Life changing decision - any advice/experience?
- Thread starter HelenD123
- Start date
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HobbesChoice
New Member
- Location
- Essex
This is your life, this is not a dress rehearsal! 
Whatever you decide to do Helen, good luck with it. If you need a safety net of a job to come back to no one would blame you (would you be able to do some temping when your touring finishes without it affecting your job on hold and/or tax etc?). If you cut the net and go for it then it may make you feel like you've really achieved something. Also, no one can contact you putting on any pressure to get you home quicker.
It's all very inspiring. Well done
Whatever you decide to do Helen, good luck with it. If you need a safety net of a job to come back to no one would blame you (would you be able to do some temping when your touring finishes without it affecting your job on hold and/or tax etc?). If you cut the net and go for it then it may make you feel like you've really achieved something. Also, no one can contact you putting on any pressure to get you home quicker.
It's all very inspiring. Well done
HobbesChoice
New Member
- Location
- Essex
This is your life, this is not a dress rehearsal! 
Whatever you decide to do Helen, good luck with it. If you need a safety net of a job to come back to no one would blame you (would you be able to do some temping when your touring finishes without it affecting your job on hold and/or tax etc?). If you cut the net and go for it then it may make you feel like you've really achieved something. Also, no one can contact you putting on any pressure to get you home quicker.
It's all very inspiring. Well done
Whatever you decide to do Helen, good luck with it. If you need a safety net of a job to come back to no one would blame you (would you be able to do some temping when your touring finishes without it affecting your job on hold and/or tax etc?). If you cut the net and go for it then it may make you feel like you've really achieved something. Also, no one can contact you putting on any pressure to get you home quicker.
It's all very inspiring. Well done
HobbesChoice
New Member
- Location
- Essex
This is your life, this is not a dress rehearsal!
Whatever you decide to do Helen, good luck with it. If you need a safety net of a job to come back to no one would blame you (would you be able to do some temping when your touring finishes without it affecting your job on hold and/or tax etc?). If you cut the net and go for it then it may make you feel like you've really achieved something. Also, no one can contact you putting on any pressure to get you home quicker.
It's all very inspiring. Well done
Whatever you decide to do Helen, good luck with it. If you need a safety net of a job to come back to no one would blame you (would you be able to do some temping when your touring finishes without it affecting your job on hold and/or tax etc?). If you cut the net and go for it then it may make you feel like you've really achieved something. Also, no one can contact you putting on any pressure to get you home quicker.
It's all very inspiring. Well done
velocidad
Veteran
- Location
- Between Hessle and Hull
well, i'd normally agree with the majority of other peoples posts on this. however, knowing you to be a very practical sort of a girl,i would have thought you would have taken the unpaid leave option as being the obvious way to go. the fact that you're hesitating on this leads me to think that what you want to do is burn the bridges.
i say burn baby burn!
oh and can i rent ya house ;-)
i say burn baby burn!
oh and can i rent ya house ;-)
velocidad
Veteran
- Location
- Between Hessle and Hull
well, i'd normally agree with the majority of other peoples posts on this. however, knowing you to be a very practical sort of a girl,i would have thought you would have taken the unpaid leave option as being the obvious way to go. the fact that you're hesitating on this leads me to think that what you want to do is burn the bridges.
i say burn baby burn!
oh and can i rent ya house ;-)
i say burn baby burn!
oh and can i rent ya house ;-)
velocidad
Veteran
- Location
- Between Hessle and Hull
well, i'd normally agree with the majority of other peoples posts on this. however, knowing you to be a very practical sort of a girl,i would have thought you would have taken the unpaid leave option as being the obvious way to go. the fact that you're hesitating on this leads me to think that what you want to do is burn the bridges.
i say burn baby burn!
oh and can i rent ya house ;-)
i say burn baby burn!
oh and can i rent ya house ;-)
Crankarm
Guru
- Location
- Nr Cambridge
Only you can decide. I suspect the comments you have received are not a surprise. It's something many people get to say from time to tome of some one who is leaving the stability of a good job and salary and home to travel the world.
