Having a Gap year while you are young is one of the best steps you can take for your life. Not only will it change your perspective about all things in life, but it will also all give purpose and sense of belonging to the world. First of all, it is important to establish what you want to accomplish with your Gap year.
What kind of purpose you are searching for: personal development, career-oriented, fully adventure or finding something perhaps you still don’t know what is it. Maybe all of these! Maybe you aren’t sure yet, and you just want to it.
All these reasons matter and are valid. The important is the will to do it. According to your own personal goals, there are several different projects you can apply for. Either volunteering or working abroad, for example.
In Finland, for example, there are several projects related to the Solidarity Corps, previously called European Voluntary Service. This country has the advantage of being one of the calmest places on Earth and full of nature life. If these are some of the things you cherish the most, consider going to the North of Europe to get to know more about it.
Although each Gap year is different, they all share some common advantages. The benefits are remarkable either you will work with elephants, children or live in a van.
Flexibility. By their own nature, Gap years are flexible. If you are tired of following the ‘normal path’ of life: studying, studying, working, working a bit more and getting married, break out the mold now. You decide what ‘normal’ is for you. Get out of the rigid system of society and follow your heart to explore what you love the most.
One of the biggest advantages of the Gap year is that you may decide your schedule according to your own goals and interests. Organizations that will help you go abroad usually have the concern in establishing a schedule you like, concerning to your purposes. If you decide to pack all in your backpack and just go on an adventure, you can obviously decide for yourself what and when to do something.
Control and organization. You control your decisions and organize them. Do you want to work? Find a program that allows you to. Do you want to give more of your humanity? Find a volunteering project. You can also find a studying project if that is your plan. None of the previous are your goals? Just go for what you wish and control your stay(s) abroad.
Reflection. Every Gap year is perfect for reflection. About your path, your goals, what you want to do in your present and future, what you want to conquer while you are living. If you are young and all you have ever done was studying and pleasing others, it is time for you to stop and care for yourself.
School can be fast-paced and highly competitive, not allowing you the time to think. Gap years give you mental space to decide your way and focus your energy on what matters the most from now on.
Independence and sense of purpose. A Gap year is a perfect chance to be you on your own and reach independence. You will also grow your sense of purpose and belonging, as you will discover how the world is so different and the same, at the exact same time.
You will understand how life works, outside of the school settings, as you get to know more about yourself as an independent being. No parents or family around to protect you bring a whole new bunch of responsibilities and discoveries. A Gap year allows you to grow as an individual and a human being.
Career-building. No matter what you decide to do with your Gap year. It will always contribute to your resume. Nowadays, companies and recruiters’ value different experiences outside the school-based programs.
If you love animals and you are working in a shelter or if you care about education and you are teaching children, its sure values your resume skills. If it is your wish, you can also have a more career-oriented Gap year. Find a program that matches your studies and career purposes and develop a new perspective about what your break year will be about.
My personal experience
When I decided to do a Gap year I was consumed by society. By this I mean I couldn’t handle anymore what we are expected and supposed to do by ‘the rules of society’. I was working in my field while writing my master thesis, and I hated all these experiences, even though I nowadays recognize how adversity made me grow and made me stronger. I decided I wanted to quit my job, after finishing my master’s degree, and go abroad.
Embracing my field while being abroad wasn’t a priority but it happened. I found an amazing project I identified myself to and I decided to follow it. The project happened in Finland, and as I am passionate about nature, there is nothing else that makes me feel more in peace. Without any doubts, I jumped to this new adventure and it was the best experience of my life, so far.
I reached all my goals; I traveled the world and found the purpose I was in need to find. I had a lot of time to reflect on life, to understand who I was and to open doors in my mind that were rusty and in need to be open. All the previously described advantages happened in a bigger way than the one that is described.
Talking about this experience is something else than living it. Every human being should, in my perspective, embrace a Gap year as part of the process in life. At the same time, school and education are important, having a Gap year is equally as important as going to school. Do not let the opportunity get away and throw yourself into this big adventure while you are young, wild and free.
A girl and a backpack 