There a few hurdles to having someone take a Gap Year. One is the fear of doing something as daring as moving or traveling from home away from friends and family. Another is doing service for someone else for a 6-12-24 months. People also get frustrated because the process of searching, picking, applying, and getting accepted to a Gap Program can be difficult. Fear and difficulty are really two huge factors to someone not taking a Gap Year.
And these are both perceptions. It is really not all that scary to move somewhere else for a year or so and do community service. Not any less scary than moving away to go to college. The process for applying to a Gap Program is oftentimes easier than applying for college admissions or at least are comparable.
So, it’s not that scary or difficult is it?
What’s the hurdle? What is the obstacle stopping people from Gapping?
Well, I retract and say that it is fear. It’s the fear that comes from doing something “new”. College is nothing new, people have been doing that since the Middle Ages. Getting a job after school? That’s what you’re supposed to do and something that everyone does. Taking a year for self discovery? Rarely does that get plugged in our society or culture. Yet I see a growing field of 20 something career counselors. Why not take a year, do something grand and adventurous, and avoid the “quarter life crisis”?
If I were a student thinking about taking a Gap Year I would ask my parents for all the reasons they want/wanted me to go to college. Then I would see if these parental aspirations could be met by taking a Gap Year.
If I was a parent of a high school student facing $160,000 in college tuition and fees I would probably want to make sure that my kid was ready for college. I would take a look at all my dreams for my kid and see if a Gap Year could help meet those dreams.
If I was a parent of a college student I would pray the economy got better quicker, but seeing how that is a fair way off I would help my kid get some sort of job experience for their resume.
What’s scary about going to college and/or the workforce more mature and experienced? Especially if that experience helps reduce college debt and career counselor fees?
skip “think enthusiastically about everything” burns
