Our combined income is $700k a year, but the work hours are relentless – is a sabbatical the answer?

It’s an unfortunate truth that at some point, everyone needs to step away from work for a bit of rest. Whether you are in a cushy blue-collar job, there is always a breaking point at which you need to take a step away. For those in the FIRE world who want to push themselves to save as much as possible, it often comes at the cost of working too much. 

In the case of one corporate-working Redditor posting in r/fatFIRE, there is a concern that they have been working so hard at a young age that they are considering taking a “sabbatical FIRE.” The whole idea of taking a sabbatical for someone in their 20s might seem pretty crazy, but this is exactly what the Redditor is considering anyway. 

Twelve Hours A Day

The 29-year-old Redditor and his wife, 27, are in an enviable financial position for their age. With a $2 million net worth, they have a pretty excellent start on putting money away for the future. This is helped by the combined $700,000 household income, allowing them to put away around $400,000 annually in savings. 

The couple lives in a town with a moderate cost of living. The wife works and earns around $200,000 in a “fairly easy” role, while the Redditor works for a FAANG company and earns $250,000 while also moonlighting in two other 1099 roles that earn a combined $250,000. 

Adding to this whole challenge is that the Redditor’s wife is working on setting up her own business. While this business isn’t profitable yet, the couple still wants to keep moving on this. Adding to the mix as yet another complication is that the couple is looking at a potential scenario where, if all fails, they can move back to the wife’s parents’ property in another country and live rent-free. 

Why A Sabbatical? 

Regarding why a sabbatical is even on the table, the original post is from 5 AM to 5 PM daily, as half of his team works overseas, while his team is California-based. Given this, he’s “basically online all day” and is burned out as soon as 5 PM turns out. The challenge is that he has other gigs that he needs to handle in the evening, so it’s nonstop. 

Is A Sabbatical The Right Answer? 

Understandably, the Redditor feels overwhelmed with work and believes life passes him by. However, the challenge here is that the Redditor is arguing two conflicting points of view. On the one hand, they have enough money to take a sabbatical if that’s the decision they make. On the other hand, if they want to retire at 40, taking a sabbatical will make that impossible if they’re going to hit a $10 million target number. 

Sabbatical or not, there is one argument here that cannot be overlooked, and it might not be as accurate as the Redditor believes it is. He believes that tech and finance, the respective career areas of the couple, are not going anywhere. While this is true from a role perspective, there is no guarantee they can find equally strong-paying jobs in the future, as plenty of others will be looking to take this work. 

Knowing this, walking away now seems like an ill-advised idea that stems more from an overworked Redditor who just needs a break. Instead of the sabbatical, take a month-long vacation, even if it’s unpaid, if you can work out something with your boss. Stepping away from all this earning potential right now, in prime earning years, just seems like a move that could have significant and unforeseen impacts on the overall desire to walk away when they turn 40. 

There might be no question that the Redditor needs to find a better balance, so this might mean working less on the non-W2 work and taking a bit of an income hit. However, walking away from it all completely is going to be something they will regret in the future. It’s better to work now and save your best years for down the road. 

The couple’s three-month-old won’t remember if dad is busy working right now, and as long as you make time as they get older, there are millions of memories still to be made. Even if more children are on the horizon, you can put away all of the money you will ever need in the next decade and then have the golden years start in your 40s, leaving plenty of time to spend with kids.