your boss. They may allow you to work remotely part time and would probably appreciate the notice to hire someone else. Maybe you can stay and train that person too. Leaving on a positive note is good, especially if you think this employer would be a good reference later.

 

[bstach]

You need to ask yourself if "a few thousand" in the bank will support you for a year in the style you envision. If you are ok sleeping in your car, scrouging around the food court for half eaten pizza and sneaking into the rec center for a shower, then a few thousand will go far. If you plan on flying, driving, staying in hotels, paying rent somewhere etc. Would you be willing/able to pick up some extra money as you go? You need to take that all into account.

 

+1 on do it now, it only gets harder when you are further along in your career, have a wife, kids, mortgage etc. (not impossible, just harder) I did some great, memorable stuff in my 20's, and as mentioned, I don't regret it. I do regret not doing the things I had wanted to do, but never got around to doing - though I'm sure I had a good excuse at the time.

[markwebster]

definitely don't burn bridges. All my old employers would hire me back, assuming I could brush up on those skills.

 

Something no one has mentioned, buy medical insurance, something with a high deductible to cover major accidents. Think: Paul Bailey.

 

Personally, I think scamming unemployment is lame. Earn your way, live in your car, be the ultimate dirtbag, eat rice and climb until your savings are gone, but don't treat unemployment like a free ride. I see far too many people who are treating unemployment like a big mommy. I'm no economist, but all those people cheating on unemployment can't be helping this economy.

 

There will be other chances at long trips. Life isn't over at 30, or even 50.

 

 

 

 

[summitchaserCJB]

To chime in- I am in a similar situation and am considering this very thing. I did Europe in dirtbag style when I graduated and it was a great experience. I spent so little money over there it is insane. And ya- Don't burn bridges- unless completely neccesary

Edited April 6, 2010 by summitchaserCJB

[Water]

of course go do it! just really look at why you're doing it now, specifically, and not the other times. lousy work and looking out the window on a sunny day can give an emotional response..

Is it just that now is the first juncture where your savings is high enough for you to see the adventures materialise and make a much more tolerable vision than 6 months more of work? being an engineer and looking at numbers, what hugh said holds a lot of water--i dont know what kind of lifestyle you want to live but if its not pretty low, it gets expensive quick.

 

i am basically your age and traveled in south america for 3 months and spend 5 months hiking the AT with my girlfriend/now fiance. I regret none of the time and though the counsel i generally deem wise and have found valuable in my life advised towards making conservative choices (not quitting a job after a ~year, etc), today they laud the experiences gained, especially in juxtaposition to their own youth and hearing what their niece, nephew, co-worker's child, etc is doing with life.. you do big things (for yourself) you'll have a big impact (for yourself). from thru-hiking i can say many potential employers were impressed by the 'feat' and it helped to differentiate me -- though it is important to emphasize that they are not just your next potential paycheck to the next voyage, unless its a clear short-term job.

 

a few things that run through my mind are: how hard is it to get rid of any debt you have now? how hard to double what you've saved already? whats your skillset--do you think you can get hired decently quick in an economy like this or maybe a bit better? whats safety net? ie: you travel/climb for 2-12 months, come home penniless, or at it's worst some credit card debt, plus student loans, and can't find a job for 3 months. living in the parents basement?

 

i spent 3 unemployed in michigan in my parents house after south america with no more than $100 when i got back. after thru hiking i had $1000 and my gf had $300. we left michigan for oregon and spent 3 months on a flea encrusted couch in a 700sq ft condo with a family of 4, living out of a suitcase in the corner and everything else in our car. And i owe that family forever for their tolerance and patience while we got established out here. fortunately we had and have no debt. of course it will generally all work out, but if i could give advise, its to save more, and try to plan a tiny bit for what you'll be coming back to. and in my experience, being anything close to satisfied with work after incredible extended travel and adventure is near impossible. there will always be that worm of an idea in the back of your head after that. its why we're planning a pct thru for 2012 probably =]

[Crillz]

My $.02:

 

Perhaps many feel the same way as you do, as the reality of the 8 to 5 - doing this for what - begins to set in after 5 or so years of middle class reality. I sure did. I said F*ck it, and bailed on the job for a while.

 

Situations are different, and you've got pretty good advice from peeps here. You must first decide which route you truly are after - pure dirtbag (years) or in need of a break (months). If it's months, then save $$$. You'll need it for your "vacation" and you'll need it to transition back in with the worker bees. How much you need or what you'll need the dough for depends on your own situation.

 

I'd echo Mark's comment on insurance - don't be stupid, get an adequate policy. As far as the unemployment, if at all possible, I would attempt to get it. Part of your paycheck goes to fund this anyway, and once you go back to work, you will pay way more than you will ever recieve - obviously opinions vary, and they may have a "little" to do with the age of the person giving the advice . I know a few people that are getting unemployment in the Seattle area - it's all done via da interweb, so it's pretty easy.

