By the time we reach that final year of high school, we’ve heard at least a million times, “So, what are you doing after you graduate?” Some can recite a plan they’ve been working on for years, while others roll their eyes and try to think of a different way to say, “I don’t know.”
Not everyone has the perfect plan for their lives already laid out, or is financially able to pay for the ever-increasing cost of tuition. If you’re thinking about taking a year off from education, there are countless options for spending your time before hitting the books again.
Taking a gap year is a big decision and there are many factors to consider.
“Students need to be clear about why they’re taking this gap year and what their goals are,” says Colleen Myronyk, supervisor of the Laurier Brantford Career Centre.
Do you want to work to save money? Volunteer to get experience in a particular field? Travel the world? Figure out your skills and strengths? Simply take a break from academics? Without clearly defining your goals, it can be hard to make the most of the time off.
Brad Ducharme, for example, used his gap year to get away from the academic setting (especially after his high school victory lap), save money and figure out his college options.
“I didn’t want to sign up for something I wasn’t 100 percent on,” Ducharme explains.
During his year off, he got out of the rigid academic routine, worked full-time and saved enough for a trip to Cuba. Later in the year, he started looking at different programs until one—radio broadcasting at Fanshawe College in London, Ont.—caught his eye. He was accepted and hasn’t looked back since. He now works at a London radio station and is considering going back to learn another trade.
For other students, like myself, the decision to take a gap year had more to do with money—or the lack of it. I hadn’t been particularly careful with the money I had earned during high school. After figuring out how much university would cost and seeing how little I had in savings, working for a year or even just a few months seemed like a good idea. However, the logical side of my brain kicked in. I knew the free time and lack of homework would make going back to school next to impossible for me. In the end, I found other ways to fund my schooling and proceeded directly to university without a gap year.
Another gap year option is to enrol in an international program, like teaching or volunteering, to gain valuable experience and learn more about yourself. One of these programs is Thinking Beyond Borders. The program offers three trips to developing countries where students are given the chance to volunteer, do fieldwork, live with families and even pursue some academic studies to gain important perspective on life.
“Gap year students begin their college careers with purpose, focus and direction,” says the thinkingbeyondborders.org website. “They approach their course work, extra-curricular activities and social lives with heightened maturity.”
A similar program is Gap Year Abroad, which works with students to help plan trips around the world and decide what they can do with their time abroad. This program offers many different options, from group or independent trips to teaching, working, learning and volunteering in countries all over the world. The website, gapyearabroad.ca, offers a pamphlet that outlines many options and hints at many more.
But perhaps skiing and snowboarding are more up your alley. Programs like Nonstop offer a chance for students to live in Banff and Whistler, as well as in mountainous areas across Europe, and take courses to become ski or snowboarding instructors. The company is family-run and has trained over 2,500 instructors in the last 10 years. Nonstop offers a wide range of courses from one week to 18 weeks. The downside is that these programs cost money.
“Gap years are a great opportunity for students to gain more skills and increase awareness about their field of interest,” says Myronyk. She suggests strategically volunteering, conducting informational interviews or gaining work experience in an area you’re thinking of pursuing in college or university. Taking time off allows students to learn more about themselves, increase their self-awareness and discover their strengths, work preferences and interests. Self-awareness is at the core of the career model that Myronyk uses at Laurier Brantford.
Setting clear goals at the start of a gap year helps you make the transition back into an academic setting easier. It can be hard to go from travelling or earning money back to the classroom and the pressures of tests and homework.
So take time to look at all your options and make an informed choice about what you think will be best for you. This is your time and your life, so make your decisions count.
