If you’re worried about the “gap”, don’t be. In my experience it doesn’t matter nearly as much as people believe. And don’t worry about your “career”. It’s basically all bullshit anyway.
Your ability to provide for yourself and your family isn't "basically bullshit," and filing for short term disability doesn't leave a gap on your resume.
In the grand scheme of things arbitrary and artificial “career ladders” don’t matter. Your best strategy is to ignore all that and move around every 2-3 years looking solely at the dollar figures and ignoring the titles. If you do not move, you’re going to end up underpaid, even if you do get to a fancy title or “more responsibility”.