I would say make sure that your finances are good by which I don't necessarily mean being able to fund your trip which is a given, but that your longer term financial future is secure or at least planned as short sighted schemes now that drain cash could cost you dear in future. Unless you can make your new venture pay or work along the way it is going to be a big expense and you may retain other outgoings while you are away.
You don't give the impression that you know what you want to do? Is this trip just putting off the inevitable decision that you are going to leave your current area of employment? You don't say what it is? If so I would say leave, don't take leave paid or unpaid but make a clean break, leave totally amicaby though, go travelling, maybe don't come back, but if you do return, come back fully refreshed focussing your attention in the area you want to work in or start up on your own. Leaving your job open may seem sensible but IMHO is just keeping the door on the past open which I get the impression you really want to close and open new doors instead. IMHO it's always better to make a fresh start, otherwise, you'll just end up back in the same job and just as unhappy as you are now. I don't believe that "going back in life" is beneficial have always found something else rather than go back.
But, yep as as one of life's few window's of real opportunity, if you can afford it, go for it.
I would say make sure that your finances are good by which I don't necessarily mean being able to fund your trip which is a given, but that your longer term financial future is secure or at least planned as short sighted schemes now that drain cash could cost you dear in future. Unless you can make your new venture pay or work along the way it is going to be a big expense and you may retain other outgoings while you are away.
You don't give the impression that you know what you want to do? Is this trip just putting off the inevitable decision that you are going to leave your current area of employment? You don't say what it is? If so I would say leave, don't take leave paid or unpaid but make a clean break, leave totally amicaby though, go travelling, maybe don't come back, but if you do return, come back fully refreshed focussing your attention in the area you want to work in or start up on your own. Leaving your job open may seem sensible but IMHO is just keeping the door on the past open which I get the impression you really want to close and open new doors instead. IMHO it's always better to make a fresh start, otherwise, you'll just end up back in the same job and just as unhappy as you are now. I don't believe that "going back in life" is beneficial have always found something else rather than go back.
But, yep as as one of life's few window's of real opportunity, if you can afford it, go for it.
Crankarm
Guru
- Location
- Nr Cambridge
Only you can decide. I suspect the comments you have received are not a surprise. It's something many people get to say from time to tome of some one who is leaving the stability of a good job and salary and home to travel the world.
I would say make sure that your finances are good by which I don't necessarily mean being able to fund your trip which is a given, but that your longer term financial future is secure or at least planned as short sighted schemes now that drain cash could cost you dear in future. Unless you can make your new venture pay or work along the way it is going to be a big expense and you may retain other outgoings while you are away.
You don't give the impression that you know what you want to do? Is this trip just putting off the inevitable decision that you are going to leave your current area of employment? You don't say what it is? If so I would say leave, don't take leave paid or unpaid but make a clean break, leave totally amicaby though, go travelling, maybe don't come back, but if you do return, come back fully refreshed focussing your attention in the area you want to work in or start up on your own. Leaving your job open may seem sensible but IMHO is just keeping the door on the past open which I get the impression you really want to close and open new doors instead. IMHO it's always better to make a fresh start, otherwise, you'll just end up back in the same job and just as unhappy as you are now. I don't believe that "going back in life" is beneficial have always found something else rather than go back.
But, yep as as one of life's few window's of real opportunity, if you can afford it, go for it.
I would say make sure that your finances are good by which I don't necessarily mean being able to fund your trip which is a given, but that your longer term financial future is secure or at least planned as short sighted schemes now that drain cash could cost you dear in future. Unless you can make your new venture pay or work along the way it is going to be a big expense and you may retain other outgoings while you are away.
