Is taking a gap year worth it? Yes. That’s it that’s the whole blog post.
But really, taking a gap year is one of the most beneficial things you can do! Maybe you’ve just graduated from high school and are looking for an alternative experience before diving into higher education. You could perhaps already have a college degree and are looking to gain some experience to advance your career. Maybe you’re planning to go to graduate school and just need a break from academics. Whatever the case may be for you, take the gap year. Just do it.
Wait… What even is a gap year?
A gap year typically means you’re taking a break from your academic career. So in a traditional sense of the word, you would be taking a break between completing your senior year of high school and your first year of college. However, the term gap year has been making its way into other aspects of life including career shifts or taking a break between undergraduate and graduate school!
Just as the name suggests, a gap year is a year long. However, a gap year is not subject to a specific time frame. Many people take a gap year or year(s) depending on their specific situation. I myself took 3 years between completing my undergraduate degree and deciding to pursue a master’s degree, but still refer to my time off from school as my gap year(s). If you have specific questions about my gap year, send me a message! A gap year does not have to be 12 months on the dot. It can be as short or as long as you need!
Why should you take a gap year?
Everyone takes a gap year for different reasons and all those reasons are valid. However, the one thing that is in common is that it gives you more time! Either time to reflect on your goals, time to take a mental health break, or time to explore different life avenues!
Avoid Academic Burnout
This topic of academic burnout is becoming more and more prevalent as students decide to take a non-traditional route when planning for the next steps in their academic experience. Academic burnout, as it sounds has a direct impact on your academic experience. Not only do grades begin to decline, but students will also often start exhibiting signs of declining mental and physical health and overall well-being. Taking time away from a rigorous routine and academics gives an individual the opportunity to avoid burnout. Taking a gap year gives a student time to recharge, mature, and be in the right head space to tackle their next educational endeavor.
Explore New Opportunities
You hear it all the time about how people change their major within the first year or two of college, potentially wasting thousands of dollars on classes that they might have not needed to take. What if, instead, you took the time off from school to figure out your wants, needs, and desires, in a cool way? Taking time off from school allows you to explore opportunities that you might not be able to commit to down the road. Something like an internship, a year abroad, volunteer opportunities, or just working in a field you think you have an interest in to test the waters are great ways to spend a gap year!
Build Life Skills
Taking time away from the traditional routine of life, really helps you see what you value in life. We are a product of our environment, and up until this point, you might have only lived in one town or one city for the majority of your life. Use this time to build real-life skills, maybe you want to learn to sew, maybe you want to learn how to grow veggies for a community garden, or maybe you just want to learn how to become a little more independent responsibility. Taking the time away from an academic environment gives you the time and freedom to build life skills and soft skills needed for “the real world” and a job!
What Can I do during my gap year?
The real question here is, what CAN’T you do during your gap year? You literally can do whatever you want, but ultimately whatever the goal of your gap year is, you want it to be productive and a resume booster to help you with your future career and life goals!
Get A Job
This one is pretty straightforward. You can work during your gap year! You could work at a coffee shop and save money for college, you can find opportunities like internships within a field of work you’re interested in, or you could teach online, like me!
During my gap years, I decided to obtain a TEFL certification and become an English as a Second Language (ESL) Teacher. The original plan was to move abroad for a year, but I graduated in May of 2020, and unfortunately, the world was still on lockdown at that point. So, I had to shift my plans and goals. I was lucky enough to find an opportunity to teach online and I haven’t looked back since! Having my TEFL certification opened up so many doors for me! With a TEFL certification, you can teach online from home, you can travel around the United States, or you can move abroad for a year! Whatever you decide, you should check out the International TEFL Academy. They are the best resources for anyone looking to get their TEFL certification and move abroad!
Travel
With enough time and planning, traveling during your gap year is a great option! Obviously, this is going to require a little bit more effort since you’ll have to get the funds to travel, so if you’re interested in this option, but sure to plan well in advance. If you’re feeling ambitious, you can plan your gap year and travels independently. However, with the help of group organizations like Go Over Seas and Education First, you can spend your gap year with other people just like you looking to spend their gap year in a meaningful way! These programs offer pre-planned trips, including housing, activities, recommended restaurants, transportation, and more!
If you’re already a working professional looking to take a break from your everyday routine, you can check out Remote Year. Similar to the programs listed above, this organization offers group work, travel, and wellness programs. What sets Remote Year apart, is it’s geared towards adults! Remote Year puts an emphasis on its community, which is great for networking and learning more about different industries while continuing to work remotely if you choose.
Volunteer
This is a great opportunity if you’re not interested in working or traveling. Volunteering is a great opportunity for individuals who want to make a deeper impact within a community. That community or organization could be in your hometown, a different state, or a country across the ocean! The need for international volunteers is endless, and there are so many great organizations to choose from. Go Abroad has a compiled database of the best gap year volunteer programs.
In addition to helping the community, volunteer work is a great resume booster. Using volunteer experience is a great way to leverage yourself if you are trying to get into an ivy league college, applying for a competitive graduate school program, or need to show that you have “real world” experience when applying for a job!
Go to school part-time
This might sound super counterintuitive since this whole time I’ve been providing ideas and suggestions on what to do while you’re NOT in school. However, sometimes all you need to do is slow down. It’s not a horrible idea to go to school part-time or just take a few general education courses while you’re in a “gap year”. Technically, by definition, it wouldn’t be considered a gap year, but going to school part-time or even taking online classes still allows the freedom to travel, work, or volunteer while getting just a taste of the higher education world.
Whatever your reason for taking a gap year, understand that there are pros and cons. In my personal opinion, the pros of taking a gap year far outweigh the cons. Some might say a con would be that it can be harder to return to school after taking a break or the break is not as beneficial as going straight into school. The reality is, that every single person is different and has different wants and needs. Some might thrive during a gap year, others might flop during a gap year. Take some time to think about all the possibilities a gap year has to offer and remember, life doesn’t have a timeline. You don’t have to graduate in 4 years, have a career by age 24, and have a house by 30. There’s no timeline or guidebook to life, so do whatever is best for you!