catch22222

You mean take unpaid leave and then return? I definitely don't want to keep this job, and pretty sure I wouldn't get it if I asked anyway.

Thanks for this, some of the best advice I've heard so far. Makes it really hard to rationalize not quitting. Maybe I will have to get another job, maybe it will be lower paying and I'll have less savings in the bank, but at least I will have tried to live life on my own terms.

Glad to hear it worked out for you. Not interested in buying a house any time soon, but I probably will be someday in which case I wouldn't be able to take a break like this and why I want to do it now.

Maybe I'm not paying enough attention but seems programmers are very much in demand. I also live in a big tech hub and have very employable skills on my resume, so not too worried that I won't be able to find another job in a reasonable amount of time should I choose to. I suppose everything could collapse during my break and there truly won't be jobs when I'm looking again, but thats a risk I'm willing to take.

Congrats on quitting! Its very reassuring to hear this kind of advice. People let fear of the unknown hold them back way to much, taking a calculated risk can be good for you. Maybe not necessarily for your career but for your development as a human. Glad to hear you've done it before too and the world didn't end :)

Good advice, I think that's more or less my plan. Even during my break from programming I was planning on keeping a routine and getting better at my hobbies.