If you're only a few years into your career and already thinking about retirement, there's a new trend that might be perfect for you.
Dubbed 'microretirement', the trend has been picked up by Gen Zers and millennials - generations of people who aren't anywhere near retirement age yet, but who refuse to accept that there's nothing but work ahead for the next three-five decades.
After years of changing schools, trying out hobbies and eventually starting a new job, it can be daunting to think that this is 'it' - so young people are now fighting back.
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What is 'microretirement'?
The term is starting to be thrown around on TikTok as users explain exactly how they're taking a mini-retirement years before they'd usually finish work.
Essentially, the trend refers to taking a chunk or multiple chunks of time off work to experience life and travel while you're young, rather than waiting until actual retirement age in your 50s or 60s. It's similar to a sabbatical, and has also been dubbed an 'adult gap year'.
Who is 'microretiring'?
TikToker and content creator Anaïs Felt is among those giving 'microretirement' a go, as she explained in a video earlier this year.
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Anaïs is only 31, but she told viewers she'd heard the term 'microretirement' and realized she was already in one herself after deciding to take a step back from her corporate job in tech.
"I actually took off six months ago [...] and I've just started interviewing again," she explained, adding that none of the companies she'd interviewed with seemed to be concerned about her career break.
Another person giving microretirement a go is 27-year-old Morgan Sanner, who told The Cut: “I think Gen Z is interested in less traditional models of employment, in general. For example, we’re far more likely to freelance or do contract work than previous generations. I hope that as we become a bigger part of the workforce, mini-retirements become more doable and more normalized.”
What are the benefits of 'microretiring'?
When it comes to her break from work, Anaïs said she has 'never felt better'.
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"I've never felt healthier, I've never felt more rested, it's been amazing, I highly recommend it," she continued, before expressing belief that millennials who are in leadership roles are 'really starting to respect' the need of younger staff members to take time off and 'recuperate'.
How can you take a 'microretirement'?
Though the idea of giving up work might be tempting, it's easier said than done when you have to feed yourself, and keep some kind of roof over your head.
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Those trying 'microretirements' have made clear they've planned ahead, with Anaïs explaining that she prepared for her time away from work by paying off a large amount of her student loan and saving up a 'sizeable' sum of money.
As a caveat to her time off work, Anaïs told her followers: "I also am childfree. I come from a low-income background and am the first person in my family to go to college and do this….so it is possible with the right strategy, grit and resilience."
Similarly, Sanner plans to cover the cost of her break by saving up a year’s worth of living expenses as well as a 'fund' for her time off. While she travels, she also plans to continue working freelance to supplement her savings.
Cara Nicole, a 28-year-old who is planning to take a career break in the near future, told The Cut: "Do the math. If you can figure out how to take a few months off every couple of years without dipping into your nest egg, it’s worth prioritizing.”
Emily Brown