Taking time out from education is a great way of getting a taste of the real world. Employers look favourably on gap years as a sign of independent thinking, self-motivation and are good subjects to bring up in interviews as a source of proven experience.
If you didn’t take a gap year before university, then you may have heard many interesting stories from your fellow students about what they got up to on theirs and want to take one yourself. If you did, then you will know how valuable they can be and may be thinking of taking another. Here we offer some advice on how to make the most of a gap year, depending on when you take it: you might have you own ideas too, though!
During your course
Taking 12 months off from your course is not common, but that does not mean it cannot be done. Although it can be a requirement for some subjects, such as engineering or modern languages, it can be a personal decision as well. Do not feel you have to plough your way through your course before taking steps outside of education, a gap year can be self-motivated to expand, enhance or escape studying/Perhaps you want to have time to take stock of what you have learnt so far so you are especially clued up for the crucial last phase.
One method is to go on a work placement or series of placements that relate to your course and put skills to the test. This can be an ideal way to test drive jobs for when you finish, making contacts along the way. Alternatively, you could opt for charity or voluntary work which will be excellent for your CV and give you the chance to work with a wide range of people.
A gap year could also be a time to earn much needed cash, putting theory into practice or doing something you will never return to when you graduate. With top-up fees and rising living costs, there are even more reasons why students need to fit work into their hectic schedules, but a gap year working can be a great way to replenish low financial funds.
Travelling is another option – remember that when you start work you will only get four to five weeks holiday so if you have a burning passion to see the world, or at least a small part of it, now may be the time to act! Working abroad is the way to go if you might be able to afford a temporary life of leisure.
After your course
If you intend on getting a job after finishing your degree, then a gap year is normally used to do something radically different. This might be a year of travelling, or working in a stop-gap job before going travelling to save up some money first. Both are good ways of making the most of the freedom you are given at the end of your degree. Sometimes graduate recruitment schemes can look daunting when you are still studying, or you may miss their deadlines first time round, so you could always use a year out to apply for them while working elsewhere – perhaps at a charity or on voluntary work if not paid employment.
A lot of people enjoy their time in a university town or city so much that they decide to stay there with their friends for a year or more before moving off in different directions. This can be an excellent way of gaining independence surrounded by familiar faces rather than move to elsewhere for a job in a place where you do not know anyone. Who knows, you might find that you never leave!Lining up a postgraduate course after your undergraduate degree? Then it may be a wise move to not to launch yourself straight into it following initial graduation.
You could use your new qualification to get a job that will assist with your further studies, or simply to save up some money to pay for another foray into university life; or, again, it may be time to do that travelling you have been putting off for so long!