What is sabbatical

Do you know what sabbatical is ? This term has been in much evidence in recent years. This is because the number of people who work earlier each day to achieve their financial independence is growing. The result is: a lot of money in your pocket, but little personal fulfillment.

Therefore, these professionals have sought to live a sabbatical period. The meaning of this phase is nothing more than a stop at the rhythm of toil and the search for a more personal encounter with yourself or with the most important people or even time to discover other professional activities that give you pleasure.

What does sabbatical mean

The sabbatical period is a time that the professional takes “leave” of the professional career. Generally, it is an option for people who achieve professional success earlier than others and need to recharge their energies and find motivation outside the corporate environment. This pause can vary between months or a year (or even longer).

Use this time to dedicate yourself to a hobby, enjoy your family or learn a new trade (Photo: depositphotos)

Where did the sabbatical period come from

This custom is related to Jewish culture. This tradition says that every seven years, the religious must take a year to start over. The idea is part of the old way of exercising Judaism.

The word comes from the term shabbat which means to rest, rest, take a break . To give you an idea, in antiquity, when this seven-year cycle was closed, farmers spent a year without planting or harvesting any input.

At the end of the 19th century, academics in the United States began asking for time off from universities. Over the years, in the middle of the 20th century, some professionals from the corporate environment brought this ancient religious tradition to the market and ended up adapting the purposes of the sabbatical period to the present day and more urgent needs.

What to do during a sabbatical

During a sabbatical, the professional can choose from several activities at a lower or greater pace, such as:

  • To study
  • Travel
  • Learning a new trade
  • Develop skills
  • Devote yourself to a passion (writing, running, sailing, surfing etc.)
  • Spend more time with family
  • Search for disturbing answers
  • Get to know yourself
  • Volunteering
  • Learning a new language

How to take a gap year

To take a gap year, the professional needs to be prepared for it. Therefore, it is not uncommon for this decision to take a long time. It takes years of planning and organization to be able to take a break from professional activities. Therefore, you should note the following questions:

Financial side

It is the first thing that weighs when someone decides to take a gap year. How to support yourself? How to keep the accounts up to date? For this reason, one of the primary attitudes that must be taken in the face of the desire to take a sabbatical is to put the accounts on the table and define how the provision will work for the months themselves. After all, the idea is to be free of problems and not get another one.

Familiar side

Taking a sabbatical period may mean staying closer to the family. Or not. Some people choose to isolate themselves even from those people whose connection is blood. But that does not always happen.

When the gap year is taken by people who want to take the opportunity to be closer to theirs , planning has to involve all family members, especially the gap period involves travel or even a change of city or country.

Personal side

Even though the sabbatical period is important for resolving internal conflicts, he must also wait for the right time to happen. The personal side is important in this decision-making, as it depends a lot on the willpower and interest in closing a personal life cycle.

Professional side

This is one of the most important items to be evaluated when it comes to the gap year. Is it the right time? Does my career ask for that right now ? When is it time to stop? Will I return to the job market more prepared or do I no longer intend to practice this profession? All of this must be taken into account before taking this professional break.

How to prepare for a sabbatical

Large companies offer their executives the option of unpaid leave (Photo: depositphotos)

Preparing for a career break is not as easy as it sounds. After all, it is not enough to just retire the “cleats” for a moment, but to study, plan and organize to live that moment.

In order to prepare for a sabbatical, the main thing is to keep your mind focused on that purpose, because no matter how tired your body is, your mind has to be prepared to take a break from the daily routine.

The person also needs to be open-minded to new ideas and ways of life , because when he is willing to take a gap year, his life is about to change completely. Most of the routine activities will be replaced by actions outside the agenda. So, who worked 16 hours a day, now will simply own their own schedule and will have to deal with these news well.

Besides the mind is prepared for a decision like this, the family is an important element in this process, it is necessary to clarify with your closest ones what your goals are to avoid unnecessary conflicts.

Also try to talk to the company, who knows, you may not be able to take an unpaid leave without having to resign. In fact, this is a benefit that large companies offer their executives.

Gap year is not a vacation

Some people confuse a sabbatical period with a vacation. Although going without work is related to the days of rest, it is not always so. Most of the time, the sabbatical period is very productive even if it does not imply paid work.

In addition, some institutions have fixed programs for their professionals to take a sabbatical. However, there are still few initiatives, compared to the United States, for example.

The University of São Paulo, USP, through the Institute of Advanced Studies of the University of São Paulo, is one of the institutions that offer this benefit to their professors. For this, it is necessary to go through a selection and develop a research project during the recess.

Therefore, this means that the sabbatical period is not a vacation, but rather a pause for the individual to focus on what matters most at that moment for him. And as difficult as it may seem, there is a lot of work involved in this issue.

by Abdullah Sam
I’m a teacher, researcher and writer. I write about study subjects to improve the learning of college and university students. I write top Quality study notes Mostly, Tech, Games, Education, And Solutions/Tips and Tricks. I am a person who helps students to acquire knowledge, competence or virtue.

Leave a Comment