Anonymous wrote:DS will graduate from college next month with a very good job offer, 103K salary, waiting for him; however, DS feels like he is burning out after five years in the rat race, started in sophomore year in HS and about to end next month, he graduates in three years. He just wants to take a year off to pursue things that he has missed for the past five years. He has 25K in savings from two past summer internships that he will use to travel the world. Is this a good or bad idea especially with the uncertainty in the economy at this time?

The economy is weird and jobs are not necessarily even an issue.

If it were my kid I would say have at it but be smart about it.

Anonymous wrote:Since he is graduating in 3 years and not 4...

Could he postpone graduation another year and study abroad? He could pick up a minor or something and still travel and have something to show for it.

+1

I would post this on the parenting forum

Since he is graduating in 3 years and not 4...

Could he postpone graduation another year and study abroad? He could pick up a minor or something and still travel and have something to show for it.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I would absolutely encourage him to do this. He will never get this time back. He knows he is burned out and knows what to do about it, and he has the time, the money, and the lack of other responsibilities to be able to do it. Would that we could all be so lucky!

I would, however, suggest that he budget to spend only a portion of his $25k, maybe $25k, which may mean that he isn’t able to travel for a full year. Of course this will not be luxury travel. I’m sure he expects that.

The remainder of his savings he can live off of while he looks for a job once he gets back.

Bad idea. And, what about things like health insurance?

He is probably healthy . . . You people are so dumb and boring. I did this after college. It was AMAZING. I'm a partner at a law firm today many years later and doing quite well. That year changed my life and gave me perspective for the rest of my life. OP, encourage your son to live his life. He seems like an incredible person and will absolutely find his footing.

Ok, so your parents raised a spoiled entitled kid because they were rich enough to fund it.

Probably healthy doesn't mean much. An accident can happen.

Well this is not for you to decide since he's an adult and it's his call. But I would support him. He sounds like he really needs this for his mental health. Much better to take this time then to go down a road that he does not want or to start a career already burned out.

Anonymous wrote:I’d let him do it. Once in a lifetime opportunity. And if he’s talented enough that he’s being offered a 130k salary straight out of undergrad, there will be another job offer.

You would "let" the 22 yo college graduate? Are you sure he'll be able to hear you shouting from your helicopter?

OP, I'd make very clear to him the risks involved, and that you will not be supporting him when he comes back. Also, his "year" off when he has $25k is more likely to be 3-6 months.

Finally, my personal opinion is that this is absurd. Poor, poor college kid who is "burned out" - GMAFB. Just ridiculous.

Unless he plans on earning money while he is traveling, he’s not going to see much of the world. $25k is going to go fast.

In this economy, I think it’s a terrible idea. It’s tough to job hunt and he’ll be job hunting in a year when he’s unemployed which is even harder. Who’s going to pay his bills after his money runs out? He sounds like someone who does t care to be employed and would rather be taken care of. It’s quite a luxury to have that as an option.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I would absolutely encourage him to do this. He will never get this time back. He knows he is burned out and knows what to do about it, and he has the time, the money, and the lack of other responsibilities to be able to do it. Would that we could all be so lucky!

I would, however, suggest that he budget to spend only a portion of his $25k, maybe $25k, which may mean that he isn’t able to travel for a full year. Of course this will not be luxury travel. I’m sure he expects that.

The remainder of his savings he can live off of while he looks for a job once he gets back.

Bad idea. And, what about things like health insurance?

He is probably healthy . . . You people are so dumb and boring. I did this after college. It was AMAZING. I'm a partner at a law firm today many years later and doing quite well. That year changed my life and gave me perspective for the rest of my life. OP, encourage your son to live his life. He seems like an incredible person and will absolutely find his footing.

Anonymous wrote:I would absolutely encourage him to do this. He will never get this time back. He knows he is burned out and knows what to do about it, and he has the time, the money, and the lack of other responsibilities to be able to do it. Would that we could all be so lucky!

I would, however, suggest that he budget to spend only a portion of his $25k, maybe $25k, which may mean that he isn’t able to travel for a full year. Of course this will not be luxury travel. I’m sure he expects that.

The remainder of his savings he can live off of while he looks for a job once he gets back.

Bad idea. And, what about things like health insurance?

Totally let him do it. In fact, encourage him to do it. He will regret it bitterly if he doesn't do it. Have him put on a backpack and head to Asia. He will thank you for it and his career will be amazing after a year of that. I guarantee it.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I’d let him do it. Once in a lifetime opportunity. And if he’s talented enough that he’s being offered a 130k salary straight out of undergrad, there will be another job offer.

Op said $103k, which is a standard professional salary these days with inflation and hot labor market. OP should clarify how much of a hot shot he is job market wise — my feeling is if he was that desirable he would have multiple offers and negotiated a 6 month start date. That’s what adults do.

He got three offers, two from start-up companies. None of the employers was willing to move the start date three months out, let alone six or twelve months out.

They shouldn't hold a job for a year. A few weeks, sure, a year no.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I’d let him do it. Once in a lifetime opportunity. And if he’s talented enough that he’s being offered a 130k salary straight out of undergrad, there will be another job offer.

Op said $103k, which is a standard professional salary these days with inflation and hot labor market. OP should clarify how much of a hot shot he is job market wise — my feeling is if he was that desirable he would have multiple offers and negotiated a 6 month start date. That’s what adults do.

He got three offers, two from start-up companies. None of the employers was willing to move the start date three months out, let alone six or twelve months out.

My take on this is that his request to take a year off is likely an indication of where he is mental health wise. So, not a great sign.

My advice as his parent would be that he take the job for a year, save as much as he can during that year, get a therapist, and if he still feels the same in a year then he works with his therapist to figure out what kind of work will be fulfilling for him. Make a plan and then quit to go to another job or some sort of sabbatical thing that's pretty vacation heavy to figure out next steps. Get the job with a good company on the resume. That is key to future freedom even if it feels like handcuffs right now.

I would absolutely encourage him to do this. He will never get this time back. He knows he is burned out and knows what to do about it, and he has the time, the money, and the lack of other responsibilities to be able to do it. Would that we could all be so lucky!

I would, however, suggest that he budget to spend only a portion of his $25k, maybe $25k, which may mean that he isn’t able to travel for a full year. Of course this will not be luxury travel. I’m sure he expects that.

The remainder of his savings he can live off of while he looks for a job once he gets back.

Anonymous wrote:If he hustled to graduate in 3 years, a regular 8-5 job he can leave at 5pm will feel like a break. He'll be fine.

So true, I found work so much easier than school. No homework. No tests. Everything is group project work, often with fun similarly aged coworkers, and lots and lots of dating.