> I mean why do they care. If I save up money and take a year off every few years? That just means if I get bored of them I'll walk out.
Your last sentence is exactly why they care. They don't want people who will quit when they get bored; they want people who need the job.
I know people who have used words like "flaky" and "transient" and "unreliable" to describe people with gaps. To the people making such judgements, an involuntary gap indicates incompetence, and a voluntary gap indicates someone who is confident, independent, and unlikely to put up with bullshit (and thus more likely to quit).
Your last sentence is exactly why they care. They don't want people who will quit when they get bored; they want people who need the job.
I know people who have used words like "flaky" and "transient" and "unreliable" to describe people with gaps. To the people making such judgements, an involuntary gap indicates incompetence, and a voluntary gap indicates someone who is confident, independent, and unlikely to put up with bullshit (and thus more likely to quit).