a break or change from a normal routine (Merriam-Webster, n.d.)
Whew, you’ve been in school since your earliest memories. 16 years is a long time, you learn a lot, and develop a lot, and now you need a break. Maybe you want to go home after work without homework, read a book you enjoy, or travel the world. Whatever you’re reasoning I 8/10 recommend a gap year, I’ll explain my -2 points later in this post.
I often reference my gap year as an accidental gap year, I was denied from the graduate school I wanted to attend, I couldn’t afford the school I was admitted to and was unsure of what I would do. Let me say it was so needed.
Freedom
There is something so nice about being able to make the choice of what you do with your time. Our school schedules can be packed with homework, extracurriculars, exercise, and all the other tasks we assign ourselves.
Things I encourage and wish I had done more of
Read
Read, read, read. I know that in college and all throughout school, we are assigned books and articles that we are not interested in but not only does reading stimulate our brain but there’s so much to learn. 1 book I personally recommend is Bamboozled by Jesus written by Yvonne Orji. I’ve sent this book to every black woman I know because this was the book that gave me a wake-up call to trust God in my season of ‘IDK what is going on.’
Traveling
Traveling can be financially difficult but take this time to visit friends, family, and new places. Explore new forms of travel like trains and road trips. I did a small amount of traveling during this time because of expenses but it really gave me a new perspective on the world and the opportunities we have available to us.
Move
This one isn’t for everyone but if you can live somewhere new, do it. During my gap year, I spent so much time learning about myself and I feel part of that can be credited to moving states with my best friend. We took a leap of faith with not much of a plan and a single job offer and moved to Atlanta. In no way was it easy but the lessons I learned about myself, and the experiences were invaluable.
There are so many ways to enjoy your gap year. In addition to the fun recommendations, I’d encourage you to consider setting goals and a timeline for yourself. I was detailed in how I didn’t my gap year because I knew I wanted to get my master’s.
Have Fun
Along with my deadlines for accomplishments, it can be fun and helpful to have exciting goals like learning a new language or taking a new fitness class. Explore the new areas of adulthood.
Give Yourself Grace
It can be difficult to leave the scheduled nature of school because in the real world, there are no semesters, and there’s no sequence like school when you pass one year you enter the next. This can be overwhelming so allow yourself a smooth transition.
Enjoy it while it’s there! Live in every moment, the postgrad blues will come and go but remember you’re exactly where you need to be.
If you could give advice to your younger self, what would it be? Comment down below!
I would say to young Joba, shoo I’m still saying this to myself now lol
“ not everyone has to like you. you don’t have to do what everyone else is doing.”
“ stay true to yourself, you will forge your own path.”
At the same time, “ don’t limit yourself on friendships, you can learn from some people. as long as they’re striving to see you succeed in every way”