clubhouse blue sky question: how would you spend a year off?
My employer recently introduced an elective 'four over five' program - basically, you earn 4/5 of your salary while you work for 4 years, and the same amount, but as a year off - and I'm finding myself thinking about participating in this more and more frequently.
I've got some ideas of how I would spend that time, but I think it's a good exercise to cast a wider net and ask smarter, more interesting, more intellectually curious, or different life-experience people what they would do with this time. Which is where the wonderful diversity of the team comes in.
So ... blue sky ... what would you do? For this exercise, don't worry about practical stuff like career momentum/CLM, making the numbers work, etc. Just possibilities.
Comments
I only managed it once, and for three months @ that.( I think I’m just a frustrated under-achiever, meaning I can't slack off as much as I would like to.)
I used the time to bike across the USA with my family - we took an RV, drove East, returned home against the wind. It’s a big country - Canada is bigger! Start in
the Maritimes, and finish up circumnavigating Vancouver Isl? Or maybe ride up the Rockies in BC, and back through Alberta?
I took two other “years” off, once for four months after college, another for 9 months after completing medical training. Both times I skied every day in the winter. Worked on refinishing a house during the rest of the time.
One thing I learned about myself is…I like routine and structure. I treated the skiing AND the cross-country biking as if they were my job. You may be the same way. So think about … maybe it’s not about cramming in a bunch of consecutive adventures across the globe, but spending a long time doing one thing (in a different place) that you like, but don't get paid for. Go to Provence and hole up for the spring and summer, writing the great Canadian Novel. Locate somewhere warm in the winter (Cuba?) and become a photographer. Run every day without a watch…
One thing I advise not doing: using the time to train triathlon every day like a pro. You've already done that and been to Kona. Explore and develop another side of yourself.
Oh, and HAVE FUN!
Thanks Al - I'm glad you chimed in, as I was recounting your cross country family cycling experience when I began to put ideas down. Yup ... it's a big world. And it would definitely be a sabbatical from triathlon as well.
(btw - Just got a note from a friend skiing your mountain today: It sounds like Kanye, Kim, Kylie and the rest of A-list hollywood are all in your backyard this week! )
@Dave Tallo
We have a similar option, or we did with the federal government and thought I might like to do it at some point but it never materialized for me. I always thing of an individual I worked with who stayed a work several extra years into what could have been his retirement to find that hobby that he would like.
As Al mentioned you have triathlon and could do that like a pro. Given some of your challenges doing Vo2 intervals perhaps some going long could eek out some hidden speed
For me in the past I would have done the following:
1) A European castles / churches tour. - I loved this part of my medieval and British history classes that I took in university.
2) Karate in Japan for a year - At one point my Sensei was connected to a school in Japan I had thoughts of training, doing the tournament circuit, working and seeing the country for a year, maybe two. I no longer have the skills to do this one oh and start training now if you do want to go over. It took me around 5 years to get my partial black belt, but maybe you are a better student.
3) Just slow life down for 3-6 months. Then maybe do option 1 for 4-8 weeks and then return to the aforementioned. For me that's sleep in, breakfast a 8, work out at the gym, read a book, do some tri training, and play some games on the computer.
4) Rent out my house for the year a relocate. If I was taking my wife, Patti, and Brody the former would definitely like someplace warm. This might even involved a 4-6 week period snow birding with the in-laws for some serious SAU's.
5) Not sure I'd do this one but a friends parents bought an RV and toured around Canada, US and Mexico when then retired for over 2 years.
@Dave Tallo - and that's why Al is not in Aspen this week!
I often ponder, what would i do if I won the lottery. Different equation because at some point, I'd get bored of all the freedom and lack of structure. I'd take the time to go far off in the world to places I've not travelled and I'd want to experience as much of it as possible on the soles of my feet, the seat of a bike and the bottoms of my skis (uphill & down). I'd probably fly to london & drive around europe for a summer, hit the alps & eastern european mountains for a bit before exploring the far east & australia/ new zealand.
AT and PCT
AT ! love it
AT! Love it as well!!
Like Al, I get a bit freaked out on holiday because there is no structure or routine so that would be important.
I would NOT do anything that you could do with 5/5 of your salary over 5 years. So no triathlon, ultras, etc
I would also try and go off grid as much a possible as... it seems exciting to me to leave it all behind and just live.
So here are my top choices in no particular order:
For me in my company, I don't count on that option EVER being available. But, I do play the lottery, so I'd be more likely to win that!
I'd do the travel around Europe in an RV thing, for sure. With some bikes. I've seen more interesting places on 2 wheels than I have on 4 wheels. But I do like driving too!
Although I'm not religious, I'd like to do some sort of volunteerism "mission" trip too. That can be anywhere. Work with Habitat for Humanity or Heart and Hammers to do a long stint with them instead of just being a weekend participant.
Like others have said, I'd think EPIC but it doesn't have to be so structured and go-go-go that it'll exhaust you.