Taking a gap year is often thought of as what students do after finishing their A-Levels, before starting university – so here’s why taking one after uni is absolutely ok.
Why take a gap year?
- Sleep: University has taken over your life for the last three years, take some time to yourself.
- Decision-making: Being asked what you want to do after uni is a question that haunts a lot of students. Don’t feel pressured into making a quick decision – find what makes you happy and roll with it.
- Financial benefits: Now that your student loan isn’t there anymore, maybe this is the right time to build up those savings.
It doesn’t have to be all travelling
When I first mentioned a gap year, the immediate response was: ‘Oh, where are you going first?’ I hadn’t even considered travelling; it just wasn’t for me. All I knew was that I needed some time to recharge my batteries. There are other options:
- Working in retail/hospitality: Earning valuable social skills (and money).
- Volunteering: Again, earning social skills, but also testing the waters of areas that you might like to work in. Check out this article about the benefits of volunteering.
- Online courses: Learn something new or brush up on skills learned at university. The Open University have thousands of free online courses – each comes with a certificate to add to your CV.
- Travelling: Of course, travelling is an amazing gap year choice for some. Why not combine travel with work? Maybe teaching English in Thailand? Or even bar work in Spain? Earn as you go.
Whatever you choose to do with your gap year is entirely up to you. Make it your year, your time to explore all of your options before committing to a career path (or not).
This is the best time in your life to do it – when else will you get a chance to volunteer at a theatre and teach an English class on a Thai beach in the same week?
I’ve said it before and I will say it again: Find what makes you happy, and just do it.