Leaving Work, not the Will to Work
- Posted In : 2022-Jun-20
Rohini has been working as a professor at a university for five years now. This is her first permanent job where she has learned an immense amount of skills and concepts that make someone a better professor in the field where she is working. She has previously worked as a freelance content writer and a journalist with a media house. One day she was teaching a class of fifty students and that was a particularly special class as she was planning to inform her students about her decision of leaving the university. This was followed by loads of information about her replacement as it was nearly the end of the semester and the department could not afford the absence of a professor at this crucial time.
“Why are you leaving?” a student mustered some courage and asked Rohini the question.
“I don’t know, I’ve just come to realize that a break from academia just might be the right thing for my career and myself. But, I am also worried that I am ‘taking a break’ a little too early in my professional life as a professor.”
This received subtle laughter from the class, however, it started to compel Rohini to question her decision about leaving the professional network at that point in her career.
Rohini is one out of many people who struggle with the dilemma of taking a break from the workplace and thus facing the risk of losing their skills in the field. However, she is burdened with additional problems rising from a different comprehension of female workers taking a break compared to male workers. Taking a break from work is frequently pondered because a person might decide to work towards growing themselves, which the workplace might restrict for an individual.
Two of the most common questions form in the mind of a working woman such as:
- Is this the right decision for me?
- How do I keep myself updated during this time?
Some strategies can help you to keep your skills intact before your return to the professional network and to make your return more convenient:
Never Burn Your Bridges - You must never think of abandoning your colleagues just because you are on a break. Keep in touch with them, and in doing so you are maintaining a friendly bond with a person along with building the assets that will help you whenever you plan to return.
This is important because your former colleagues with who you have continued to maintain a relationship can help in smoothening the transition back into the workspace.
Building a Knowledge Base - You might have reduced the extent to which you used to work but that does not mean you have stopped learning. We are living in the 21st century and with technological advancements such as the power of the internet, it is very easy for a person to keep in touch with the ongoing trends in their fields of interest. Learn about the next best thing that you think would turn out to be in your field of work so that when you return you are adequately aware of where you wish to start.
Never Feel Embarrassed - The last of many and probably one of the most important pieces of advice for workers on break is to never feel ashamed that they took a break. You decided to take some time off from the robotic routine and think of a change in your professional network. That is one of the hardest decisions that a person can take during a lifetime. This is the time when you have a chance to introspect yourself, rediscover hidden passions, and work on the failures you might have faced in your workplace. This is the time when you create a stronger sense of self-confidence that is going to help you achieve your dreams.
Quality is not an act, it is a habit ? Aristotle.
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Vedanth Mahajan - Student pursuing his degree in English Hons. from Christ (Deemed to be University), Bangalore. His interest lie in writing, reading and researching.
#hercareerfoundation #nutureyournetwork #OutofJobNotPassion