# Ditching Post-Grad Job Searching to Travel for 2-3 Months. Bad Idea or Excellent One?



## paige1136 (Nov 11, 2013)

Can this be done in-between jobs later on as well without the resume gap counting against you? 
And, how do you explain to dispassionate employers who work 9-5 everyday that "you just had to leave and travel"?

I recently got my undergraduate degree _and_ returned from being abroad. I'm not going to go on and on about how it was life-altering, but it was and it's unexplainable (pardon the cliche). I've been thinking about "next steps" in my life and I've considered just traveling for a few months, since I don't have a lease, significant other, or a job. I'm in a position where I could pick up and leave. The only problems are that my father would scorn the heck out of me for it (and I'd get judged by almost my whole family, but him especially) and b) there's a slight financial risk involved since I could get back when my student loan grace period is over and be unemployed for a very long time. I have the option to live with my mom while looking for jobs, though. 

So I was wondering if now would be a better time, given that I'm not fully financially independent but also without commitments like a lease. OR if I should save up even more money, become financially independent and then take the opportunity after I quit my first job (and maybe volunteer or do something longer-term instead of just travel). I don't think I will stay at my first job for more than 2 or 3 years, BUT I'm not going to say I won't get sucked into it.


----------



## rainrunner (Jul 15, 2014)

If you knew that you will no longer exist in 12 months what would you do? If you really find a job you love, then do that. If you would rather travel, do that. 

If you knew that you would still be around in 12 months and can stay at your mom's place while looking for a job, what are the consequences to traveling? What about not traveling? Just do whatever feels "right" and that you don't think you will regret.


----------



## AriesLilith (Jan 6, 2013)

Is there any risk with not being able to get a job right away if you take a few months of vaccations, compared to if you start the job search now? Also, what are the financial risks? Why is your family opposing it?

Some people take a few months out of work for a big trip or life changes like having kids, so if someone is financially able to do so then it's not a bad thing, it's not like like they'll be gone for years, just a few months.


----------



## paige1136 (Nov 11, 2013)

AriesLilith said:


> Is there any risk with not being able to get a job right away if you take a few months of vaccations, compared to if you start the job search now? Also, what are the financial risks? Why is your family opposing it?
> 
> Some people take a few months out of work for a big trip or life changes like having kids, so if someone is financially able to do so then it's not a bad thing, it's not like like they'll be gone for years, just a few months.


The average person probably doesn't think it's a huge deal, but recruiters and hiring managers I'd imagine are judgmental about this. Hence why they always are so big about "explaining gaps in your resume".

The risk with not getting a job right away is financial mainly. I can live with my mom, but I'd have to pay for my medication (which is very expensive), phone bill, etc. And a decent chunk of my money would be gone due to traveling, no matter how frugal I am while doing so.

As for why my family is against it, well... they're from hillbilly town USA and haven't really had their life altered by living abroad. So we're not on the same wavelength. But I'm sure they're concerned about by safety too being a female traveling alone and all.


----------



## Belladonne (Mar 22, 2014)

Congratulations on graduating 

Is the money situation really that bad? Can you not get a job ASAP and then take some time off around Christmas/New Year (in addition to your scheduled holidays) and go travelling then? It's really important to learn to watch your finances, even more so just after you've finished college.


----------



## paige1136 (Nov 11, 2013)

LovesThinking said:


> Is the money situation really that bad? Can you not get a job ASAP and then take some time off around Christmas/New Year (in addition to your scheduled holidays) and go travelling then? It's really important to learn to watch your finances, even more so just after you've finished college.


Well, my finances are a lot better off than the average recent graduate. But I do want to be responsible with my money too. What do you mean by "getting a job ASAP"? Getting a job with benefits/job searching certainly takes time. Unless you mean getting a temp. job to just cover basic expenses... (ie: Starbucks or something). The reason I'm considering traveling now is because I can't imagine a job that would just let me take 1-3 months off to travel. Even a small, flexible organization. Although, taking a long trip like that will never cure wanderlust, but only make me want to travel more lol.


----------



## AriesLilith (Jan 6, 2013)

paige1136 said:


> The average person probably doesn't think it's a huge deal, but recruiters and hiring managers I'd imagine are judgmental about this. Hence why they always are so big about "explaining gaps in your resume".
> 
> The risk with not getting a job right away is financial mainly. I can live with my mom, but I'd have to pay for my medication (which is very expensive), phone bill, etc. And a decent chunk of my money would be gone due to traveling, no matter how frugal I am while doing so.
> 
> As for why my family is against it, well... they're from hillbilly town USA and haven't really had their life altered by living abroad. So we're not on the same wavelength. But I'm sure they're concerned about by safety too being a female traveling alone and all.


