Pretty much everyone is familiar with the term gap year. It’s defined as a year taken off from school and/or work, usually between high school and university or between an undergraduate and masters degree. It’s a really nice way to take a break after graduating!
While it has become more and more common to take a gap year, there can still be some stigma associated with it. Society has this idea that we must never rest and have to hurry up and finish school as fast as possible, so that we can get out into the work force and become functioning adults. Taking a year off is seen as “falling behind” or “taking it easy”. Despite the stigma surrounding it, a gap year can sometimes be the best decision in the world!
I did not take a year off after high school. I went straight to university, extremely enthusiastic about completing another four years of school. I thought I knew exactly what I wanted to do with my life and I was all set to follow a straightforward path towards a career. All I needed was my degree. Simple, right? Haha, no.
With one month left before I finish my undergraduate degree I’ve passed through approximately four phases. They went a little something like this:
1. “Wow I know exactly what I’m doing this is so great I love university!”
2. “Wow this sucks I think I might drop out…”
3. “Okay maybe not so bad, I can probably figure this out.”
4. “Wow, I really have no idea what I’m going to do with my life.”
I’m currently stuck in phase 4. And phase 4 is the reason that I decided to take a year off next year. Before making any major decisions about my life I want to take some time to figure out what I want to be doing! There are so many options floating around in my brain I need some time to make sense of all of them. At first I thought, “Oh I’ll just go get my masters degree. That’s what everyone does, right?” But then I got some really good advice from a prof. He told me that shouldn’t be something I do because it’s the only thing I can think of. Graduate school should be something I want to do or else I’ll probably hate it and be miserable. So that was off the table. But I also didn’t want to start my career right away. I’m not sure what field I want to work in so I didn’t want to commit myself to a long-term job just yet. That basically left me with one option – the gap year.
Let me tell you it’s probably one of the best decisions I’ve ever made. Now I have time to save up some money (because four years of undergrad stole all mine) and decide what direction I want to take my life in. Having this buffer will help me make the best decision so that wherever I end up, I know it will be the place for me to be.