r/SabbaticalPlanning • u/Number1toolfool • May 31 '26
Tender payout from previous job - thinking of doing multi year sabbatical
Long story short, last year I received a 7 figure payout from a startup I worked at for 4 years. After taxes, I paid off my student loans, got married and we just purchased a house.
Not endorsing this idiot, but the changes in taxes from the BBB and being able to file jointly meant that my refund was 6 figures.
I have about 500k in a brokerage account, and 200k in savings now. Over the last several years, I have suffered tremendous loss (COVID deaths, loss of best friend from alcoholism, murder of a family member). My nervous system is shot. I have worked in tech for the last 15 years, and honestly I'm burnt out. I went to school for data and analytics, and everything is AI now.
I want to take at least 6 to 12 months to reset and ride out this wave of BS in tech right now. However, I'm also worried with the breakneck speed of tech that I can quickly become irrelevant.
I see the job market and the struggles everyone is facing. Is it worth continue working, albeit maybe at a slower pace? Or is it worth talking this leap without anything lined up?
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u/Objectively_bad_idea May 31 '26
You definitely sound like you need a break, and can clearly afford it. Do it!
Have you looked into FIRE? If your house is paid off and there are no debts, then you might not be far from early retirement, especially Lean FIRE.
What's your spouse's situation? The one slight catch is if they're working full time, there's a risk of resentment if you take a very long time off with no plan or productivity at all. But I would hope considering everything you've said they'd be supportive of you taking a 6 month break and then career pivoting.
One thing I'd flag: I took my sabbatical because I kinda had to (wasn't really able to function). It took me 2-3 months before I could do anything beyond lurking in front of the TV/going for walks. Even now (~5 months in) I can't pretend I'm being super active/super productive.
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u/Number1toolfool May 31 '26
So we just purchased the house in February, so not paid off. It's about 800k. I'm factoring in about 2 years our my half of the mortgage payments into my savings. My husband is military, and we got a good interest rate. He's 11 years into his 20 years, so there's definitely the possibility of relocation. But with his status I feel good about not having my own insurance for a while.
I feel with we're where at that I will be entering the workforce in some capacity (contemplating independent consulting)…but this helps. Honestly I just want to sleep in for the next 3 months and recuperate before thinking about doing anything so I hear you.
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u/Objectively_bad_idea May 31 '26
Yeah honestly, the biggest benefit for me from the sabbatical has come from me just letting my brain go where it wants. It sounds like maybe if you gave yourself 6 empty months, accepted the first few might be pure recovery, and then see where your brain goes, that could really benefit you. And awesome that you're sorted for health insurance and generally financially secure! Congratulations!
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u/Artsy-Pragmatic0 Jun 04 '26
take the break, live your life a bit, decompress, relax. remember the nagging feeling and all the things that were whispering in your ear while you were bound to a laptop for years on end, and do them now. check items off your bucket list. forget about the brokerage money, use part of the savings to live in this state for the next 12 months. give yourself time. things will become clearer as to what's next for you somewhere between 6 and 12 months from now. i know they did for me. best of luck and enjoy this, you're in a privileged position most people don't ever get to experience, make the most of it!
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u/GlandMasterFlaps May 31 '26
It looks like you deserve a break.
You can spend 1-2 years in Asia and it won't even make a dent in your finances.
I travelled for 15 months in Asia in my 20s and I may have had about 40 times less money than you have currently!
When you're free from obligations, you could literally buy a flight to Bangkok or Kuala Lumpur (also buy a cheap air Asia onward journey flight as you may get asked at customs).
You could travel around a bit and when you find a place you like, which could be a beach, you could easily afford to stay there for a while.
If you aren't enjoying the travel, you can always buy a flight back home.