Recovering Techies

Spring 2024

Fall Cohort

What to do when you no longer have to do anything?

How to Design A Sabbatical


Broad professional audience — content relevant across many roles and functions.

Break free from the interview grind. Meet like-minded corporate rebels. Reframe your work break into a sabbatical aligned with your values.


Tobi Ogunnaike


Software Engineer, Writer, Technical Storyteller


Michelle Varghese

Former Software Sales, Community Manager, Writing Mentor, Writer, Podcaster

How To Thrive on Sabbatical

Multimedia Producer and Content Creator

biotech

There are many reasons to consider a sabbatical. You could be burnt out, ready to pivot to a new career, facing impending layoffs, uninspired by your work, or simply looking for a break where you can complete stop thinking about corporate lingo. In the rush to reclaim some sense of normalcy after leaving a job, it's tempting to dive into the endless cycle of job applications. But this path can steer you down the wrong lane. Do you want more of the same? Or are you seeking something different — a journey that aligns with your true aspirations? What if you invested three months to realign your career path with what fulfills you? Imagine the Life ROI if you dedicated that time to rediscover old interests, develop new skills, or simply give yourself the space to heal, plan, and move forward with intentionality. What could you achieve? 👨‍💻 ABOUT THE INSTRUCTORS Different roads, same questions Michelle and Tobi took different paths to sabbatical-land. But for both of us, the journey evolved over a series of quiet, unsettling revelations.&nbsp; After moving to a new city and starting at a new company at the end of 2019, Michelle's sales team struggled after shutdowns in 2020 and at the end of the year, she left her job. The last few months were stressful, fighting to balance clients who were going bankrupt with finding others to sell to. When she finally left, she was surprised but what she felt. There was an unexpected feeling of peace which prompted her to reassess if she was on the right path. She decided to take a year off to de-stress, spend time with family, and start her podcast. She shifted from a corporate mindset focused on output and KPIs to a sabbatical mindset that prioritized her time and value. One year blossomed into two, and she's transformed her life into fulfilling freelance work with online communities and publishing creative work online. Tobi stood at a crossroads for different reasons. He was already questioning why he spent all day coding when he no longer enjoyed it, then a friend's sudden death jolted him into existential reckoning. He felt torn — he craved something more meaningful than his role could offer, but felt silly leaving such a lucrative job in an uncertain pandemic. After months of contemplation, solace came in the form of lyrics to a song, "What's the point of flying first class on a crashing plane?" That question sparked the courage he needed to leave. For both of us, the stress around leaving our corporate jobs was met immediately with relief. Making the decision to leave (or having it made for you) is at least a decision. However, a whole new set of questions and fears nestled their way into our heads. Could we really afford to take months off work?Would this affect our future career prospects?Where would we find others like us?What would we do all day? If you're asking similar questions, then this course is for you. How To Thrive on Sabbatical is live, interactive and community-based course to help misplaced, burnt out, and unfulfilled tech workers who may or may not have lost their jobs find their footing in our new world. ☀️ Outcomes Tobi and Michelle have spoken to many people before, during and after their sabbaticals and have created an experience to tackle people's biggest fears and blockers. You will walk away with: • A new community of like minded, highly ambitious people who are taking or planning to take a sabbatical • A sense of calmness when taking your sabbatical • Tools to evaluate what's important to you during this time so that you can create a sabbatical that you will find fulfilling • Articles, podcasts and resources to review from sabbatical experts • Recommendations for online and in person communities that we have personally vetted In a world that constantly asks, “what’s your next move,” we create a space where you can focus instead on, “what sounds interesting to me?” Our students left our course prepared to try new things and they delivered in the most creative ways! The list of activities include exchanging sourdough starters on the NYC subway, making chocolate in an in person class, day trading, teaching pilates and volunteering to marry people at city hall. A few students decided to commit to taking a sabbatical next year and have started to make plans to save money so they can take a break and travel the world. Someone even found a new job after their sabbatical that felt more aligned with their values. 🛫 Go From Left My Job to Liftoff This course is broken down into four sessions:&nbsp; Ground YourselfOur goal is to make your ready for your sabbatical. We'll give you the tools to look at your financial runway, identify your values, and discover your unfair advantages. Run ExperimentsWe'll discuss tactics for exploring new territories, hobbies, skills, and career paths. We'll share stories of travel, adventure, and creative endeavors. Navigate the "Messy Middle"We'll share our approaches to dealing with the turbulence of the "messy middle" where you've made some progress but not enough to live off. Find CommunityWe'll discuss ways of finding other people on this sabbatical journey, people who understand your ups and downs, and who speak the same language. We will create breakout rooms throughout the course so that you can meet with others in your same situation. Bonus: Tobi and Michelle will host "off the record" office hours for questions, concerns and commiseration for anyone that wants to chat off recording.

Rewrite Your Path & Transform Your Work Break into a Life-Affirming Sabbatical

Course syllabus

Six online sessions over two weeks that will include specific lessons and the opportunity to build community through breakout with peers. We will also assign optional homework for deeper learning. Recording will be available.

September 23rd - October 4th

Optional worksheets, pieces and podcasts to help inspire ways to rethink your sabbatical

Weekly projects

Course schedule

You're in limbo. You spend afternoons halfheartedly applying for jobs you're not sure you want. But you crave purposeful freedom.

You're jaded, overworked, and crave time independence. You're frustrated by the interview grind and you want to reclaim your agency.

You're worried about money. ﻿Even though you can afford a few months of not working, you feel anxious about the idea of not earning income.

This course is for you if


What you’ll get out of this course

You'll be empowered to build a life beyond the walls of work. Through authentic vulnerable sharing and guided conversations, you'll be able to deprogram yourself from seeing your layoff as a negative, but instead a golden opportunity to reinvent yourself and your career.

Work Liberation

You'll receive curated exercises, readings, and reflection prompts to propel you on your journey. These will cover expected sabbatical challenges: identity loss, money scripts, ambition, lifestyle design, and how to answer the question "what do you do?"

You will be equipped to design your own sabbatical


Embarking on a sabbatical can seem lonely at times. The real magic happens when you start connect with other people on similar journeys who understand your fears, celebrate your wins, encourage your dreams. So we'll pair you with another person whose circumstances mirror

You will meet other creative thinkers searching for an unconventional path

Both co-hosts completed 12 month sabbaticals after leaving tech. In that time, we've published essays and worked alongside the leading sabbatical voices in this space. We'll share our framework and vocabulary to help you conceptualize the design and phases of your jour

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How to Design A Sabbatical

How to Design A Sabbatical