George, a 28-year-old engineer from Bristol, had been working in an apprenticeship scheme for seven years, and had grown bored. “It seemed like I was into it, but in fact, I just never had the headspace to think about whether I liked it or not,” he tells me. Noticing his discontent starting to seep into his personal life, George took a bold decision. He threw caution to the wind, handed in his notice, and booked a one-way flight to Argentina. He used his savings to afford 10 weeks of cycling through rural Patagonia with his brother and a friend, who’d also quit their jobs.
George is one of many young workers taking a “micro-retirement” – a burgeoning lifestyle movement that’s gone viral on social media platforms and is growing in popularity among Gen Z and millennials. Unlike a sabbatical – which is a period off work granted by your employer – a micro-retirement is an indefinite career break taken to recover from burnout or to discover what you really want to do. “It’s so easy to start adult life down the wrong path,” says Alice Stapleton, a career-change coach. “Micro-retirements create an opportunity to reset and to re-evaluate what you enjoy and where you want to go next.”
While George’s foreign break is now over, his plan doesn’t involve splurging his hard-earned savings in one fell swoop. “It’s not a break from working as a whole but a break from the job that consumes more of your life than it should,” he says. “I still intend to work, just not in a job that I have to care about.”
Multiple friends of mine – my partner included – are in the midst of a career break, and when I ask them if they know of anyone in a similar boat, they can think of several other people, too. So what’s triggered this mass dissatisfaction with work? In the grip of a current malaise across the country, more and more young adults are refusing to accept that the next four to five decades should be consumed by a single job. The solution? Take the plunge and quit.
According to research from Barnett Waddingham, extended career breaks are on the rise among young workers, revealing a shift in long-held career norms. Almost a quarter (22 per cent) of 25 to 34-year-olds have already taken an extended career break, with two-thirds (66 per cent) of 18 to 24-year-olds having already taken extended leave due to illness, related to stress and burnout, in the past five years.
Will, 28, is proud to be one of those statistics: he’s already had two career breaks in the seven years since he graduated. He and his partner, Sophie, are currently renovating an electric van, which they plan to drive around Europe over the next few months after they quit their jobs in renewable energy in London. “Having done the trajectory of going to university, getting a good job, progressing my way up the ladder, I felt it became mundane, and I wanted a tangential thing to sink my teeth into,” Will says. “I was craving living a slower lifestyle.”
I have no idea what I’ll do and I’m happy with that at the moment. I’m definitely not someone who’s got my 10-year plan mapped out
Sophie, micro-retiree
But how easy is it to turn a dream of a career break into a reality? Will and Sophie trickle-saved since graduating and have recently moved out of London to live with their respective parents in order to afford the trip. “The fact we could work from home, as well as the fact we both have very accommodating parents, was quite crucial to that,” Sophie says. Their largest upfront cost was the electric van, which was just shy of £14,000. “Sharing that between us was one of the scariest purchases of my life,” she chuckles. “But we hope to recoup that once we sell it in a few years – converted electric vehicles are pretty scarce and we reckon the value will go up after the conversion.”
The micro-retirees hope not to fall into a rinse-and-repeat cycle of spending all their money on their break, then getting a job and starting the cycle again. “We’re thinking about how we can use our skills to move into something more freelance to accommodate this lifestyle,” Sophie says. “We like the idea of continuing to live in this way, but it’s early days, so can’t say for sure. It’s the first time we’ve done this; it might be the last.”
They’re also lucky to have well-paid jobs, she adds. “It’s a compromise – I’m aware of the fact I could be buying a house, and I’m sure many boomers are thinking, ‘What the hell are you doing?’ But I don’t want to spend my life just working and then retiring at 60. It’s better to do it now rather than later.” Sophie does, however, believe she will eventually tire of van life and miss the sense of purpose the 9-to-5 brings. “It’s a grass is greener thing – we’ve just got to flip-flop around to keep our little monkey brains happy.”
Fortunately for Will, he has the safety net of being able to return to his former job should he want to. This isn’t the case for Sophie, and for many other workers who wish to take a career break but feel anxious at the prospect of finding a new job down the line. It certainly takes courage to take that leap, and Sophie is content for now with the lack of security. “I have no idea what I’ll do, and I’m happy with that at the moment,” she says. “I’m definitely not someone who’s got my 10-year plan mapped out.”
Another reason why many of us are scared to quit our jobs is the fear of falling behind and explaining the gap in our CVs to future employers. But Leah Farmer, a life and leadership coach, tells me she’s noticed more employers being less perturbed by gaps since the pandemic. “It’s not as rigid as it once was,” she tells me. “[Covid] shifted a lot of thinking around career paths and life balance. If you can tell a strong and honest story about what you gained from your time away, most forward-thinking employers will see it as a strength, not a weakness. And for those who do not, you probably do not want to work for them anyway.”
Even though there is now more job diversity thanks to the internet, along with less expectation to settle down and start a family, modern life can contain its newfound pressures. The onus on doing what we love – and knowing exactly what that is – on top of being paid a decent enough salary to afford rent, can often feel more burdensome than freeing. This is ultimately what drove Sophie to put aside the fear of quitting and go for it, and luckily for her, the risk has paid off. “I’m happier now in a way I can’t even put into words,” she says.
Leah believes more adults should consider hitting pause on their careers. But for most working to stay afloat – and living in a culture that pushes constant productivity – it’s not as easy as skipping out the office door and into the unknown. It feels too radical, a choice only afforded to the wealthy, lucky or child-free.
Leah assures me a career break is still achievable for those without a huge pile of savings behind them. “It’s more about planning ahead and being honest about what matters most for a season,” she says. “Give yourself six to 12 months to plan and save – even small amounts add up when you have a clear timeline.” She also advises taking on a lighter workload, rather than a total stop. “Shifting to freelance, consulting, or part-time work can create breathing room while still bringing in income. I’ve seen clients do everything from tutoring to pet sitting while on a break. The goal isn’t to hustle, but to support yourself gently.”
Tempted to take heed of a micro-retirement? It can often feel impossible to step outside of the constant momentum that most of us live in, but with planning and a little courage, it’s more possible than it seems. And, as Leah tells me, the reward can be huge. “Time away gives you the chance to remember that you are not just what you do,” she says. “You are a whole human being with dreams, values, and a life beyond your LinkedIn profile.”
