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Dennis Sinar, 61, a doctor from Washington, N.C., is quick to explain why he took a yearlong break from his job. “I was pretty burned out after 1)practicing medicine for 26 years,” said Dr. Sinar, a 2)gastroenterologist and professor of medicine at East Carolina University in Greenville, N.C. “I needed a 3)recharge.”
So he took a “gap year,” from July 2007 to June 2008, to explore things like stone 4)masonry, antique restoration, 5)archaeology and traditional Eastern medicine, in locations 6)spanning from Alaska to Nepal to Romania. “I think everyone in his heart of hearts has some things they have always wanted to do but for one reason or other never does,” Dr. Sinar said.
Taking a break from work is an excellent way for adults to 7)segue into a new career or 8)invigorate an old one, said Holly Bull, president of the Center for 9)Interim Programs in Princeton, N.J., which sets up gap-year programs. The group works mainly with college-age students, but it has also served older adults since it was formed 28 years ago. In recent years, mid-career breaks have been 10)garnering more interest, she said.
A report on adult gap years released in July 2008 by Mintel International, a market research company, described the potential American market for gap years as a “sleeping giant.” And now, with job cuts on the rise, the newly unemployed may find the 11)timing for a gap year to be ideal.
Planning a gap year “takes a little more preparation for adults,” Ms. Bull said. Concerns about 12)finances and job prospects are more common, she said. Costs range widely, depending in part on location and the types of programs. Ms. Bull estimates that an average gap year runs $6,000 to $15,000, or less “if you keep travel down and do low-cost programs.” You don’t have to be wealthy to finance a gap year, said Susan Griffith, author of Gap Years for Grown-Ups. If a schoolteacher were to rent out his or her home for six months, “the rent would go a long way to paying their daily expenses in a developing country like Cambodia or Bolivia,” she said.
Dr. Sinar limited expenses by working for 13)room and board on some programs. In Nepal, home stays with local families were arranged, which helped to lower costs. The entire year does not have to be spent away from home, either. Dr. Sinar was away about seven months during his year off, which included extended stays at home between programs. That schedule made the experience easier for his partner, Kathryn, who also visited him on location several times.
“A gap year is a challenge for the older individual to step out of a comfort zone and take a risk; I enjoyed that side most,” said Dr. Sinar, who kept a daily blog about his experience. His time studying Eastern medicine “14)reaffirmed the reasons I went into health care,” said Dr. Sinar, who returned to practice medicine at his old job, although he works fewer days. “I use those experiences to provide more 15)compassionate care,” he added. “And I listen better than I did before.”
By contrast, Lee Attix of South Portland, Me., 52, used skills gained during a gap year more than 10 years ago to switch careers from sales and marketing into work focused on wildlife. “I wanted more than just a 16)paycheck and doing a job,” he said. His gap-year volunteer experiences included trail maintenance in Vermont, a 17)stint at a farm in Arkansas devoted to ending world hunger, and study of endangered hawks in Utah. It 18)paid off. He was offered paid seasonal work in 19)loon conservation. Today he is a manager for BioDiversity Research Institute, a small nonprofit in Gorham, Me. Taking a gap year “was the best thing I ever did career-20)wise,” he said.
Tari Marcou, 54, of Hamilton, Ohio, was working as a program coordinator for an adult leadership program at Ohio State University several years ago when she realized she needed a mid-career break. Her children were grown, and she was able to sell her house for a profit. She gave her dog and her furniture to her daughter for safe-keeping and started a gap year that included time at a meditation 21)retreat in France, organic farms in Italy and a wildlife 22)awareness center in South Africa. After returning to the United States, she was approached about a new job at Ohio State “for a 23)sizable increase in salary,” she said. Instead of pursuing the job, she 24)parlayed her passion for travel into a new career by becoming a 25)certified tour director. “I feel like I finally found where I need to be,” she said.
Dennis Garritan, chairman of the department of leadership and human capital management at New York University, said a gap-year experience could be worthwhile for employees and companies. For employees, “investing in themselves and enhancing skill sets is a strategic move that will pay 26)dividends throughout their career,” Dr. Garritan said. He added that returning employees feel refreshed and have given thought to their careers. For companies, offering unpaid leaves makes good sense for recruitment and 27)retention of talented employees and is a more creative long-term way to 28)weather the economic 29)downturn than 30)layoffs.