You don't give the impression that you know what you want to do? Is this trip just putting off the inevitable decision that you are going to leave your current area of employment? You don't say what it is? If so I would say leave, don't take leave paid or unpaid but make a clean break, leave totally amicaby though, go travelling, maybe don't come back, but if you do return, come back fully refreshed focussing your attention in the area you want to work in or start up on your own. Leaving your job open may seem sensible but IMHO is just keeping the door on the past open which I get the impression you really want to close and open new doors instead. IMHO it's always better to make a fresh start, otherwise, you'll just end up back in the same job and just as unhappy as you are now. I don't believe that "going back in life" is beneficial have always found something else rather than go back.
But, yep as as one of life's few window's of real opportunity, if you can afford it, go for it.
Crankarm
Guru
- Location
- Nr Cambridge
Only you can decide. I suspect the comments you have received are not a surprise. It's something many people get to say from time to tome of some one who is leaving the stability of a good job and salary and home to travel the world.
I would say make sure that your finances are good by which I don't necessarily mean being able to fund your trip which is a given, but that your longer term financial future is secure or at least planned as short sighted schemes now that drain cash could cost you dear in future. Unless you can make your new venture pay or work along the way it is going to be a big expense and you may retain other outgoings while you are away.
You don't give the impression that you know what you want to do? Is this trip just putting off the inevitable decision that you are going to leave your current area of employment? You don't say what it is? If so I would say leave, don't take leave paid or unpaid but make a clean break, leave totally amicaby though, go travelling, maybe don't come back, but if you do return, come back fully refreshed focussing your attention in the area you want to work in or start up on your own. Leaving your job open may seem sensible but IMHO is just keeping the door on the past open which I get the impression you really want to close and open new doors instead. IMHO it's always better to make a fresh start, otherwise, you'll just end up back in the same job and just as unhappy as you are now. I don't believe that "going back in life" is beneficial have always found something else rather than go back.
But, yep as as one of life's few window's of real opportunity, if you can afford it, go for it.
I would say make sure that your finances are good by which I don't necessarily mean being able to fund your trip which is a given, but that your longer term financial future is secure or at least planned as short sighted schemes now that drain cash could cost you dear in future. Unless you can make your new venture pay or work along the way it is going to be a big expense and you may retain other outgoings while you are away.
You don't give the impression that you know what you want to do? Is this trip just putting off the inevitable decision that you are going to leave your current area of employment? You don't say what it is? If so I would say leave, don't take leave paid or unpaid but make a clean break, leave totally amicaby though, go travelling, maybe don't come back, but if you do return, come back fully refreshed focussing your attention in the area you want to work in or start up on your own. Leaving your job open may seem sensible but IMHO is just keeping the door on the past open which I get the impression you really want to close and open new doors instead. IMHO it's always better to make a fresh start, otherwise, you'll just end up back in the same job and just as unhappy as you are now. I don't believe that "going back in life" is beneficial have always found something else rather than go back.
But, yep as as one of life's few window's of real opportunity, if you can afford it, go for it.
Crankarm - I am by nature very cautious and have been saving hard so I can survive for quite a while when I get back if I can't find a job. And if it all goes pear-shaped my parents have said they'll take me in! As you say, these opportunities are rare and I don't want to waste it. It's not just an excuse for an extended holiday, it's a chance to send my life in a different direction. I don't know what I want to do workwise when I get back but I know I'm not happy in my current job and haven't been for quite a while.
Crankarm - I am by nature very cautious and have been saving hard so I can survive for quite a while when I get back if I can't find a job. And if it all goes pear-shaped my parents have said they'll take me in! As you say, these opportunities are rare and I don't want to waste it. It's not just an excuse for an extended holiday, it's a chance to send my life in a different direction. I don't know what I want to do workwise when I get back but I know I'm not happy in my current job and haven't been for quite a while.
Crankarm - I am by nature very cautious and have been saving hard so I can survive for quite a while when I get back if I can't find a job. And if it all goes pear-shaped my parents have said they'll take me in! As you say, these opportunities are rare and I don't want to waste it. It's not just an excuse for an extended holiday, it's a chance to send my life in a different direction. I don't know what I want to do workwise when I get back but I know I'm not happy in my current job and haven't been for quite a while.
