CAREER BREAK OR MICRO-RETIREMENT: PLAN IT RIGHT

Taking career breaks can heal you and help re-orient the direction of your life, but don't treat them as vacations. Plan like your future depends on it, because it does

- Anuradha Mishra

Ashutosh Mishra was 27 when he walked away from a regular job. The burnout was real—he worked long hours, had tight deadlines, and developed a gnawing sense of going into no particular direction. When he thought of taking a break, others around him suggested, “perhaps it’s too early” in his career to embark on such a sabbatical.

But the pressure had reached a breaking point, “I just needed to cool off,” he says. What followed was what people are now calling “micro- retirement”. Though Ashutosh didn't know the term then, he knew he couldn't continue in his existing job.

A 2024 Deloitte Global Gen Z Survey found that 40 per cent of Gen Zs and 35 per cent of millennials feel stressed at work. This has driven many to hit a pause on their careers, often to recuperate, travel, or re-think their career choices.

Says Ashutosh: “The motivation stemmed primarily from feelings of burnout and frustration. The daily demands left no time to reflect on my career path.” His family’s support proved crucial. “I can see many colleagues lacking this safety net and feeling trapped,” he says.

After five months, during which he slept properly, interacted with family and friends, and tried new roles, Ashutosh returned transformed. “The break wasn't an escape; it was a recalibration. I came back knowing my worth wasn't tied to relentless hustle,” he says.

Across industries, Gen Z professionals are embracing microretirement—an intentional, extended career break taken multiple times, and not just at the end of one's career. Unlike traditional sabbaticals (often reserved for mid-career professionals), these pauses are happening earlier, driven by burnout, curiosity, or a refusal to equate hustle with worth.

SABBATICAL OR MICRO RETIREMENT?