Circumstances

In the summer of 2007, Angie Kalousek experienced a two-month career break in Europe. She share’s with us her original thoughts on what made her decide to take this “Leap of Faith”.

Well, I did it. The job that I once loved became the job that I no longer love…and it was time for a change. So I took a leap of faith. I have chosen to forgo the reliable paycheck in hopes of discovering something more…something meaningful, joyful and fulfilling.

We all give so much of ourselves to our employers, and I wonder if we’re slowly giving away valuable minutes in our lives. Sure, we all need to work. We need to support ourselves, and we need to feel like we’re contributing to this world and enhancing our lives. But work should always bring us satisfaction and be a tool for growth. If it is, and you’re happy, you’re on the right track. But if not, it might be time to reevaluate…which is what I am doing.

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Don’t let it be life defeating – Make it life defining!

With headlines reading “U.S. Initial Unemployment Claims Jump to 26-Year High” and “Job-loss Data Are the Worst Since the 1930’s” it’s no secret that the country is in an economic crisis. Have you found yourself to be included in these headlines?

Well don’t sit around and be just another statistic – take charge of your immediate future. With the job market heading in a downward spiral, you could spend months searching for a new job. Rather than waiting for things to turnaround, this is a great opportunity to do something different with your life – why not use the time to take a cultural career break?

You may find that it is actually cheaper to travel than it is to maintain your current lifestyle, especially destinations like SE Asia. At the same time, you could be gaining some amazing insight into other cultures and yourself.

And when the economy does turn around, you’ll have some great interview material and a leg up on the competition. (See Next Steps: Getting Back to ‘Reality’ and Resumes)

What you do during your break is up to you, but our site is here to offer you the guidance and inspiration to figuring that out – every step of the journey.

We’d love to hear from you:

Have you recently been laid off and plan to travel? Tell us about your plans. Share your career break plans here