4 Benefits of Taking A Gap Year

Taking a year off can seem really intimidating. What should I do? Is my year going to be worth it? What if I end up wasting one year, when everyone else is in school? How do I pay for my own expenses?

These questions swarmed my mind, and they may be on your mind too. Don’t worry, you’re not alone. I’m one of the biggest worriers and someone who thinks through things a lot, sometimes to my own detriment. I listed down all the things that I have worried about before setting my mind on a gap year. 

Just like anything, I think everything is a double edged sword. With the good comes it’s losses, time spent somewhere will be taken away from elsewhere. Regardless, it is what you value most that matters. 

Here’s the main benefits that I experienced for myself. Hope this helps :)

1. Freedom To Do What You Want To Do, Not What You Need To Do
2. Space for Introspection
3. Learning Outside A System
4. What Is Life?

#1 Freedom To Do What You Want To Do, Not What You Need To Do

What do you do when you have nothing you need to do? 

Without a fixed curriculum nor teachers to hold yourself accountable to, what will you choose to do with your time? This freedom allowed me to truly question: what will I do with my time alive, if I don’t have anything I have to do?

#2 Space for Introspection

In a gap year, you may have large amounts of your time spent alone. Between jobs and internships, there will be times where you don’t have anywhere to be. This freedom can be liberating, but it also forces you to confront yourself in ways you never would have when caught up in the hustle and bustle of a system. 

This is something that I got to observe throughout my gap year. I gained deeper insights about my flaws and my strengths. My procrastination tendencies exploded - when I was stuck in decision fatigue on the next thing to do. I learned about what fuelled me, and got to observe myself in a multitude of situations/ routines/ lifestyles. 

Changing jobs and hobbies and priorities placed me in an optimal environment for introspection. 

What do I do amidst this change - how do I cope with it, how do I want to better cope with it? How am I going to pivot the next time something like that happens? Reflecting on these questions gave me insight into the next steps to take - be it in a choice of job, or an implementation of a system in my life. 

I gained insight into the bad habits I want to get rid of - and the good ones to keep. I faced personal failures - not meeting my own expectations of what I set out to do, but learning so much about forgiving myself.  I took time to really take a breather, and I got to process fears and emotions I swept under the carpet years ago.

Empty space is scary, but this space empowered me to confront the things I never dared to. 

#3 Learning Outside A System

Learning outside a system sounds scary. How do you know what’s the next course of action to take?

I thought “lifelong learning” was cliche. But in my gap year, I realised the importance of loving what you learn - without the need to get good grades and score in every test - I got to learn what I was genuinely interested in. 

I embarked on learning journeys with the piano and guitar, Spanish, dance, yoga, pilates and Python. I took Coursera courses about network theory and the moral foundations of politics. I read books that ranged from 12 Rules For Life to Zero To One.

Learning outside the education system removed much pressure I have grown accustomed to. Without this necessity to “do well”, I explored my intentions beneath wanting to understand subject matters - what is my purpose of attaining knowledge?

#4 What Is Life?

Apart from learning about myself, I caught a glimpse of the way our world works. Through working with people from all walks of life in my 7 jobs, I witnessed people who loved their jobs and those who hated it. I interviewed 77 changemakers from 24 countries, to learn more about why they do what they do. Through these stories, I felt their pain, regret, fulfilment, and more. I saw life through their lens and wondered: “30 years from now, what is the story I want to tell?” 

I don’t have answers to what life is about - but this gap year I learned the questions that I need to guide me to find my answers. 

A gap year can give you the chance to explore what is most important to you - to figure out questions that you have about life - to read up about the topics that interest you the most. To work and gain experience in diverse fields - without too much at stake, in the sense that you are not an expert, and no one expects that of you.

It is a time to make mistakes and figure out what you dislike - to use as a compass to guide you towards the life you want to create for yourself.