Usually they are concerned with the resume gaps as they want to see if there is any reason they should be worried with your job performance and reliability. For example, a student that took extra years in finishing their course might be seen as less capable with responsibilities, unless they have a plausible reason like having worked part time or full time at the same time in order to pay for their own course fees and bills. They also want to see how well you do when being put in a potentially stressful situation (like answering to hard questions like this). For example, if you had anxiety issues that made you take almost double time to finish your course, and during the interview when you are asked about this you get nervous and try to dodge the question, then you might be seen as not very confident nor reliable, as opposed to being confident and saying that you had to deal with work to sustain your fees and bills, showing confidence and how you managed to deal with all those stuffs and succeed in the long term with what you want.

Remember that in the end what they want is to assess your capacity and reliability as a potential employee, so what matters is what you give as impression during interview.


----------



## AriesLilith (Jan 6, 2013)

paige1136 said:


> Well, my finances are a lot better off than the average recent graduate. But I do want to be responsible with my money too. What do you mean by "getting a job ASAP"? Getting a job with benefits/job searching certainly takes time. Unless you mean getting a temp. job to just cover basic expenses... (ie: Starbucks or something). The reason I'm considering traveling now is because I can't imagine a job that would just let me take 1-3 months off to travel. Even a small, flexible organization. Although, taking a long trip like that will never cure wanderlust, but only make me want to travel more lol.


Perhaps you can tell that to your future employer, that you decided to take a few months to travel before starting your career as that was always one of your dreams, and so you wanted to do it before you fully concentrate on your career.


----------



## rainrunner (Jul 15, 2014)

paige1136 said:


> The average person probably doesn't think it's a huge deal, but recruiters and hiring managers I'd imagine are judgmental about this. Hence why they always are so big about "explaining gaps in your resume".


Depends on the hiring manager. I have a friend whose manager encouraged him to travel before his job started (he started his job a couple months after graduation). People tend to be refreshed, happy, and energized after vacations - I like working with such people. 

If the hiring manager thinks that there's something wrong with traveling or seeing the world for a couple months after graduation, you might not want to work for that person.


----------



## paige1136 (Nov 11, 2013)

inbi said:


> People tend to be refreshed, happy, and energized after vacations - I like working with such people.
> 
> If the hiring manager thinks that there's something wrong with traveling or seeing the world for a couple months after graduation, you might not want to work for that person.


Refreshed, sure. Although, I doubt it will cure my wanderlust/make me feel satisfied. I'm worried it will do just the opposite - make me dream of living/work abroad whilst I sit in my depressing cube 9-5 every day (but get paid much better than I would abroad).

And frankly, it's hard to find an employer who doesn't find it "off the beaten path" to travel for 2-3 months instead of job search. I can't afford to be that picky (ie: judgmental) as an entry-level candidate.


----------



## rainrunner (Jul 15, 2014)

paige1136 said:


> Refreshed, sure. Although, I doubt it will cure my wanderlust/make me feel satisfied. I'm worried it will do just the opposite - make me dream of living/work abroad whilst I sit in my depressing cube 9-5 every day (but get paid much better than I would abroad).
> 
> And frankly, it's hard to find an employer who doesn't find it "off the beaten path" to travel for 2-3 months instead of job search. I can't afford to be that picky (ie: judgmental) as an entry-level candidate.


But if that's what you really want to do then the wanderlust desire will keep popping back up. Some people aren't made to sit in the same cubicle day after day. There are jobs that require lots of travel - consultants, academics, pilots, etc. But maybe your field is different and it's hard to find an entry level job; I don't know, but good luck with whatever you choose to do.


----------



## crazyforcocoapuffs (Jun 29, 2014)

This is the perfect time. Once you get a job, you'll start to get really settled down and this kind of travel quickly loses its appeal. I was in your same shoes at one point - everyone told me to take some time off and travel post-college and I'm really glad I did . You definitely won't regret it!


----------



## paige1136 (Nov 11, 2013)

crazyforcocoapuffs said:


> This is the perfect time. Once you get a job, you'll start to get really settled down and this kind of travel quickly loses its appeal. I was in your same shoes at one point - everyone told me to take some time off and travel post-college and I'm really glad I did . You definitely won't regret it!


I certainly would in a heartbeat if all of my family wasn't against it and there wasn't a strong "financial consequence". I still might, but... that's a decision I'll have to make.

You're on to something that I might add as a tangental topic of this post. "They" (usually meaning those older than me) _always_ talk about this "settling down" thing as if age will cure wanderlust and children/a career will hinder my desire _and_ my ability to budget for travel. But, I'm actually not sure if this it really the case. I don't have age or years of experience on me, but I'm more a believer in the "once a traveler, always a traveler" rhetoric. Why then, would so many writers, artists and even every-day people keep revisiting the same places over and over introspectively taking everything in? I'm not saying my pace of life is never going to slow down (I know it will), but I can't see myself sinking into a decadent, monotonous lifestyle that I see so many people settling for.


----------