“My hope is that this takes off,” Dr. Garritan said. “We’re all thinking, ‘What’s my next act?’ ”
61岁的丹尼斯•塞纳尔是美国北卡罗莱纳州华盛顿城的一名医生。他开门见山地解释了自己为什么停下工作，整整休了一年假。他说：“行医26年了，我感觉精疲力竭，需要给自己充充电。”塞纳尔博士是一名胃肠病学家，也是北卡罗莱纳州格林维尔市东卡罗莱纳州立大学的一名医学教授。
于是，从2007年7月至2008年6月，他过了自己的“间隔年”。在此期间，他跨越了阿拉斯加、尼泊尔和罗马尼亚的多个地方，探索一些别的事物，如砌石、古董修复，考古学和东方传统医学等。“我认为，在每个人的内心深处，都有一些他们一直想做的事情，但却因为这样或那样的原因而没有去做。”塞纳尔博士说。
对于成年人而言，工作中期进行休假是从事新职业或者给原有职业注入新活力的好办法，间隔年项目中心负责人霍莉•布尔说。该中心位于新泽西州普林斯顿镇，致力于创建间隔年项目。自从28年前成立以来，该中心主要服务大学生年龄层的对象，但也为年龄大一些的成年人服务。霍莉•布尔说，近年来，在职业生涯中停下来休整再出发这种做法越来越受到人们的青睐。
2008年7月，市场调查公司敏特国际集团发布了一份有关成人休间隔年假的报告。该报告将美国间隔年的潜在市场描述为一个“沉睡的巨人”。现在裁员情况日渐增多，刚刚失业的人可能会觉得正是享受间隔年的理想时机。
布尔女士说，成年人规划间隔年时“需要更多的准备”。她说，比较常见的是对资金来源和就业前景的关注。间隔年的成本高低不一，部分取决于地理位置和项目类型。据布尔女士估计，一次间隔年的平均开销在6000美元至15000美元，“如果减少旅行且执行低成本方案，”那么开销会更少。《成年人的间隔年》一书的作者苏珊•格里菲思说，并不是要很富有才支付得起间隔年的花销。如果一名教师把自己的房子租出去6个月的话，“这些租金可以让他们在诸如柬埔寨或玻利维亚等发展中国家支付很长一段时间的日常开支，”她说。
在某些项目上，塞纳尔博士通过以工作换取食宿的方式节省了开支。在尼泊尔，他被安排在当地家庭里寄宿，这帮他减少了开支。而且，他也没有整整一年都不回家。在他的间隔年里，塞纳尔博士不在家的时间约为7个月，而在项目与项目之间的较长时间里，他则住在家里。这样的安排使他的老伴凯瑟琳也好过一些，她还到当地看了他几次。
“间隔年对年纪大一点的人来说是一个挑战，因为这意味着要跨出舒适地带去冒险；我最喜欢富有挑战性这一点，”塞纳尔博士说。塞纳尔博士每天都会更新博客，讲述自己的经历。在东方医学研究上所花的时间“再次肯定了我从事医疗事业的原因，”塞纳尔博士说。他已回到自己原来的行医岗位上，尽管现在他的工作时间减少了。“我用这些经历为别人提供更多的人文关怀，”他补充说，“而且我比以前懂得倾听了。”
相比之下，来自缅因州南波特兰市、今年52岁的李•安第克斯则利用十余年前在间隔年中获得的技能改变了自己的职业生涯，从销售和市场营销转换到关注野生动物的工作上。他说：“我想要的不仅仅是一份薪水、一份工作。”他在间隔年里的志愿者经历包括在佛蒙特州自然生态景区做步行小径的维护工作、在阿肯色州一个致力于消除世界饥饿问题的农场里做临时工以及在犹他州研究濒危鹰。间隔年让他获益良多。他后来获得潜鸟保护区一份季节性带薪工作。如今，他是缅因州哥尔罕一家小型非营利性机构——生物多样性研究所的一名经理。选择间隔年“是我职业生涯中做过的最棒的事情，”他说。
54岁的塔里•马尔库来自俄亥俄州的汉密尔顿。几年前，她正在俄亥俄州立大学的成人领导项目组工作，是一名项目协调员，突然她意识到自己的职业生涯需要一个休歇期。她的孩子已经长大，而且她卖房子赚了点钱。她将宠物狗和家具交给女儿保管，开始了她的间隔年生活。期间，她去了法国一家冥修院、意大利的有机农场和南非一个野生动物保护中心。回到美国后，她说自己有机会在俄亥俄州获得一个“工资大增”的新工作。然而，她没有去做那份工作，而是充分利用自己对旅游的爱好，开启了一段新的职业生涯——成了一名执证旅游领队。“我觉得我终于找到属于自己的位置了，”她说。
纽约大学领导和人力资本管理系主任丹尼斯•加里坦表示，间隔年的经历对员工和公司而言都是有益的。对于员工来说，“自我投资、提高技能，这是一项战略性举措，将使其在整个职业生涯中获益匪浅，”加里坦博士说。他还补充道，结束间隔年返回岗位的员工普遍感到神清气爽，并对自己的职业生涯有新的想法。对于公司来说，提供无薪休假对招募和留住优秀员工都具有重大意义；同时，比起裁员来说，这是一种更长久且更具创造性的应对经济危机的办法。
“我希望间隔年能风行起来，”加里坦博士说，“我们都在想，‘我的下一步行动是什么？’”
So he took a “gap year,” from July 2007 to June 2008, to explore things like stone 4)masonry, antique restoration, 5)archaeology and traditional Eastern medicine, in locations 6)spanning from Alaska to Nepal to Romania. “I think everyone in his heart of hearts has some things they have always wanted to do but for one reason or other never does,” Dr. Sinar said.
