A young man who wants to take a step back from his career for a while asked for advice on the anonymous NUS Whispers Facebook page.
The poster, who is 28 years old, said, “I want to take a total break from the working world for a few years.” He added that he has been in the banking industry for the past four years, but “the hours are brutal and the work is demanding.”
The man is now considering resigning from work in order to take a break for a few years, in part to recover from the stresses of his job, which perhaps many of the commenters on his post are able to identify with.
“I feel that in my years working, my physical and mental health have suffered and I have lost myself and don’t know who or what am I working for.”
He also outlined what he plans on doing while on his break. This includes travelling to different countries, pursuing his hobbies, exercising and gaming—“basically enjoy myself and leading a retiree lifestyle,” he added.
The young man is in a good financial position to do so, as he has around $600,000 in savings and investments, which gives him $2000 in passive income monthly.
“I have no commitments other than giving my parents allowances, buying necessities and the occasional eating out with friends. I have not thought of what to do after a few years.
Perhaps I’ll start anew in another industry and won’t go back to banking anymore,” he added, before asking, “Can anyone advise if I should do this, especially from a career point of view?”
Given that he is more than comfortable, financially speaking, many netizens echoed the famous Nike saying, telling him, “Just do it.”
“Just do it! I think at this young age without much heavy family emotional commitments you should go and see the world and do what you want,” advised one commenter, adding that her husband had gone through a similar experience.
Another wrote, “You can think about the future while traveling, since your perspective will change for the better.”
One commenter said the man’s savings will last for a whole, but added, “in any case dont tell anyone abt ur stash or people will start trying to convince u to part with it, or worse, marry them!”
“It’s your life,” another one added.
“Prioritise your health first,” another wrote.
Someone who had actually taken a similar break, however, underlined that setting an end date is important.
/TISG