Three Millennials Choose ‘Mini-Retirement’ Over Traditional Career Paths—Here’s Their Story
Redefining Success Through Mini-Retirements
Imagine reaching your mid-thirties being celebrated as a rising star in the corporate world, yet feeling a gnawing void. That was the conundrum faced by 37-year-old Poirel, who, despite being promoted every two years, found herself questioning the mechanics of her career and life. “I was seeing signs of work-related stress and just questioning what I was doing with my job and my life in general,” she confided to Business Insider.
Confronted with this existential crossroads, Poirel opted to deviate from the conventional career trajectory. She embarked on a year-and-a-half mini-retirement, a decision that seems increasingly popular among millennials. In a world that often lauds achieving rapid financial independence or burning out before retirement, Poirel’s choice reflected a desire to pause, gather perspective, and perhaps, find joy and purpose anew.
The Concept of Mini-Retirement: A New Age Break
So, what exactly is a mini-retirement? According to Jillian Johnsrud, a career coach focused on achieving financial freedom, it involves taking an extended break — a month or longer — to dive into endeavors that hold significant personal importance. She adds, “It’s about stepping away, without burning bridges, to explore other avenues that enhance our personal or professional spectrum.”
Johnsrud herself, aged 41, has embraced this notion with gusto, taking 12 mini-retirements throughout her life. Most recently, she learned how to tango dance. For some, these breaks offer the chance to immerse in family, indulge in forgotten hobbies, or dare to explore new professional terrains.
Take Brian Li, for example, who after two decades with various startups, min-retired at 42. While the intent was initially to relax, the allure of new, unconventional undertakings beckoned swiftly. From political campaign work, culinary expeditions in Japan, to venturing into independent consulting projects, Li’s mini-retirement was nothing short of transformative.
Charting New Waters
Mini-retirements seem a godsend especially for those at pivotal life junctures — young families, confronting career dissatisfaction, or purely personal enrichment. They offer not only a fresh canvas to re-imagine life paths but also relief from relentless work pressures.
Poirel, while embroiled in the corporate grind at Google, faced climbing stress levels despite her outward success. Recognizing the dissatisfaction brewing within, she turned away from the endless ladder of promotions. “I am not interested at all in climbing the ladder anymore. Higher job titles mean more responsibilities, more stress, more working hours, and that’s really not something I want to do,” she expressed candidly.
Similarly, Li’s career focus has shifted since his hiatus. “The boxes that I’m checking now are fundamentally different than the boxes that I was checking before my career break,” Li enlightens.
Time Is Now: Why Wait?
The notion of postponing life’s enjoyment until retirement is met with skepticism by these mini-retirees. For Poirel, whose partner is significantly older, the urgency is even more poignant. “When I’m 60, he’s going to be 77. That doesn’t sound fun for me,” she explains, highlighting a personal catalyst for her decision.
Taking time to treasure family without the distractions of work is a luxury mini-retirements can afford. Johnsrud’s own example resonates when she speaks of a road trip with her children, possible only because she took those precious weeks off. “I was like, if we didn’t do this now, I can’t do this trip in 20 years,” she recalls.
These thoughts echo for Li too, who took this period to be present for the early months of his newborn daughter, epitomizing how life’s seasons can swiftly pass if not seized.
For all these individuals, the credo is clear: some joys simply can’t be stashed on a shelf waiting to be savored at 65.
Edited By Ali Musa Axadle Times International–Monitoring.