Taking a break from work is an excellent way for adults to 7)segue into a new career or 8)invigorate an old one, said Holly Bull, president of the Center for 9)Interim Programs in Princeton, N.J., which sets up gap-year programs. The group works mainly with college-age students, but it has also served older adults since it was formed 28 years ago. In recent years, mid-career breaks have been 10)garnering more interest, she said.
A report on adult gap years released in July 2008 by Mintel International, a market research company, described the potential American market for gap years as a “sleeping giant.” And now, with job cuts on the rise, the newly unemployed may find the 11)timing for a gap year to be ideal.
Planning a gap year “takes a little more preparation for adults,” Ms. Bull said. Concerns about 12)finances and job prospects are more common, she said. Costs range widely, depending in part on location and the types of programs. Ms. Bull estimates that an average gap year runs $6,000 to $15,000, or less “if you keep travel down and do low-cost programs.” You don’t have to be wealthy to finance a gap year, said Susan Griffith, author of Gap Years for Grown-Ups. If a schoolteacher were to rent out his or her home for six months, “the rent would go a long way to paying their daily expenses in a developing country like Cambodia or Bolivia,” she said.
Dr. Sinar limited expenses by working for 13)room and board on some programs. In Nepal, home stays with local families were arranged, which helped to lower costs. The entire year does not have to be spent away from home, either. Dr. Sinar was away about seven months during his year off, which included extended stays at home between programs. That schedule made the experience easier for his partner, Kathryn, who also visited him on location several times.
“A gap year is a challenge for the older individual to step out of a comfort zone and take a risk; I enjoyed that side most,” said Dr. Sinar, who kept a daily blog about his experience. His time studying Eastern medicine “14)reaffirmed the reasons I went into health care,” said Dr. Sinar, who returned to practice medicine at his old job, although he works fewer days. “I use those experiences to provide more 15)compassionate care,” he added. “And I listen better than I did before.”
By contrast, Lee Attix of South Portland, Me., 52, used skills gained during a gap year more than 10 years ago to switch careers from sales and marketing into work focused on wildlife. “I wanted more than just a 16)paycheck and doing a job,” he said. His gap-year volunteer experiences included trail maintenance in Vermont, a 17)stint at a farm in Arkansas devoted to ending world hunger, and study of endangered hawks in Utah. It 18)paid off. He was offered paid seasonal work in 19)loon conservation. Today he is a manager for BioDiversity Research Institute, a small nonprofit in Gorham, Me. Taking a gap year “was the best thing I ever did career-20)wise,” he said.
Tari Marcou, 54, of Hamilton, Ohio, was working as a program coordinator for an adult leadership program at Ohio State University several years ago when she realized she needed a mid-career break. Her children were grown, and she was able to sell her house for a profit. She gave her dog and her furniture to her daughter for safe-keeping and started a gap year that included time at a meditation 21)retreat in France, organic farms in Italy and a wildlife 22)awareness center in South Africa. After returning to the United States, she was approached about a new job at Ohio State “for a 23)sizable increase in salary,” she said. Instead of pursuing the job, she 24)parlayed her passion for travel into a new career by becoming a 25)certified tour director. “I feel like I finally found where I need to be,” she said.
Dennis Garritan, chairman of the department of leadership and human capital management at New York University, said a gap-year experience could be worthwhile for employees and companies. For employees, “investing in themselves and enhancing skill sets is a strategic move that will pay 26)dividends throughout their career,” Dr. Garritan said. He added that returning employees feel refreshed and have given thought to their careers. For companies, offering unpaid leaves makes good sense for recruitment and 27)retention of talented employees and is a more creative long-term way to 28)weather the economic 29)downturn than 30)layoffs.
