Sabbaticals

[Architect]

The "Gap Year Adventures" thread made me think about sabbaticals. I really wish my company had sabbaticals. They don't even have to be paid, but nope, nothing remotely like a sabbatical, the fuckers. All they have is a leave of absence, but you aren't allowed to work on a commercial product or venture during this time. Basically just for serious life things like you need to care for a family member or something. And then it can put your existing job in jeopardy, though theoretically it doesn't. Stupid, stupid.

So we get a lot of old burnt out engineers. Instead if we had one year sabbaticals every decade or something, we could go off and work for another company for a year. Learn new skills, give new skills, come back refreshed. I'd go off to work for Google for a year in a heartbeat. But no ...

Other than the obvious examples (professors), does anybody know of jobs where you get sabbaticals?

 

[intpz]

Why don't you resign and go to work for Google? Heard they have a nice pool in the lobby.

 

[Intellect]

I really wish my company had sabbaticals ...

Other than the obvious examples (professors), does anybody know of jobs where you get sabbaticals?

If they don't have them, just make them yourself

One of my friends used to work for a huge management consulting firm. He was on the job for less than a year and then just asked upper-management for a sabbatical. No one in such a low position had ever had the balls to do that, the guys up top were so confused and ended up just giving it to him.

Have you tried just asking for one? You might be able to negotiate it.

 

[Architect]

Why don't you resign and go to work for Google? Heard they have a nice pool in the lobby.

I discussed it with them. Several problems, one my quality of life would go down significantly due to commute or having to move to Mountain View, and amazingly the company does not support telecommuting. Two there would be a intellectual property restriction on my extra-cirricular work, which doesn't conflict with my present employer but would with Google. Three, on querying their work environment it's not one that I prefer (open and collaborative - I much prefer Microsofts model where everybody gets an office with a door). Four, I suspect I wouldn't make as much money. Historically Google pays with options, not salary.

As a note people really attach onto the fringe benefits such as free food and such. That meant something when I was younger, but I've eaten and traveled enough on the company dime. Those benefits come with hidden costs, I've found.

Have you tried just asking for one? You might be able to negotiate it.

Appreciate the suggestion but that wasn't my question

Actually my personal plan doesn't involve a sabbatical right now, I'm curious however if they exist outside of academia.

 

[SMO]

Hmm...it sounds like you want to have your own company so you can establish and create the rules and guidelines. I wonder if an opportunity will present itself to do such a thing?

 

[Architect]

Hmm...it sounds like you want to have your own company so you can establish and create the rules and guidelines.

No I don't. Didn't I just say that I wish my company supported it, and by implication the industry in general?

Actually let me say a few things about that. I've worked as a technical manager. This isn't a people management position - no direct reports - but basically the highest level engineer position where you direct engineers technically. It was great for a few years. I didn't have to code anymore, I could get other people to do that for me. It sucked. Eventually the job gave me panic attacks, and after I left it took years to get back to being able to do useful work.

The problem is that you become a person with a small tool chest. You have a set of things to say, you know how to talk to people, set approaches to calm the people around you. And you spent all your time in getting people to do their jobs. I found it a 'floaty' experience, my feet weren't quite on the ground, because I wasn't doing anything directly but theoretically enabling others to do work. It went against my fundamental temperament which is why I went back to being an 'individual contributor', i.e. somebody who contributes. Certainly managers contribute too - we need them, but some contribute more than others.

In a similar vein I wouldn't want to own a company. Look at Bill Gates, probably an INTJ, he hired a CEO and stuck to the technical aspects. Eventually, not even that. Now he has no real affiliation with the company, and spends all his time spending money (charity work with his foundation). It's better than buying stuff, but really is another form of shopping.

So, long answer, while there was a period when I was younger that starting a company held some interest, at this point I'm not interested in that.

 

[Valentas]

You need to take the biggest risks of starting anything when you are young, I guess. Then you have no obligations: family, loads of debt(sometimes); otherwise, it is notoriously difficult to take huge risks because child needs food to eat...your business may fail and thus it is dangerous...not for you, but for your loved ones...if anyone actually does this at this stage of life than it is amazing. Courage and nothing more.

To be honest, I read somewhere how professionals decide to take a year out from their career and it is possible to save that job position until you go to travel or whatever you want...

 

[intpz]

I discussed it with them. Several problems, one my quality of life would go down significantly due to commute or having to move to Mountain View, and amazingly the company does not support telecommuting. Two there would be a intellectual property restriction on my extra-cirricular work, which doesn't conflict with my present employer but would with Google. Three, on querying their work environment it's not one that I prefer (open and collaborative - I much prefer Microsofts model where everybody gets an office with a door). Four, I suspect I wouldn't make as much money. Historically Google pays with options, not salary.

