A 30-year-old woman quit her job, took a year off and found joy again

• Alma Rex-Ezonfade took a year off after years of non-stop work.
• She saved $51,300 for her sabbatical, which she spent on traveling and exploring her personal interests.
• Despite initial challenges, she found joy in her time off and plans to take more sabbaticals in the future.

This essay as told is based on a conversation with Alma Rex-Ezonfade, 31, based in Toronto, Canada. The following has been edited for length and clarity.

On my 29th birthday, I opened a savings account and put $500 into it. I told myself that for my 30th birthday, I would treat myself to a one-year sabbatical, and this was my first step in making this dream of taking an “adult gap year” a reality.

I was tired of working and always being in the loop. I immigrated to Canada from Nigeria at the age of 22 for my master’s degree and started working right after graduating. I felt like I was running on a hamster wheel and I was going, going, going, going.

I calculated my budget for the year

Before taking my sabbatical, I was a Customer Success Manager at Astreya, earning around 110,000 CAD ($80,500). I was also a content creator and made almost 200,000 CAD ($146,600) a year between my 9-5 salary and my income from my work with brands and my campaigns.

I calculated how much I actually needed to save based on my current spending.

For necessities like rent, car payment, groceries, gas, phone bill and utilities, I estimated about 4,200 CAD ($3,100) per month. I also decided I wanted to travel, which I knew would be a bit expensive since I’m not a budget traveler. I budgeted 18,000 CAD ($13,200) for two large trips and several small ones.

In total, I calculated that I would need to save around 70,000 CAD ($51,300) for my sabbatical, which I did by putting most of my content creator income into my sabbatical fund. If I didn’t have my job as a content creator, I would have found a part-time job to generate that extra income.

I also reduced my spending. I was never too shy to say, “I can’t afford this” or “I can’t do this activity,” because I was planning something that had a much higher priority than going out and spending $200 in one night.

I quit my job but found it hard to do nothing

Saving took a little longer than expected, but in April 2023, I quit my job.

The day I quit, I spent the whole day at home, watching TV and not saying anything. I didn’t do anything else; I just needed my brain to turn off.

Monday I woke up at 8am as usual because I forgot I didn’t have a job. Then I remembered that I could sleep, but I was already awake, so I tried to figure out what my new routine would be.

I started to come up with a plan, then realized it would defeat the purpose. The plan was to let go.

However, I didn’t feel like I couldn’t do anything. I found myself planning my next trips, brainstorming content ideas for my YouTube channel, and posting more regularly on my Instagram page. I had been thinking about starting my own clothing brand for years, so I started working on ideas along those lines as well.

A friend of mine said to me: “The goal was for you not to work. Why can’t you work?

The week after quitting, I checked into a hotel for a few days, ordered room service, and cried the whole time. They were tears of gratitude, tears of exhaustion, tears of relief. I was like, “Okay, I did it and here I am.”

I was used to being a high performer, managing a team, having deliverables and doing all those things. I had to get used to the idea of ​​not working and forget the feeling of not being useful because I wasn’t productive. I had to make sure my validation came from my own happiness and seeing my value beyond my work.

Three weeks into my sabbatical, one of my former bosses contacted me to tell me about a contract position at Google that she wanted me to interview for. Honestly, I almost accepted it because I wasn’t used to the idea of ​​not having a job.

It took me some time to get used to it, but eventually I was able to go an entire week without working.

Did I make the right decision?

The first few months of my sabbatical, I was so sad.

I looked at all the money I had put into my sabbatical account and thought about what else I could have done with that money rather than hanging around for an entire year.

Maybe I should just retire it and buy a house, I thought. I even asked my real estate agent friend to look at properties for me, but I knew if I bought the house instead I would be miserable, always wondering what I could have accomplished if I had just took a sabbatical year.

I remember talking to my therapist and trying to validate the decision over and over again. At the end of the day, I realized that I was at the best time in my life to give myself this gift. And when I sorted that out a few months later, I started to have fun with the idea of ​​being on sabbatical.

I learned to have fun

I enjoyed having the luxury of time to do what I wanted.

I fell in love with working out again. I started coloring, drawing and making ceramics. I started reading again and got back to writing. I spent more time with myself and my family. I picked up my childhood hobbies like building Legos and taking Polaroid photos. I’ve also been cooking more and trying new coffee shops in Toronto.

Some of my favorite memories from my sabbatical are the many days I spent sitting on my couch watching TV and only getting up to eat. I finished all six seasons of Downton Abbey in a week. I also watched the entirety of Schitt’s Creek and many Korean shows.

Working on my clothing brand has become a passion project. I discovered fabrics and the fashion industry. I just loved learning things for the sake of learning.

I visited friends and family in other countries, took birthday trips with friends, took a seven-day Caribbean cruise, and spent four weeks traveling in Europe.

I plan to take a lot more sabbaticals

After a full year of sabbatical, my sabbatical funds are almost completely gone and my income as a content creator is now keeping me afloat. I thought I was going to panic about my finances, but taking this time off helped me change my mindset; I know I’m going to find out one way or another.

My fashion brand is launching this month, so I’m giving myself until around September to find out what’s next. My plan is then to work at a company for another three years to gain more experience and knowledge, then take another year off at age 35, and I will repeat this cycle until I retire.

One of the most important things I took away from this sabbatical is realizing that a lot of things aren’t so bad. When you are an immigrant, many things are it is serious; I had to start my life over in Canada and I had to excel in this life. But I realized that I needed to enjoy life.

I’ve never been happier and I’m the brokeest I’ve ever been. For me, this year has truly been an opportunity to redefine what happiness looks like at different points in my life. Those close to me have pointed out to me that I am less grumpy, less controlling and that I yell less.

I just feel a little sad that I had to take a whole year off to find joy in my life.

If you’ve taken a sabbatical and would like to share your story, email Jane Zhang at janezhang@businessinsider.com.