 

Also, you will feel refreshed when you return from your break - for a while. Unless you get a real sense of accomplishment from what you do for most of your waking day (work), you will be looking out the window and dreaming of what should be, just as before.

 

[mvs]

I never liked this either/or bargain that seems in play here: do it while you are young, no second chances, etc. I'm been in full "suburban dad" mode for a long time, but also managed to follow up on a dream to live in the Alps. Every year I get a little better as a climber. I'm 39 and it really does keep getting better for me.

 

Now I've jinxed it. ;-)

 

I remember my 20s as hard years. Floundering around, going back to college, incurring lots of debt, then working. At the end of that I discovered climbing and each year since I manage to work in a little bit more of it. It's been a huge gift to me.

 

Still, +1 on quitting, -1 on scamming unemployment, and I agree you'll never regret time off. I'm just saying there are middle ways. Have fun man!

 

[goatboy]

It's possible to get unemployment benefits without "scamming" it. The benefit you get will be based off of a calculation of what you've made over the past few years, and that money has already been paid by your employer into a fund that you can apply to collect, or not. But the catch is that to be eligible, you have to actually be SEEKING employment elsewhere, which it sounds like you will not be.

 

Is it any surprise that a group of calculated risk-takers would advocate for taking this time off to go climbing for a year? Did anyone really expect the sounding board to counsel that this fellow should blindly march into old age, mortgages, kids, and other lockstep expectations of our society?

 

On that note, I say go for it and take the year off, don't burn the bridges, collect unemployment if it's legitimate and appropriate (usually not unless you're actually seeking work elsewhere...) and have fun. But have a plan for "reentry" into your regular life at the end of this finite trip.

[John Frieh]

Fundamentally you like what you do. I know this having listened to you talk about your profession.

 

Sure taking a year off to fuck off and climb will be great. I wont argue with that.

 

But is exactly one year of climbing going to make you feel good about the next 15-20 years back on the job? Of course not. I'd bet you'll be even more miserable when you return as all you'll think about was how good it was during that year.

 

What you need to do is set better boundaries with your boss. I know how much you work and it's ridiculous. If you actually worked just 45ish a week I bet you wouldn't be considering something so drastic. I would either look into another job function there or market those skills you have acquired to date and find a new employer in a location with better, closer in climbing (Bozeman, SLC, etc etc). Sure you'll take a huge pay cut but you'll be way happier in the long run.

 

And if you truly cant stand it anymore why not instead of doing something super drastic take a more conservative stance: go back to school! Get a MS or PhD or MBA or JD! Will you climb more? Yes! Will you be shooting your career in the foot? No!

 

And at the end of the day keep in mind climbing is a selfish, hollow, time intensive activity that might make you happy but more than likely will only make you want more often at the expense of others

 

PS: for a fit person you deadlift like a weakling

 

PPS: if you have a couple grand in the bank you should be shopping for a house right now

[sobo]

There has been a lot of good advice here (get some medical insurance, use your unemployment benefits legitimately, have a re-entry plan for when the money runs out, don't burn any bridges when you leave, etc.), but by far NOLSe's is the best advice I've seen yet on this thread.

 

Ancient Chinese wisdom that I've found quite useful in my own life/career:

"Choose job you like, never work day in life."

 

I'm also an engineer, and I haven't "worked a day in my life" for the past 20-odd years. Yeah, there were "dues to pay" in the profession right out of college, but they were fun, young years of making my mark. Now I've "arrived" at a place where my word and opinion means something in this business. A few years ago I negotiated my hours down considerably to spend more time with family and kids. Best thing I ever did after becoming a suburban dad. My timesheet never reads more than 90 hours for a two-week period now, and that's manageable to still have a decent life after work. Sure, I should have taken more time off when I was younger, but I got out of engineering school at almost 30, having spent the years between high school and my second try at university sowing my oats and bumming around. I wasn't into climbing yet, but I did other things just as fun at the time (thru-hiking the AT, skydiving, WW rafting/kayaking, motorcycling, etc.). Never regretted it, and it made my second foray into college that much more enjoyable.

 

So yeah, take the time off now, heed the advice you hear here, have a good time, and be prepared for when you tire of the road and want to come back to your career.

[John Frieh]

A personal favorite of recent

 

"A master at the art of living makes no distinction between his work and his play, his labor and his leisure, his mind and his body, his education and his recreation, his love and his religion - he hardly knows which is which. He simply pursues with excellence what he is about and leave others to determine whether he is working or playing. He himself always knows, he is doing both."