Seven years ago I left IBM to join a young company called Kognitiv.

I was the tenth employee at Kognitiv back in 2017, this was before we had an office, a supervisory structure, and the big selling point is the company recently started offering health insurance. This was a drastic change from the Workday practice at IBM, but the selling point was simple and convincing. A company founded and run by expert Workday consultants would know how to keep both their clients and workforce happy. So, I took the plunge.

What defined the company then is what I feel remains its identity today - Do great work, take care of your people, and the business will be successful. One of the many ways Kognitiv rewards its workforce is with the Sabbatical Program.

After working here for seven years, Kognitiv provides a seven-week paid sabbatical to all employees. I haven’t been off work for more than 2 straight weeks in over a decade, and I was pretty anxious about it, but I found my colleagues were ready to help, as always.

Such an absence would not have been possible without the tremendous support of my team and leadership - especially Harry Ramachandran and Taylor Malley - who stepped in and backfilled my work seamlessly. I look forward to the opportunity to return the favor to both of them, and many others, in the near future.

So - What to do with the longest time off I've had since college? Go the other side of the world of course!

My wife and I worked up our way north through Vietnam from Ho Chi Minh to Sapa, we stopped through Indonesia to see the Komodo Dragons and swim with Manta Rays, weathered the typhoon season in the Philippines (inadvisable time of year to go), met some college friends for a Sumo tournament in Tokyo, before taking K-Pop dance classes and visiting the DMZ in South Korea.

While experiencing all of the new natural wonders, wonderful cultures, and dynamite food, I had plenty of time to reflect on the last seven years, and realized there is nowhere else I'd rather spend the next seven years. The relationships I've made and the great work we've done have made the time fly by.

Upon returning (once I remembered how to do my job), I felt reinvigorated to continue my Kognitiv journey into the future. Kognitiv is my third gig in Workday consulting, and I’ve sometimes said the day I leave here is the day I quit this line of work. I feel this is now more true than ever. More and more of my fellow Koggers will continue to hit this milestone in the coming years, and I can't wait to see the adventures they go on.

Besides - I need to stick around for the 10 Year/10 Week Sabbatical.