Career Break Interview Preparation Guide

A career break is simply dedicated time away from your job. It may be something that is planned for or something that is unforeseen. It can be from 1 month to 3 years. Anything shorter than a month really falls into the glorified vacation bucket.

There are a few things that make a career break unique, namely that you should have a career that you are breaking away from. This puts the typical career break age range from 27 to 57 years old. Younger and it might be considered a Gap Year and older it may be considered retirement.

When people add the element of globe trotting to their break, then it is career break travel. It may mean that you tick off a bucket list, travel around the world or simply go live as an expat in another country. Basically, it is about shaking up your normal routine in a big way with your passport in hand.

A few career break myths are as follows:
★ It is too expensive, you must be rich
★ A gap on my resume will ruin my career
★ It is not safe to travel abroad
★ I can not travel because I have a family

Career break myths are all there to rationalize your fear and result in keeping you cemented to the life you think you have to live.

You do not have to have a trust fund, it is possible to take a break if you do not have much money saved. And it is certainly possible to save money in order to take a career break no matter what your circumstances. In fact, it is never too early to start.
Some people plan and save for several years and you can also get travel costs from those who have come before you. A key place to start is to determine roughly how much you will need to travel around the world. You may realize that you may have to change some of your spending habits but if you really want the career break bad enough, you will find a way to start saving. It is about priorities.

A career break does not equal career suicide. In fact, it will even help your career. You will build skills you can put on your resume such as confidence, patience and smart risk-taking. And a break will allow you the time to reflect on where your career is to date, how it may have gotten off track and how to refocus on what it is you really want to do.

The reality is that we live in a society that focuses so heavily on the negative, so safety is a valid concern when traveling abroad for any length of time. But most places are only as dangerous as the situations you place yourself in. Like many places in the world, as long as you keep your wits about you and make smart, common sense decisions (keep an eye on your stuff, do not wander off down a dark alley alone or go to notoriously bad neighborhoods at night), you are likely going to be just as safe abroad as you are at home.

Career break benefits are numerous. Most importantly getting away is essential for effective thinking. Combine your career break with travel and reap even more benefits. Exposure to cultures that function differently from our own from language to social customs to public transport awakens the brain, alerting it to a much broader range of possibilities for being, living and creating. You will come back to the workforce with skills other peers will not have. And you will stand out in a positive way.

If you are merely intrigued with the idea of career break travels or are salivating to take one, there are a growing number of resources to help you plan and prepare for a career break. They come in many different forms with different levels of your commitment and involvement required.
★ Basic Training:
As an online travel course and community, Basic Training connects you with reliable resources, expert voices and like-minded peers - all of which will lead you to getting on a plane and taking a career break.
★ Travel and forums:
A chance to communicate in an active forum to ask one off questions and get up to date advice.
★ Meet, Plan, Go! Events:
If you are tired of digital, then come on out in person and meet career break travel experts.