“My hope is that this takes off,” Dr. Garritan said. “We’re all thinking, ‘What’s my next act?’ ”
61岁的丹尼斯•塞纳尔是美国北卡罗莱纳州华盛顿城的一名医生。他开门见山地解释了自己为什么停下工作，整整休了一年假。他说：“行医26年了，我感觉精疲力竭，需要给自己充充电。”塞纳尔博士是一名胃肠病学家，也是北卡罗莱纳州格林维尔市东卡罗莱纳州立大学的一名医学教授。
于是，从2007年7月至2008年6月，他过了自己的“间隔年”。在此期间，他跨越了阿拉斯加、尼泊尔和罗马尼亚的多个地方，探索一些别的事物，如砌石、古董修复，考古学和东方传统医学等。“我认为，在每个人的内心深处，都有一些他们一直想做的事情，但却因为这样或那样的原因而没有去做。”塞纳尔博士说。
对于成年人而言，工作中期进行休假是从事新职业或者给原有职业注入新活力的好办法，间隔年项目中心负责人霍莉•布尔说。该中心位于新泽西州普林斯顿镇，致力于创建间隔年项目。自从28年前成立以来，该中心主要服务大学生年龄层的对象，但也为年龄大一些的成年人服务。霍莉•布尔说，近年来，在职业生涯中停下来休整再出发这种做法越来越受到人们的青睐。
2008年7月，市场调查公司敏特国际集团发布了一份有关成人休间隔年假的报告。该报告将美国间隔年的潜在市场描述为一个“沉睡的巨人”。现在裁员情况日渐增多，刚刚失业的人可能会觉得正是享受间隔年的理想时机。
布尔女士说，成年人规划间隔年时“需要更多的准备”。她说，比较常见的是对资金来源和就业前景的关注。间隔年的成本高低不一，部分取决于地理位置和项目类型。据布尔女士估计，一次间隔年的平均开销在6000美元至15000美元，“如果减少旅行且执行低成本方案，”那么开销会更少。《成年人的间隔年》一书的作者苏珊•格里菲思说，并不是要很富有才支付得起间隔年的花销。如果一名教师把自己的房子租出去6个月的话，“这些租金可以让他们在诸如柬埔寨或玻利维亚等发展中国家支付很长一段时间的日常开支，”她说。
在某些项目上，塞纳尔博士通过以工作换取食宿的方式节省了开支。在尼泊尔，他被安排在当地家庭里寄宿，这帮他减少了开支。而且，他也没有整整一年都不回家。在他的间隔年里，塞纳尔博士不在家的时间约为7个月，而在项目与项目之间的较长时间里，他则住在家里。这样的安排使他的老伴凯瑟琳也好过一些，她还到当地看了他几次。
“间隔年对年纪大一点的人来说是一个挑战，因为这意味着要跨出舒适地带去冒险；我最喜欢富有挑战性这一点，”塞纳尔博士说。塞纳尔博士每天都会更新博客，讲述自己的经历。在东方医学研究上所花的时间“再次肯定了我从事医疗事业的原因，”塞纳尔博士说。他已回到自己原来的行医岗位上，尽管现在他的工作时间减少了。“我用这些经历为别人提供更多的人文关怀，”他补充说，“而且我比以前懂得倾听了。”
相比之下，来自缅因州南波特兰市、今年52岁的李•安第克斯则利用十余年前在间隔年中获得的技能改变了自己的职业生涯，从销售和市场营销转换到关注野生动物的工作上。他说：“我想要的不仅仅是一份薪水、一份工作。”他在间隔年里的志愿者经历包括在佛蒙特州自然生态景区做步行小径的维护工作、在阿肯色州一个致力于消除世界饥饿问题的农场里做临时工以及在犹他州研究濒危鹰。间隔年让他获益良多。他后来获得潜鸟保护区一份季节性带薪工作。如今，他是缅因州哥尔罕一家小型非营利性机构——生物多样性研究所的一名经理。选择间隔年“是我职业生涯中做过的最棒的事情，”他说。
54岁的塔里•马尔库来自俄亥俄州的汉密尔顿。几年前，她正在俄亥俄州立大学的成人领导项目组工作，是一名项目协调员，突然她意识到自己的职业生涯需要一个休歇期。她的孩子已经长大，而且她卖房子赚了点钱。她将宠物狗和家具交给女儿保管，开始了她的间隔年生活。期间，她去了法国一家冥修院、意大利的有机农场和南非一个野生动物保护中心。回到美国后，她说自己有机会在俄亥俄州获得一个“工资大增”的新工作。然而，她没有去做那份工作，而是充分利用自己对旅游的爱好，开启了一段新的职业生涯——成了一名执证旅游领队。“我觉得我终于找到属于自己的位置了，”她说。
纽约大学领导和人力资本管理系主任丹尼斯•加里坦表示，间隔年的经历对员工和公司而言都是有益的。对于员工来说，“自我投资、提高技能，这是一项战略性举措，将使其在整个职业生涯中获益匪浅，”加里坦博士说。他还补充道，结束间隔年返回岗位的员工普遍感到神清气爽，并对自己的职业生涯有新的想法。对于公司来说，提供无薪休假对招募和留住优秀员工都具有重大意义；同时，比起裁员来说，这是一种更长久且更具创造性的应对经济危机的办法。
“我希望间隔年能风行起来，”加里坦博士说，“我们都在想，‘我的下一步行动是什么？’”