ShareThisHaving gaps in your CV isn’t always a bad thing as long as you can validly explain the reasons for them. In fact there’s one “gap” that I highly encourage young job-seekers to make and that’s a “gap year”. It’s not as prevalent here in Asia to see university graduates take a year off before the corporate world but it’s more commonplace in Europe and Australia.
I recall being so exhausted after 6 years of university that I needed a break before jumping into employment. I decided to travel around the US and South America and eventually found myself in London where I found a job and stayed, to the surprise of my parents, for two years.
There’s actually a number of different experiences you can create on a gap year that include just travelling, casual work, volunteering or any combination of the above. There’s also a bunch of online resources to help you as well, and if you’re stuck for ideas then visit www.gapyear.com.
One of the reasons which some students claim deters them from taking a year off is the fact that it delays your entry into the workforce by a year. This means that when you do secure that coveted grad position at the MNC you always wanted, you might be a year behind or older than your colleagues. In my opinion, this is one of the lamest excuses possible. You have the rest of your life to build a career, so taking a break to explore the world is a small sacrifice to make. In fact, a gap year can do wonders to your CV and launch you further into a chosen career.
I’m a strong proponent of a gap year, and below are 10 reasons why it pays off.
1. You get to know yourself: This sounds a bit silly right? You probably think you know yourself really well? Perhaps you do, but I can guarantee you’ll really get to know your strengths, weaknesses, fears, and the people that matter most to you. It’s not until you’re really tested emotionally, mentally and physically that your true character comes out and travelling will certainly challenge you in many ways.
2. Develop confidence and social skills: When you’re in a foreign land and you’re working or travelling by yourself, you’re forced to initiate conversations with people and forge new friendships. One that keeps to themselves will suffer a life of loneliness and nobody wants to be lonely. Without your closest family and friends around, you are constantly challenged to come out of your comfort zone and interact with people from all walks of life. As a result you’re continually developing your confidence and social skills.
3. Improve cross-cultural communication: Unless you’re travelling to countries such as the USA, UK and Australia, the chances are you’re going to run into a few people that don’t speak English, or your native tongue. Communicating with such people can initially be daunting, but with practice and sensitivity you can actually strike up some very meaningful interactions. Even if people do speak the same language, there are often local customs and traditions you may not be aware of that require reverence. When travelling you learn much more about different people by immersing yourself in their traditions and cultures.
4. Contributing to the community: While a gap year can count to your experience, I recommend people get involved in some type of community or volunteer work, rather than just sightseeing or partying. You learn so much more about each community you visit when you’re getting your hands dirty in different projects. There’s a variety of different assignments, whether it’s teaching English in a remote Chinese village, helping at an elephant sanctuary in Kenya or conservation work in Ecuador. Nothing is as fulfilling as contributing to something far greater than yourself and your altruism will portray you positively when you return home and seek work.
5. Managing Money: I have 410 pesos left that must last me until Friday. That means I can spend a maximum of 15 pesos a day for food, 20 pesos for the bus trip and so on. For most of us that don’t have our own mobile money tree and are travelling on a shoestring budget, it teaches you the very basics about how to manage your finances and stretch every dollar (or peso) as much as possible. In the real world while you’re the recipient of a guaranteed pay cheque, your spending is more liberal and less attention is paid to budgeting.
6. Exercise: I became quite skinny while traversing the South American continent. The main reason being that when you travel, you’re constantly on the move – hiking long tracks, running after the last bus, walking around monuments, riding bicycles, all while carrying a heavy backpack. Mind you, you may not be paying as much attention to health and fitness, but inadvertently you’re burning calories.
7. Overcoming setbacks: Spending a year on the road means you’ll run into your fair share of troubles. It won’t all be smooth sailing – whether you got pick-pocketed in Rio, had your hostel reservation fall through in Berlin or suffered severe food poisoning in Delhi, setbacks will occur; magnified by the fact that you’re alone and don’t have someone to cry to. These experiences strengthen you and build character.
8. Learning a language: Before I entered South America, I could only say “Gracias”, but after 3 months I was equipped with enough Spanish vocabulary to order a hamburger “Quisiera una hamburguesa por favor”, request my clothes to be washed “necessito lavar mi ropa” and many other useful phrases. In fact being exposed to people that only spoke Spanish forced me to learn or get left behind. As you travel across different countries, learning the local language, even if it is just the basics, goes a long way to assimilate with the people.
9. Learning to live with only the bare essentials: Imagine relinquishing your laptop, mobile, X-Box, hairdryer and other creature comforts that we all take for granted today. Could you do it? Well if you’ve decided to travel the world for a year, then you won’t be able to lug it around in your backpack. As you live like a nomad, accumulating possessions is not feasible and you’re forced to live with only what you need – 7 pairs of underwear, four t-shirts, 4 pairs of shorts, a pair of jeans, a sweater, hat and two pairs of shoes. Sometimes a minimalist lifestyle can be so rewarding!
10. Memories: I often think back to all the adventures I got up to on my overseas expeditions – the places I’ve seen, friendships made, weirdos I’ve encountered and everything else in between. It’s something that just can’t be replaced with any other experience. I certainly don’t look back at my first year in the workforce with as many fond memories that’s for sure. After all you do have the rest of your life to establish your career. As other obligations such as family, kids, mortgages creep into your life however, it may be less feasible to undertake a gap year.
Understandably a gap year isn’t for everyone. Depending on your own circumstances, it may be out of reach for various reasons. If however you do have the option and are weighing up between going straight into employment versus taking a year off, then I encourage you to explore how a gap in your CV can actually be beneficial. It may also be something you decide after a few years of work experience also.
Does anyone have any interesting thoughts about whether a gap year is indeed advantageous?
p.s. can anyone guess what country that photo was taken in?
