The trend of mini-retirements has picked up some visibility at the start of 2025 as younger people are taking time off from their career to refresh or redirect. I took additional notice of this since I was between roles for a few months myself. This got me thinking about the benefits of slowing down, but also the concern of long-term finances and career progression.
I definitely gathered from some of the commentary that this is more common amongst 20-somethings. My time off gave me some perspective on the value of having a larger amount of time to rest and refocus. Taking this time as a 41-year-old also provides me additional thoughts about the potential financial implications of taking a break like this earlier in life.
Emotional Well-Being Takes Time
My biggest take away from my short hiatus from a stressful role in pharmaceutical manufacturing is that my work life had taken a toll on my emotionally. It’s nothing catastrophic, but the grind of deadlines and dysfunctional management add up over time. I definitely noticed that I needed the time to recover and refresh myself even though I wasn’t choosing to take the time off.
Despite the fact that anyone older than me seems to love dunking on the work habits of Gen-Z, I have consistently noticed that the desire for balance is a primary driving factor. In this way, I’ve always aligned more with my younger peers. I didn’t see the value of pushing myself to work big hours to drive for a promotion so that I could be completely drained when I get home to my wife and kids.
The challenge for emotional well-being is that jobs aren’t stable and there will always be busier seasons or reasons to take on a more stressful role in order to advance. I’ve strived to maintain balance over my career, but there are simply periods where the time hasn’t been available to refresh. Burnout is sneaky and hard to predict. I know I’ve personally seen it grow gradually in my life even when I didn’t think that the work environment would produce it. Gen Z seems much better at listening to this internal voice than the older generations which is one reason I could see for the rise in taking some time off.
Keep Long-Term Finances in Mind
When considering a work hiatus, the first consideration has to be staying out of debt. If you gain some peace of mind now but put yourself behind with money going forward then it’s not worth it. However, if you have some savings and can live on a tight budget for a while then the benefit of setting a new perspective can be incredibly valuable.
Shifting Careers
The best thing that could come out of a mini-retirement could be shifting to a new career direction that gives a better long-term outlook. This could mean a job earns more, but also a position that you have more energy to work at for decades to come. If a brief break provides a shift that brings energy to your work life for years then the financial benefit will be massive.
Taking a Break is a Big Deal
Taking time away from the workforce is a big deal and could have significant negative implications for the future. This is something that should be very seriously considered before cutting ties with a full-time job. I’ve survived multiple layoffs in my career, but I know how challenging it was for my friends who were cut. Its incredibly important to be grateful for a job and keep this factored in when evaluating a break.
Talk to Key People in Your Life
When I ended up moving on from my previous role, I’d been talking to my wife and some friends for months about the impact the job was having on me. It was a slow progression and I think that is definitely the best way to approach a career break.
It’s also good to get the opinions of parents or older friends in your life that will likely offer a contrary opinion to a mini-retirement because it gives the idea the proper testing. If a current job isn’t a good fit or has been draining you then you may also get an unexpected level of support for your potential change. Regardless, the input is critical to making sure you make a solid decision.
The other side of this equation is that you may be over-reacting to your current situation. This is something we all have the potential to do and there is no shame in realizing it. The goal is to realize you are over-reacting before you jump ship and then regret it. This is super critical for people like me who deal with anxiety since you can get caught up in your head and lose touch with reality a bit. Getting ideas out in the open prevents this from driving the bus too far.
You are Unique and so is Your Career Arc
The biggest thing I’ve learned in my working life is that every career ebbs and flows in its own path. Very few people know exactly what they want to do in their early twenties and then sees that through. Also, in order to advance in your career, movement is an absolute necessity in the modern job market. Between the time it takes to think through long term career plans or to recover from a period that drained your emotional reserves, taking some time off earlier in one’s working life could be a great tool to reset your trajectory.
The most important thing is to ensure that you are taking care of your finances to make sure you don’t create a financial burden for later on. As long as the finances are square, I think that there may be many Gen Z people that look back on some time off in their early career as the catalyst to a happier career and better perspective in life.
I personally went through three different career directions during my twenties and so I can attest that it’s incredibly challenging to figure this out until you have some experience. I also know that it’s easy to find yourself burned out due to work culture or simply not pacing yourself in life. There is no reason to feel shame about this stuff, but the important thing is to take the next right step. There is a chance that a mini-retirement is that step for some and so it’s a great thing to keep in mind.