Gap years: Getting to know yourself

​So, it’s getting to the time of year where everyone’s asking the same, awful question: what are you going to do with your life?
 
Yuck. What a quick way to ruin the annual family barbecue.
 
If you’re panicking about the answer, or really just don’t know what you want, you’re not alone. Just remember that it’s your life, and your choices, so be certain that whatever you decide comes from a well-researched place. This is not the time to make a last minute panic decision, or just go along with whatever everyone else is doing or telling you to do. 

No one should be expecting you to finish school or college knowing exactly what you want from the next fifty years of your life. If uni isn’t immediately calling out to you, and you’re not sure on an apprenticeship or any particular industry you want to work in, a gap year might be just what you need. What better way to know what you want next than to take a year out and really get to know yourself? Develop interests, skills and passions that you never would have ever dreamed about trying.
 
There are loads of options for a gap year. There’s the stereotypical year of backpacking Asia and soul-searching within touching distance of an elephant colony, but that’s not all a gap year can offer you. If you’d like to travel but you’re strapped for cash, why not work for half the year and travel for the rest? That way you’ve really earned your experiences, and you’ll have gained loads of useful skills from your time in a job, too. Two birds, one stone.
 
Maybe travelling’s not for you – no problem. A gap year can be a great time to volunteer or work, and gain experience that employers and admissions tutors will be dying to hear about. You might even be able to build up some decent savings, which will help you out immensely in your first year of financial freedom at uni.
 
Whatever you do, don’t think of a gap as a year to waste, because it’s what you make of it. Think of it as a chance to get to know yourself, your interests and your strengths. A chance to build skills that will set you apart from everyone else. A chance to make memories that will last you a lifetime.
 
Interested in gap years? Head over here to read all about them