A career break is a period of time out from employment¹. Traditionally, this was for mothers to raise children, but it is now used for people taking time out of their career for personal development and/or professional development. 

Career break意为“离职长假”，此前起源于妈妈们休“离职长假”来养育子女，如今人们常借此进行个人或职业发展。

 

A career break is usually between one month and two years long. Six months to 2 years is the most common period of time for a career break. It's also possible to take a mini career break of less than one month, which enables² people to try out career break activities without committing to longer periods of time. Shorter career breaks are most popular with the over-45s. 

“离职长假”常在一个月到两年之间，最常见的是半年到两年。也有人会休个不到一个月的小假期，能让人们可以用很短的时间开展一些活动。45岁以上的人更愿意休短假期。