I found an interesting article in Time that resonated with some of my friends, so I thought I would post it here. It’s about a new trend among young adults that some call a “gap year,” a transition period between high school and college when they work, volunteer, travel, intern in their field of interest, or try other activities that might be impossible later on. One girl set up solar power in India. Another immersed herself in Spanish by spending months in Guatemala. The point is to take a break from school to try some other things, mature a bit, recharge, and become better prepared for college.

Plan the Work, Work the Plan

My path through my bachelor’s degree was pretty traditional – 12 years of public school followed immediately by four years of college, exactly like my parents and I had planned. I never even considered not going straight to college. I worked every summer after starting college, but I never took off a year or even a semester from school. After graduating, I had a few weeks off and then went to work at Southwest. My sister’s path was very similar.

I committed to Baylor as an education major, planning to be an English teacher like my beloved high school English teacher, Mrs. Picquet. However, while sitting in my first education class, something just felt wrong, as if I wasn’t supposed to be there. So I switched majors to English. The next year I switched again to professional writing, thinking I might become a technical writer. Junior year I added a computer science minor, thinking it would help me get a job as a tech writer, which it probably did. Finally, after two changes of major and one addition of minor, I graduated and went to work.

Soon I discovered that I didn’t like tech writing.

The company was great. My coworkers were great. The pay and benefits were great. But I just didn’t like the work. Fortunately, through that job I discovered what I really wanted to do, which is dispatch flights. So it all worked out, but…

Change the Plan?

What would have happened if I hadn’t gone straight from high school to college? What if I could have deferred my enrollment and scholarships and done something else like the young people in the Time article did? I actually thought about taking off the spring semester of my freshman year and interning with a Christian drama ministry in California, the one with whom I’d toured the previous summer. Unfortunately, it probably would have cost me my scholarships, so I didn’t do it. But given the option, I might have joined them during my gap year.

Or I might have written another novel or other works and tried to get them published. Or volunteered in Africa as a missionary. Or traveled extensively. Or tried for a writing internship somewhere or simply worked in a normal job, maybe even throwing bags for Southwest. Or been a ski bum at Copper Mountain. Or immersed myself in my chosen foreign language of Latin in, um, I guess the Vatican (oops). Obviously, it would have been much easier to have some income, especially if my parents weren’t supportive of my weird plan, so some of these ideas are more practical than others.

As a result of whatever I chose, I might have ended up in the same place or a much different place.

Others’ Experiences

One of my friends at Baylor spent four years in the military between high school and college. I was impressed by his maturity, focus, and work ethic, and I’m sure his military experience played a big role in developing those qualities. Now I also hear from others who went straight to college after high school but don’t feel they were ready. Taking some time off to work, volunteer, or travel would have helped them get focused and mentally prepare for college, they say.

Society expected them, at 18 years old, to know what they wanted to study and “become” AND to be willing and ready to do whatever it took to get there. However, not everyone works that way. Perhaps most people don’t work that way. How many 18-year-olds really know for sure who they are and what they want to do for the rest of their lives? Many of my friends didn’t. My wife didn’t, either. It actually took Jenny until her thirties, after she had our first child, to figure out what she really wanted to do as a career.

What do you think? Is a “gap year” a good idea or a waste of time? Do you have any experiences that shape your thinking?