Is a career break really that bad in this country?
I am 26M with close to 3 years of work experience and a MBA from a tier 1 college. I make decent salary, however I am not really enjoying my job. I am also depressed from working very hard the past 5 years with graduation, Covid and job Etc. I just want to take a few months off and focus on my mental/physical health. I also want to prepare for Product roles and try out some business/freelancing ideas I have.
My concern is how Career gaps are treated like a stigma in the industry. Like what was the use of working so hard and getting qualifications, if I cannot take a few months in between jobs to focus on myself. Can someone help me get some perspective?
I have a gap in my resume as I quit a toxic workplace. I work as an individual contributor (tech), and the vast majority of product companies never care or ask about the gap in the interviews. It's not a career ending mistake.
Don't know about MBA folks but for us technical folks, I won't say that it's a career suicide. I took a 2 years break due to depression and got a job after that. Honestly, there are alot of companies that will not consider you but there are also those companies that don't mind it at all.
Career gap doesn’t work in India. It’s respected abroad but in India, it’s not looked down upon by HR but also by family members. Don’t ever take a career gap voluntarily. If it’s due to health issues, then it’s okay and can be convinced to HR. But for the sake of free time, hobbies, volunteering, or soul searching purposes, it’s a career suicide.
Don't know where you're getting this information from. I have personally taken multiple 1+ year job breaks, and it wasn't difficult at all to find a job again.
And because I studied well for interviews during the breaks, I ended up getting higher paying jobs every time after a break. It's not a career suicide at all - quite the opposite, it can be a career boost if you utilize the break well to enhance your skills.
It’s absolutely fine
