It's Not the End of the Road
Why did I commit to a year of a professional development program if I was going to take an extended break shortly after?
I completed a yearlong professional development program—yay! I was selected as one of 28 participants in the 2024–2025 cohort, and I’m proud to have finished it.
The truth is, I’ve been considering a much longer career break for a while—I was aiming for a year-long career break most likely living abroad. At the time, I was exploring visas, comparing countries, analyzing expenses, and talking to friends living overseas about their experience. I was drawn to the idea because American dollars go further abroad. Healthcare is often far more affordable—even on private plans. I’ll talk a little more about my medium-term living abroad plans in a future post. Actually, there were barely plans of what I was going to do when I got to that point. I spent most of my energy figuring out how to start it. I reflected wondering if I could live on only my modest monthly survivor benefits without dipping into my savings. Aside from taking three months of maternity leave, the longest time I’ve been away from work was two weeks. That also includes the times when I was unemployed.
Despite the brief career break coming soon, I stuck with the professional development program because firstly, it was an honor to have been selected. I didn’t want this opportunity to pass me by. Secondly, I believe in lifelong learning—no matter where you are in your career: whether you are starting, mid-career, changing careers, taking some time off, or retired. Just because I want to hit pause, doesn’t mean I don’t want to grow. Even in my hypothetical adult gap year, I’d still invest in growth—whether by building job-related (and job-adjacent) skills, exploring hobbies, volunteering, and connecting with people.
One of the most valuable takeaways from the program was learning more about my strengths. We took the CliftonStrengths assessment (formerly known as StrengthsFinder). Here are my top five strengths:
Intellection – Introspective. Drawn to deep thinking and discussion.
Input – Inquisitive and curious. Loves collecting ideas and knowledge.
Strategic – Sees patterns and solutions quickly (also, I’m great at board games)
Achiever – Constantly driven and energized by productivity.
Deliberative – Thoughtful decision-maker who anticipates risks
It’s more powerful to lean into our strengths to maximize our potential and our happiness. We often focus on our weaknesses because it’s the thing to do. Being occupied with our inadequacies is not a good investment of our time and energy because we end up forgetting about the things we are good at.
I found my top five strengths aligned well with the results of another test I’ve taken multiple times, the 16 Personalities test. I always get the same result: The Architect (INTJ-A). According to the site…
(Architects) are intellectually curious individuals with a deep-seated thirst for knowledge. INTJs tend to value creative ingenuity, straightforward rationality, and self-improvement. They consistently work toward enhancing intellectual abilities and are often driven by an intense desire to master any and every topic that piques their interest. (16personalities.com)
I love giving the 16 Personalities test to new workmates and other groups I am involved with—it’s a great conversation starter. If you take it, let me know your type!
And of course, being part of the professional development program was another valuable opportunity to network. Networking doesn’t just help your find your next job and promotion, it can also help you navigate in the workplace, especially with a large employer. It’s what ultimately helped me make this sabbatical happen after many frustrating attempts to figure things out on my own. Networking reminded me how energizing it is to connect with others who are equally committed to growth.
Lastly, I learned whatever I am doing now is not the end of the road — it’s part of a longer journey rooted in curiosity, connection, and growth. Choosing to take a break isn’t about ending something, it’s about making space for what’s next.
What I’m Reading
The Age of Magical Overthinking: Notes on Modern Irrationality by Amanda Montell. So far, I think the book focuses more on “Modern Irrationality".” Each chapter covers a different topic on how our minds travel down the rabbit hole.
I read multiple books at one time. Ever since I downloaded the Libby app on my Kobo, it’s easy to download the next e-book and then the next e-book and then the next e-book. And then you find yourself reading four books at the same time.
Which children’s book I recommend this week
This is a new section. I am going to add which children’s book I recommend (or don’t). I do have a kid after all, and I know that a lot of people with kids are always looking for a good children’s book. I often talk about a children’s book I just read with my kid to my friends. We have a good laugh even though most of my friends do not have kids. We all appreciate how children’s books can distill complex themes into something simple and accessible.
I remembered in the early days when I would go to the library and get whatever children’s books can fit in my tote bag and that was what we were reading for the next few days. I have journaled every children’s book we’ve read, documenting which ones I liked and which ones I didn’t. That said, this section exists where I am going to share a weekly gem in children’s literature.
To kick it off, I’m going to share a really sad one called Big Cat, Little Cat by Elisha Cooper
It’s a story about the circle of life, loss, grief, and making room for something new. You don’t need to be a fan of cats to love this story. If you really hate cats, just imagine them as dogs.
What I’m Listening to
The “Retire Often” podcast by Jillian Johnsrud. A podcast on taking mini-retirements. I credit this podcast with helping me realize that I wasn’t ready to jump into a one-year career break.
The practice of taking a 4+ week break is beneficial for everyone in the workforce. One doesn’t have to practice it every year, maybe it could be done every two years or five years or seven years. Maybe each time one takes a mini-retirement, the duration increases from four weeks to six weeks to 12 weeks. When Americans retire at 65+ years old, they struggle what to do with this newfound free time after working so many consecutive decades…Or they continue to postpone their retirement because they keep wondering what they’ll do if they’re not at work.
I find the podcast inspiring because it reminded that if there’s a thing I want to do, I should make that a short-term goal rather than defer it decades later. It’s hard to tell at 65+ years old how healthy and able I would be.
If you are a first-time listener, I recommend you start here. It goes over the “why” part of taking multiple mini-retirements all throughout their adulthood.
What I’m Eating
A really simple side dish, roasted leeks with salt, oil, and lemon.
Another dish I am enjoying is Khachapuri. A lot of pizza places in our area make khachapuri. It’s a Georgian dish consisting of eggs, dough, and cheese. In our house we called it the “Egg Boat.”
What I’m Drinking
Genmaicha - Japanese green tea made by mixing green tea leaves with roasted brown rice. It’s so pleasant drinking it without milk, cream, and/or sugar. (Side note: roasting brown rice is a coffee alternative. One roasts the rice until it is dark brown and add water to boil. It’s a very common drink in the Philippines.)
Fun things to share
A Corgi’s blep narrated by David Attenborough
The Lunar Alphabet - I went to the Getty Museum with my coworkers the other day. There was an exhibition on ciphers and puzzles. We came across this artwork titled “Lunar Sentence I” by Leandro Katz. He uses images of the lunar phases in place of letters. It’s more art rather than writing.
The Beloved Cassell’s Music is Closing After Decades of Serving the Northeast Valley - I am sharing something local. I remembered coming to this place buying my first violin at nine years old. We lived nowhere near the area, but it was the closest music store from our home. Anyway, happy retirement, Mr. Intagliata.
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