YIQ-APP --- WHEN IT IS TIME TO DETACH FROM YOUR DAILY ROUTINE AND GO FOR A MID-CAREER BREAK ----------

 

Why would you want to make people quit their jobs and take a mid-career break? Isn't it an insane thing to do?​ On the contrary, it might be the only sane thing to do if you look at some alarming figures. According to a Gallup survey conducted in August 2018, only 15% of all German employees like their jobs which leaves 85% dissatisfied. 85%! It is not surprising that every second German citizen feels threatened by a burnout (aerzteblatt.de, April 9, 2018). 

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Given these figures you would expect a vast number of employees taking a gap year or a mid-career break but it is as little as 15%, with another 20% wishing to take one but not daring to do so. What keeps them from pursuing this desire? 

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WHEN FEAR IS TAKING OVER

When conducting interviews, I was surprised to find out that although financial and organizational reasons play a role to my interviewees, it is mainly the fear a mid-career break could have a negative impact on their careers preventing them from embarking on this adventure, culminating in sentences such as "What if I never find a job again?". Still, they also reckoned a mid-career break might even boost their careers and regained confidence when starting to imagine themselves as these brave people, quitting and pursuing their dreams -- be it a trip around the world, teaching English or upskilling. 

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This left me with the following question: How might my app help people who have already succeeded in their careers overcome their fear of taking a career break to rediscover themselves?

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SOLUTION: TAME YOUR FEAR BY VISUALIZING IT

It is a proven fact that a lot of things are more frightful in our imagination than in reality. That said, you can control your fear by visualizing and by tracking it. My YIQ-app therefore comes with a daily tracking system of your confidence, fear and frustration levels, and it offers best and worst case scenarios, aligned with facts and figures showing you it is unlikely you will regret your decision.

 

Besides taking your fear seriously it will also spark your curiosity, your audacity, your inner adventurer by providing you with ideas with what you could be doing if only you took this break.

 

In the end, you will very likely be able to say: Yes, I quit!, wholeheartedly and full of confidence. 

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