Preparing for Sabbatical

June 2026

Nearly a decade into my career and I still don’t know what to be when I grow up. For a while it seemed manageable; ideal, even. A steady job doing meaningful work with time for creative projects on the side. When asked how I balanced it, I replied that I genuinely could. The different outputs feed one another, I said, or something similarly upbeat. My writing makes my lawyering better, and vice versa.

After enough years, things changed. What was once harmonious came into conflict as my interests competed for limited space. Neither writing nor appellate lawyering is particularly chill. Both demand reflection and precision from a part of my brain that operates only when given time to rest.

Sabbaticals seem to be becoming more common within my generation. As capitalism demands increasingly greater production and automatization, I notice more peers opting out. Not permanently; we don’t have the funds for that. More like taking six months or maybe a year away from employment to travel and reflect.

Well….

That is what I intend to do. Beginning in June, I will step away from my job, and from full-time work, for about a year. Financially, it will be tight. A decade of public interest lawyering did not build the nest egg of dreams. But it may be enough. I’ll cut back to essentials. I’ll apply to residencies and rent a tiny house near a beach.

As simple as it sounds, the decision was not easy. It comes with loss and a bit of shame. A lingering fear that perhaps, if only I had mastered the art of appellate public defense, I could still do it all.

It’s also a difficult employment landscape in which to decide to quit. The privilege of choosing to leave while others are laid off or struggle to get hired is one that weighs heavy. It seems bold, verging on brash, to give my security away. Yet who do I help by remaining burnt out at a job someone else wants to do? This mind that is paid to litigate will always create reasons to stay. Never-ending counterarguments to a decision already made.

Given these layers of contemplation, the topic feels ripe for writing about. Some areas I hope to explore are the myth of the dream job, guilt over leaving “righteous” work, motivation, finances, and people who find success as a lawyer. I am also interested in answering your questions; if you have one in mind, please reply to this email or add it as a comment.

Today is the eve of the Lunar New Year: an event that comports more with my somatic experience than the Gregorian January 1st. In the Chinese zodiac, we are leaving the year of the snake — shedding — and entering the year of the fire horse, during which we will enact our beliefs and demand powerful change.¹ Can you see why this shift resonates?

As always, I want to thank you for being a reader. I tend towards reclusion when contemplating big questions, which makes me less inclined to share publicly. Now that the decision is made, I feel the veil begin to lift and hope to write more again. To the extent that you know someone in similar career flux, burnout, or questioning how to spend precious time, feel free to send them my way.

Happy New Year’s Eve,

-Julia

An image from The Moon Studio newsletter that was too good not to share.

1. I wish I had better sources; this thread, as unverified as it is, helped.