Corporate employee wants to quit his job and finally travel but feels guilty and scared: ‘Sometimes I see myself as a robot and I need to remember that I can break free from the programming. Does anyone relate?’

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Olivia Arocena • Writer and Editor
Sep 4, 2026 8:00 AM EDT

It's not easy to give up something you know for something uncertain

I'm not going to come here and act as if you should always leave every secure thing you have behind and chase every random dream. Sometimes that's simply not the best road to take, and you should, for example, save a little money first, or wait it out, land a remote job and travel with a stable income; I mean, there are countless safer options than leaving everything behind with no backup.

When we have these big desires, such as travelling the world, we seldom think that there is limited time to make them come true. Of course, technically there isn't; you could potentially travel the world at 60, but how can we be sure what our situation will be like at that age?

Settling isn't the end of the world; you can travel if you have a partner and a family, but it's true that it makes matters more complicated. To me, the central things are desire and how burnt out you are from your current job.

This employee says he has already paid his student loan and has savings; the only thing holding him back would be guilt, but are we willing to sacrifice our whole lives to guilt? What would we get in exchange? More stress and a day-to-day life that feels pointless?

The decision doesn't have to be that drastic, really. You can take only a year off and come back. If you already started your career and have some experience, the year-long gap won't look as bad on your resume if you can justify it with a random 'experience-building' paragraph.

What would you do? Wait it out till the next holiday and keep your steady job? Or go on the adventure, relax, and rethink your life?

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  • Cheezburger Image 10661459456
    via Vitaly Gariev

    The burnt out employee

    Image for illustrative purposes

  • Corporate America has turned me into a robot and ruined my spark... does anyone relate?

    I've always thought it was cool to live in a bunch of different countries, do a bunch of random jobs, just to have that experience of life. Now that I've paid off
    via wallflower23020
  • my student loans and have a decent rainy day fund saved up (2+ years), this is becoming more of a reality. It's just up to me whether or not to take the leap.
    via wallflower23020
  • FOLLOW THAT DREAM SAVORIT MNU H KAYA Tulum Quintana Roo
    via Alex Azabache

    Getting ready to travlel

    Scene shown is a visual representation

  • Perhaps it's the North American work culture and I've been brainwashed, but there's a part of me that feels guilty for doing this and that it's woo-woo. Sometimes I see myself as
    via wallflower23020
  • a robot and I need to remember that I can break free from the programming. Does anyone relate?
    via wallflower23020
  • ajlorello Absolutely! Does everyone feel this is a newer thing? I feel like I'm a frog in the water situation and may have not noticed. I've been with my company for 25 years, and in the last few, I've seen it change to the point that it's no longer recognizable as the company it started as. I'm realizing I need to make a change to get through the rest of my career.
    via wallflower23020
  • radishwalrus I don't think there would be anything wrong with corporate america if the point was to take care of the workers while making a profit. But it's about grinding up corporate workers and turning them into dollars. For most companies anyway. But that doesn't mean you can't use them too. Just don't think they care if you live or di .
    via wallflower23020
  • Cheezburger Image 10661459968
    via Christian Erfurt

    Burnout representation

    Image depicted solely for explanatory purposes

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workplace-stories toxic-workplace work workplace toxic-work-environment
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