As a note people really attach onto the fringe benefits such as free food and such. That meant something when I was younger, but I've eaten and traveled enough on the company dime. Those benefits come with hidden costs, I've found.

I see, I do prefer closed doors and separate offices too. Preferably where people knock and wait for an answer before coming in.

 

[SMO]

Sabbaticals
25 companies on this year's (Fortune) list offer fully paid sabbaticals.
Company Best companies rank
Alston & Bird 19
American Century Investments 22
American Express 37
Autodesk 81
Boston Consulting Group 11
CDW 34
Container Store 6
Edward Jones 16
FedEx 64
Genentech 1
Goldman Sachs 26
Intel 97
Men's Wearhouse 92
Microsoft 42
Nike 100
Perkins Coie 48
Plante & Moran 12
PricewaterhouseCoopers 71
Quad/Graphics 75
QuikTrip 21
Recreational Equipment (REI) 9
Republic Bancorp 17
Russell Investment Group 63
S.C. Johnson 10
Timberland 41

 

[Cogwulf]

I took a gap year working for an automotive parts companies development lab. About a year or two before I started they had a lab manager with almost a lifetime of experience who knew every piece of kit inside out, he asked for a sabbatical and this was refused so he took early retirement instead. From what I was told about him when I was there, the cumulative cost of losing him must have been far greater than the cost of a sabbatical.

 

[~~~]

You'll probably have to engineer a sabbatical. I got the impression that some firms in the States were doing the sabbatical thing a little with the downturn. Also, I think Bill still does one day a month at Microsoft.

Is that right about Google not offering telecommuting? That is amazing. I'm surprised that more firms don't do it - I think there is research backing it up on the productivity benefits alone. We might just have to wait until the next generation of firms wake up to the idea.

 

[Guess]

Other than the obvious examples (professors), does anybody know of jobs where you get sabbaticals?

I think that more than being a job thing it is a working culture thing, from different countries. Because as you mentioned it must be not only on paper, but on reality.

I guess in Scandinavia, for example, it is commonplace. But just to put things in perspective, I was reading that there the total amount of potential parental leave is measured in years.

 

[pjoa09]

I need a gap year in a gap year.

 

[Architect]

Is that right about Google not offering telecommuting? That is amazing. I'm surprised that more firms don't do it - I think there is research backing it up on the productivity benefits alone. We might just have to wait until the next generation of firms wake up to the idea.

Yep. Only seems to happen if you're 'the man' on a project, i.e. indispensable. They have a culture that worked well as a startup. Close knit teams, working together, throw free food at them to keep them together at lunch exchanging ideas ... I'm sure it works well and I would have been fine with it when I was younger. By now I've done enough of that and while I enjoy working with a community of peers, I also want some peace and quiet to get some work done.

I telecommute in my present job quite a bit. Get way more done that way.

 

[intpz]

Yep. Only seems to happen if you're 'the man' on a project, i.e. indispensable. They have a culture that worked well as a startup. Close knit teams, working together, throw free food at them to keep them together at lunch exchanging ideas ... I'm sure it works well and I would have been fine with it when I was younger. By now I've done enough of that and while I enjoy working with a community of peers, I also want some peace and quiet to get some work done.

I telecommute in my present job quite a bit. Get way more done that way.

Is telecommuting when you have 3 monitors, one runs Visual Studio, another runs email client and external chats like Skype, MSN, and whatever else there is, and the third has a camera pointed at your head and the conference room?

Sure, you can work through the boring meetings instead. Sounds like an awesome idea.

 

[Architect]

Is telecommuting when you have 3 monitors, one runs Visual Studio, another runs email client and external chats like Skype, MSN, and whatever else there is, and the third has a camera pointed at your head and the conference room?

I have a lot more monitors than three at home. Anyhow I usually just have one meeting per week, and occasionally talk to a team mate about something. Probably 90% of the time is spent adding new features, with 10% or less fixing bugs. I can do that at my work desk which isn't as comfortable and I can't play music, as well as at home. More distractions too at work as bored coworkers come by for a diversion, or I go bother them because I'm tired of seeing cubical walls.

 

[intpz]

I have a lot more monitors than three at home. Anyhow I usually just have one meeting per week, and occasionally talk to a team mate about something. Probably 90% of the time is spent adding new features, with 10% or less fixing bugs. I can do that at my work desk which isn't as comfortable and I can't play music, as well as at home. More distractions too at work as bored coworkers come by for a diversion, or I go bother them because I'm tired of seeing cubical walls.

Telecommuting is great stuff. Although, as a manager, I would prefer to talk face-to-face. On the other hand, probably few workers prefer telecommuting over coming to the workplace.