In Praise of: Sabbaticals

In the past few weeks, I've read a couple great articles that covered some creative ideas regarding career development through taking time off. One of these organizations is one of New York's most prestigious law firms (we'll get to that in a second), but surprisingly, the military is the other:

Defense officials are proposing an experiment in which service members could take a break in their military careers of up to three years for personal or professional reasons.

This time off — with health benefits, but without pay — would be similar to sabbaticals offered by some private businesses in high-pressure fields and by colleges and universities to some professors, but with a major difference: Most academic and professional sabbaticals are limited to one year.

Officials are calling their proposal “career intermission.” (link)

When the high ops-tempo of a two-war military meets the bullshit that often accompanies wearing the uniform, a three-year break may be just what the doctor ordered to keep talented folks in the service where they might look elsewhere under normal circumstances. (Note: I still would not go back, although I don't know if I'd be considered one of the "talented folks" about whom I write).

Under this program, mid-career officers would owe two years for every one taken, would receive no pay but continue to enjoy military medical coverage and would have a promise from their service that they will not be called upon to deploy during this time frame. Selection for the program is competitive, so as long as you're not spending your sabbatical on the couch, when you return to active duty, you'll remain competitive for promotion and advancement.


Keep holy the sabbath! Sabbatical: derived from the Hebrew shabbath i.e. sabbath, is a hiatus from work for more than two months.

Covering another interesting development in the world of sabbaticals, the New York Times ran a widely read piece covering a program where the law firm of Skadden, Arps was allowing junior to mid-career attorneys could take a pay cut to $80,000 (yes, pay cut) and take a year to do something like pro bono work or

Only in a financial world turned upside down would an arrangement like this one make sense. Looking to cut costs like everyone else, but not prepared to lay off associates, Skadden has chosen instead to offer all of its associates — about 1,300 worldwide — the option of accepting a third of their base pay to not show up for work for a year. (So far, the partners have no equivalent arrangement.)

The company is helping associates find pro bono work, and is encouraging them to do so. But the lawyers could also spend the year catching up on every episode of “Top Chef” that they missed during the boom years, or traveling around the world, “all of which is O.K. by us,” said Matthew Mallow, a partner at the firm. Other firms have adopted similar strategies, but Skadden’s program is unusual in that it has no pro bono requirements. (link)

One of the bonuses of this program is that attorneys on sabbatical are immune from layoffs, according to the firm.

On a personal note, there is nothing better than taking an extended period of time off in between gigs to recreate. I had about four months off after finishing my active duty stint and starting in New York and was able to drive cross country and do manual labor which was a nice change of pace and set me up for my next phase. I hope to enjoy the same kind of experience this summer when I prepare for my next life transition.