When “Time Off” Is Actually a Step Forward

When done properly, a gap year at any age can be an enriching experience, both personally and professionally

By Michelle Dittmer

Call it what you will – a gap year, a career break or a sabbatical – intentional time away from normal routine is becoming a more acceptable and necessary step in many people’s lives. Many students and professionals are seeking new ways of disrupting the cradle-college-cubicle-cemetery trajectory that is stifling Canadians and preventing them from finding fulfillment, achieving their optimal potential and sometimes leading to burn-out or bore-out (being so unmotivated by your work that you desire a change).

People are choosing to take time away from their existing pathway for many reasons. Some may be feeling overwhelmed by the pressures of academia or the workplace; others may be seeking to build skills to overcome some of their personal barriers such as anxiety or lack of confidence; while others may be simply searching for a year of self-discovery that will help them develop new skills, explore new interests or define what their next move might be. Historically, within Canada, taking an extended break has been seen as a weakness or a move for someone who couldn’t “rise to the challenge” but we are now able to better speak to the social, emotional and developmental growth that can occur by taking this time, leading to a more fulfilled, productive and committed student or employee.

According to research performed by Tony Wagner for his book The Global Achievement Gap (Basic Books, 2008, updated 2014) the most-needed survival skills within the workplace are:

• Critical thinking and problem-solving
• Collaboration across networks and leading by influence
• Agility and adaptability
• Initiative and entrepreneurialism
• Effective oral and written communication
• Accessing and analyzing information
• Curiosity and imagination

Although some of these skills can be taught through post-secondary programs or in organizational onboarding workshops, many are not addressed or fostered effectively in a way that is accessible to all learners, nor are many of these coachable without access to real-life experiences. Within academia or the workplace, it can be a challenge to provide opportunities for practising, or even failing-forward, without a permanent black mark on your reputation or without negative implications on the organization. Through intentional time off, many of these skills can be explored, developed and practised. Let’s explore with an example.

An investor has decided to take a few months away from her position in the head office of a bank to volunteer her time with a charity bike race supporting a cause she is passionate about. In choosing to take time away, she is actively engaging her curiosity and selecting experiences that will help her to connect her skills with her passions in a new way. During this time, she will be introduced to different challenges, a different way of thinking and a new network of individuals. This diversity will stimulate her to use different thinking patterns to solve problems, interact with people who will provide her with new perspectives, and build a new network to bring back to her personal and professional life. Upon returning back from her time away, this investor will now be able to apply her new-found skills to her previous job and become a stronger employee.

Stepping away from your day-to-day can reaffirm your commitment to your organization, or help affirm that you do need to take further steps to actively change your pathway by either increasing involvement outside of the 9-5 or taking intentional steps to make a change.

Another measure of soft skills development that continues to gain momentum is emotional intelligence, primarily attributed to Daniel Goleman’s work in the 90s (See Working with Emotional Intelligence, 1998). These skills are measured in many ways, one of which being the Bar-On EQi which breaks down emotional intelligence into the following categories and skills:

• Intrapersonal (Self-Regard, Emotional Self-Awareness, Assertiveness, Independence and Self-Actualization)
• Interpersonal (Empathy, Social Responsibility and Interpersonal Relationships)
• Stress Management (Stress Tolerance and Impulse Control)
• Adaptability (Reality Testing, Flexibility and Problem-Solving)
• General Mood Scale (Optimism and Happiness)

Whether working explicitly with these categories, as we do at mygapyear (a Canadian organization designed to support young adults in periods of transition), or leaving it to implicit development, these skills are often developed through time spent away from normal routine. Let’s look at another example.

An 18-year-old high school graduate is struggling with social anxiety and low self-regard; moving directly into a post-secondary program has been identified as a stressful trigger to these conditions and an unsuccessful year will heighten his struggles. By taking some time for a group trip to South America where they learn Spanish, volunteer with sea turtles and learn to surf, this young man gains independence from his parents, develops empathy for nature and those living in other areas of the world while solving problems and reaping the benefits of the feel-good hormones associated with helping others. By realizing how to use his strengths in novel and challenging situations and being successful, he develops the self-actualization and positive self-regard to want to take on new challenges, such as his post-secondary schooling.

Employers now express a higher interest in developing soft skills and in having employees with enhanced soft skills. It is worth investigating how taking meaningful “time off” from the typical educational and employment journey can support this. In order to ensure that time off is spent in a purposeful way (for some it is all too easy to spend it on less-than-meaningful or non-developmental activities) mygapyear recommends that the person taking the opportunity consider the following steps:

1. Set goals. Before your time off begins, make sure you know what you want to get out of this time away so you can learn, grow and develop.

2. Find someone to hold you accountable to your goals. We are all human and having someone who is aware of what we want to achieve and who will check in on our progress will help ensure that we reach those goals.

3. Pick experiences that push you out of your comfort zone. The best learning comes when you are in novel situations, on the edge of your current capacity and challenged to go beyond. Don’t forget that you have many skills you can tap into in new ways to ensure your success even in new situations.

4. Take time to reflect. Taking time off allows you to step out of the fast lane and spend more time thinking and reflecting on yourself, your skills, your dreams and your progress. Take this time to ensure you are capturing all you are learning through your experiences.

5. Learn to articulate your growth. The journey of taking time away is still a mystery to many. Learn to speak concisely to what you have learned, what the time meant for you both personally and professionally, how you will now move forward with new skills to be a better employee or student, and how you are now a better-rounded person.

Get in the driver’s seat of your life. Take control of your learning, development and your direction. Time off can be very valuable to develop new skills, experience the world in a new way and reconnect with what makes you unique and what inspires you.

Michelle Dittmer is a Director at mygapyear, an organization supporting young adults in transition through structured gap years and provides coaching, emotional intelligence and experience planning support to help people find direction, connect with their gifts and talents and plan for next steps. Dittmer believes in developing skills through experiential means and learning to reflect on and articulate how those experiences have led individuals to being the people they are today.