Two-years later: Reflections on a mid-career sabbatical.

In the summer of 2017, I apparently surprised a lot of folks with a mid-career sabbatical that turned out to be one of the best decisions of my life. Ever.

Since then, I’ve had the chance to go back to school, pursuing a doctorate in business administration while also working towards a certified scrum trainer (CST) certification.

I have to say, it’s been a wild ride, with many unexpected twists and turns. I’ve had the chance to work with amazing mentors and teachers, while also learning the toughness of “going it on my own.” And in the mix of fantastic opportunities and some unfortunate disappointments, I thought I’d look back on how I set up the ride in the first place so others could learn from my experience.

So, reflecting the last few years to my original 5 key considerations to enter into a sabbatical (and the corresponding life changes):

1.      Financial planning and budgeting. Having a solid financial plan turned out to be critical – along with “sticking to the budget.” With so many opportunities out there, knowing your run rate (cash in – cash out) is essential. Investing in advanced education and the CST can be very expensive, especially when there is no one there to reimburse you for the pure cash outlay and shifts in the tax codes. Keeping up to date on books (and your estimated quarterly tax payments!) is imperative.

2.      Confidence in myself. There were many times I doubted my decisions along the way. I learned I could make some interesting combinations of four-letter words. But, having confidence in yourself, even when the chips were down, along with knowledge of finances became important to persist where it made sense to persist – which leads me to #3 below.

3.      Knowing where I want to go. Having a clear vision helped with #1 and #2. My entire life has been about helping educate and bring enlightenment to others. I get my mojo when others realize their mojo. So, when things got rough and opportunities to pivot arose, revisiting the vision became integral to decision making on next actions.

4.      Filling my time. As my Dad said to me once, “I think you found more than just two ends of a candle to burn at the same time.” Admittedly, finding work-life balance has always been a struggle, and this was no different. Except, in this case, it may have been more unhealthy. Between the doctoral work, CST pursuit, and part-time consulting gigs, it was not unusual to work 60+ hours a week. This was and is not sustainable. I had to admit after two spectacular failures in 2019 that I had simply taken on too much. I slowed down doctoral work and scaled back on other commitments. This gave me the needed time to recharge so that I could deliver quality work while saving time for myself.

5.      Support from the husband. As I wrote before, having family and friends there for you is key when you decide to go at it on your own. Even more is this true for a doctoral program. There’s a reason why the doctoral graduation rate is only around 50%. I could not have been successful without my husband, my colleagues, nor my friends. Those that choose to do this journey alone may find themselves perilously challenged.

The sayings “life is a journey” and “it’s the journey that’s important, not the destination” became a lot more crystallized in the past few years, and I still feel incredibly fortunate for the experiences I’ve been able to have. Whatever your situation might be (whether considering a career shift, pursuit of something personal, or otherwise), I would encourage you to take the time to reflect on where you are, where you want to go, and your support system to help you get there.