So I have been saving for 5 years now, and I finally have enough saved to take about 6 months off of work and do a roadtrip around the country which is something I’ve always wanted to do. I was so excited!
I told my boss, who I thought I was cool with, about my plan when I gave her my two weeks notice today (actually slightly over two weeks). I told my boss that this is something I’ve always wanted, that time is one of the most valuable commodities, and I told my boss that I would love to use her as a reference when I do eventually go back to work and asked if she’d keep an eye on potential openings for me at my company.
My boss said not only can I not use her as a reference, that I was being “incredibly stupid” to leave a 6 month gap in my employment history, and that I would be “unhireable” at any “respectable” company. She said “good luck explaining to HR or any hiring manager that you took 6 months off for the hell of it” and that I have “zero chance” of ever getting hired at this company again. She said its “the same everywhere” and no HR dept will want to hire me after this.
This angers me to no end. I worked here for 5 years and I don’t feel I should have to justify why I took 6 months off to anyone. I have demonstrated that I’m a loyal employee, you don’t stay 5 years somewhere if you’re not one. Now my boss is basically telling me I’m throwing it all away.
Is this really how it is? If so, it is almost more like I am a slave than a respected employee.