Hi! I’m Eric. I am a transitioning Army officer. Like many of my peers, I am one of thousands of military officers who are seeking opportunities in the private sector after the conclusion of two major U.S. military conflicts. Most of my peers are separating in one of two ways: 1. Seeking employment in corporate America or 2. Attend graduate school to pursue higher education.

These two options, however, did not sit well with me because I knew that both of these options were going to subject me to environments where I would, again, continue to be told/taught how to think. During this period of transition, I’ve slowly come to the realization that I’m in my late 20s and I’ve never really operated in an environment of independent thought.

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…My whole life has been spent in highly structured and insular organizations that have required adherence to pre-established rule sets and thought processes: the education system and the Army…

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From the time we were young, we’ve been instructed on how to think and told what subjects to learn. Although subject choice is increasingly available and freedom of thought is encouraged, they are still conducted within the constraints of a structured curriculum. This is not a critique of our educational paradigm. It’s merely a description of our educational upbringing. There is much merit to this system and I do not mean to detract from it. I’m merely stating that we are products of educational structures that were not designed to cater to our personal interests.

After undergoing the structured education system, the majority of us entered the workforce via a large corporate or bureaucratic entity. The professional development infrastructures within these organizations are no different than our previous experience. Instead, they are organized with greater rigidity and a narrower focus dedicated to the organization’s benefit.

I entered the military after 4 years of training in college where I was molded to “officer quality” material. Personally, I can’t really tell if my individuality was systematically stripped or I was never really provided the opportunity to self-discover. I’d like to think that the military has amplified the strengths within me. Nonetheless, I’m certain that my interests are no longer aligned with what I am currently doing.

When I was younger, I wanted to do two things: be a soldier and an entrepreneur/investor. I had no idea that choosing the path of a soldier first would produce the fear of financial instability and create psychological pressure encouraging me to jump into a stable corporate career [or to seek refuge within academia] rather than pursue my childhood goals.

So, here I am. I’m 27 years old, and my thought processes have largely been influenced by the inputs dictated by the aforementioned system and organization. I want to truly explore my interests and strengths to hopefully understand who I really am besides a student and a soldier. Herein lies my solution…

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…A Sabbatical…

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A lot of people have heard of sabbaticals but not many people have ever actually taken one or know exactly what it entails. For me, I always assumed it was something people did when they wanted to travel or to soul search. I never really gave much thought to the actual execution of a sabbatical. I mean, what do you actually do? Do I wake up every morning and just do things on a whim? Do I just buy a ticket to the first destination I see at an airport?

After some research, I’ve learned that a sabbatical is a period of time where a person removes themselves from their regular field of work to pursue a particular goal. Sabbaticals are different than merely being unemployed. There is an overall focus or agenda to a sabbatical. Sabbaticals can be extremely narrow in focus or they can be very broad. Activities during a sabbatical can range anything from learning something specific to exploring any/all interests. Some people take sabbaticals in order to take time off to rejuvenate and, hopefully, return refreshed and ready to take on their career with increased vigor and zeal. They can also use sabbaticals as a time frame to transition to a different career field.

In my search for self-discovery and reinvention, I met a friend who informed me about his sabbatical. At the time, he was almost into his second year of sabbatical. He had developed an android app, learned to design objects on 3D printers, and had started a marijuana processing business in Seattle. So productive!

He advised me to watch this video to learn about the benefits of a sabbatical and how to be productive during one…

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What does a sabbatical mean to me? …A Sabbatical State of Mind…

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In the video, Stefan stated that he would write out a list of projects and plan out a weekly schedule before a sabbatical to provide a framework to facilitate his creative work. He also stated that his sabbatical would be a year in duration due to his strategy of taking 5 years out of retirement and placing them within the working years of our normal work/retirement life cycle.

My approach will be different than Stefan’s and will be more a sabbatical mindset than a pure sabbatical. I don’t have any projects to list out because my plan is to explore the Chicago entrepreneurial community for projects where I can help out. My goal is to learn everything I can about startups and to help grow businesses. I want to figure out where I best fit in the ecosystem and where I can best leverage my skills/interests. This can mean anything from working for a startup in a full time capacity or it could mean I’m interning at an organization for 3 months to learn.

I cannot wait to kick this adventure off on May 26, 2016 [the day I fly back to Chicago]! This sabbatical is going to be a journey where I don’t focus on the financial ramifications of my decisions and to focus primarily on helping people and their organizations. That all being said…

How can I help you or your organization?