re: Why do people take a break after losing a job?

To put on a brave face and be able to tell people something other than "I can't find work"

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I know of other people who have taken this approach and they ended up struggling in the long run.

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I took a year off and didn't suffer. Did some things I wanted to do.

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I've never understood why people take this approach.

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I got laid off from IATSE #33 back in the late 70's. I'd made so much money during my year on the job that I had enough to take a whole year off, hanging out at Hermosa Beach during the day and getting high and going to bars at night.

So that sorta like ... became my job.

I think the desire to take some time off exists, especially when there is severance involved. You just can't take it for granted as it can give you a false sense of security.

I have a good friend who was laid off in April and began receiving severance that ends in January 2017. He took several months off and has been extremely slow in getting an effective job search going and likely will not have a new job by the time his severance terminates.

I think it more so has to do with having a better understanding of industry job market, job demand, even etc. plus, he was waiting for a buddy to hire him at a new company and it never came through.

Point is that even if you want time off there are some basic things you can be doing such as resume updates, expanding network contacts, speaking with head hunters, etc. that are akin to administrative tasks that can ultimately serve to accelerate (or at least keep it moving) the job search with little to no interruption in your vacation.

Left my last job and took 3 months off. Had the finances for it so why not? Best decision I have ever made for my myself and my SO mentally.

They "take a break" to save face.

It is an unconscious defense mechanism.

By saying you need a break, you are establishing the narrative that you were overworked. By giving yourself time before you start a new job, you convince yourself that you chose the right one not that it was the first job offered.

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They "take a break" to save face.

It is an unconscious defense mechanism.

By saying you need a break, you are establishing the narrative that you were overworked. By giving yourself time before you start a new job, you convince yourself that you chose the right one not that it was the first job offered.

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That's a little much. Like many have said, not everybody lives paycheck to paycheck. Some of us have plenty saved in case something like this happens.

I got laid off in January 2015. Got 8 months severance pay which was definitely nice but not something I needed. Within a couple of weeks I had a few vendors reaching out to me to gauge my interest in working for them.

At 39 I had worked and/or been in school full time since I was 16. I took my time talking with the different groups and settled on one that felt right. I started in mid July after having after almost 6 months without having to work.

It was a great 6 months. I got to sleep in every day. Played a lot of video games and watched a lot of movies. Exercised every day. It was very nice to get a mid career sabbatical. If my new company could have waited even longer for me to start I would have taken more time off.

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"Well, I'm going take a break for a little while, collect employment and start looking again in January",

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It's likely that he just hasn't found anything yet and doesn't wan to admit it.