If I take a break of few months (3-5) will the gap in my resume be a turn off for future employers?

Jan 23, 2021 17 Comments

Without going into too much of a rant, basically my therapist says I have depression anxiety and adhd due to work related stress plus life and relationship stress. He said I would benefit from some time off from work to help my mind get better.

My performance at work is atrocious for the past year. I currently have an IR from my last review which is causing even more stress. I suck at my job and the only reason I even got this job was I grinded LC for 3 months straight. I feel incompetent at work and always feel like a bother to my teammates. My adhd hampers me from focusing on my tasks and organization. It takes me much longer to understand things in the codebase vs a regular person. I feel like I made a mistake coming to a tech company and should just stick to regular companies that are boring but low stress.

I have some savings for at least 6 months. And can do cobra for insurance if needed. I would like to quit and do nothing for a month and go visit my family. Then start interview prep and increase my skill set over the period of 3-5 months. would that big of a gap be a turn off to potential companies? I'm especially concerned with all the hiring freezes going on.

Please let me know if anyone has gone through something similar and has any advice.

Current level: 60
Yoe: 3
TC: 115k
#depression #mentalhealth

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TOP 17 Comments
  • Amazon
    seaaadd

    Go to company page Amazon

    seaaadd
    Take FMLA for 12 weeks; and also apply for short term disability. Do that now. Then come back and see where next; your company may decide to bless you with a severance package to leave. But in the near term, you get 3 months to focus on healing, with health benefits and guaranteed job on return (and no gap in employment during that window).
    Jan 24, 2021 1
    • ^This. Apply for all the leaves. De-stress. Then prep and interview for new job. You will land in a better place.
      Don't worry about 3-5 month 'gap' in worst case, no one will care if you do well on interviews. Taking some time off for personal reasons (health, family, etc) during covid times will not be a deal breaker.
      Jan 24, 2021
  • Google
    Doody

    Go to company page Google

    Doody
    Savings for 6 months isn’t nearly enough. Imagine the 100x stress when you are 2 months away from having $0 in your account and still looking for a job.

    Save for another 6 months at least before leaving your job
    Jan 23, 2021 3
    • Google
      Doody

      Go to company page Google

      Doody
      With that TC working for a couple of months and managing your expenses well should result in enough savings for another 6 months. If you think your job is stressful then you don’t want to experience the stress of being jobless and without money. Don’t do it
      Jan 23, 2021
    • With an IR if you are not showing siginificant improvement immediately, you could get fired any time. I would suggest just wait for it to come. Take all the leaves. With 3 yoe at MS you will get a job at one of those boring companies easily.
      Jan 24, 2021
  • Put your health first.
    Jan 23, 2021 0
  • I was in your spot a few years ago and quit with any a year saved up. It was great at first but as others have said the stress of no job catches up. You’re better off getting let go via IR then quitting since you at a minimum can get unemployment.
    Jan 23, 2021 0
  • It’s not and should not be a turn off at all. Spending a period of time to reconnect with yourself, family, and ideals is time well spent. That time will pay dividends in providing you with clarity on who you are, what drives you, and what makes you happy. It’s a sign of bold maturity to pursue that course if you feel it is necessary rather than aimlessly and tirelessly slogging along what may be the wrong path. Spend time to rebuild and strength yourself.
    Jan 24, 2021 0