“Life begins at the end of your comfort zone” – Neale Donald Walsch
The step from high school to university is a crucial one that will shape the rest of your life. The change is not always easy and your first experiences at university can also be negative. By taking a break after graduating or while studying, you can find out what you really want in life.
So, what is a gap year?
A gap year doesn’t necessarily have to be a year, it’s just a specific amount of time that you take off to work, travel, volunteer, or a combination of all of the above. Try to use your time off wisely by doing things you’ve always wanted to do while learning new skills. A break gives you the chance to explore your options and find out what you really want to do in life. The advantages of a gap year are enormous, especially if you plan it correctly and gain useful knowledge in addition to lots of exciting experiences.
It’s worth taking a break
There are many reasons why it’s worth taking a break. You may need to bridge the time until you complete your studies or acquire additional knowledge that will make it easier for you to gain admission to your studies. A stay abroad can also help you to understand yourself better and thus take the right path for your studies and career. Knowing what you want to achieve in life is very important, and spending a longer period abroad gives you time to think. This way you don’t make a hasty decision that will affect the rest of your life.
Do what you love and love what you do
Do you remember what you wanted to be as a child? This has probably changed several times and maybe you’re still not entirely sure. Initial insights into the job – for example in the form of an internship – help you make a decision, because how else would you know what you really like. If you know what you want before you start studying, you save yourself unnecessary rewriting and can prepare for your future career through internships during the semester break. On average, only 30 percent of students have a job offer before graduation; with internships, this number increases to 58 percent. Do an internship in the field you want to study or test your childhood dream. Maybe you’ll find that this is your true calling!
Employers like to see stays abroad on your CV
Traveling and taking your time helps you get to know yourself and grow as a person – you not only gain self-confidence, but also become more independent. The time after high school is ideal for getting to know new countries, cultures and people. Experience abroad and a cosmopolitan attitude also make you more desirable for the job market: 91 percent of employers take stays abroad into account when deciding on a candidate and 73 percent of human resources departments see a gap year as a plus point. When you go abroad, you have to leave your comfort zone and gain a new perspective on things. In the end, you will have a better understanding of yourself and what you want.
Volunteering: Life is either an adventure or boring
If you combine your stay abroad with volunteer work, you can find out what you’re really good at, help people and gain useful knowledge. For example, if you organize a fundraising event, you will learn how to plan, calculate and implement events. If you help design a school in Tanzania, you will have the great feeling of having achieved something and taken part in something important. These experiences will stay with you for a lifetime and will forever connect you with the people in your volunteer project.
Companies also value volunteer work! A study by TimeBank, carried out by Reed Executive, showed that among the top 200 companies in the UK, 73 per cent would prefer a candidate with volunteer work on their CV over one without. 94 percent of employees who have volunteered have benefited from it – by getting their first job, increasing their salary or being promoted. So it’s also worth doing volunteer work for your career!
