Should my teen take a gap year? What are the benefits of a gap year after high school?

After high school, many students join university immediately. Experts advise that taking time before joining college can help give teenagers better direction when choosing a major. Taking a gap year is the new trend many American teenagers are taking after high school.

Experts in the education sector have been keen on this trend and are studying it to see the benefits a gap year offers students in terms of live success, further studies, and careers. Many of those that have taken a gap year say it improved their lives and had better success. 

What students do in their gap year

 In their gap year, teenagers do not sit in the house for an entire year. They engage in various activities, some of which give them an income. Some choose to travel abroad or to another state. As they travel, they gain benefits like mingling with another culture. They get a different life experience in a foreign land. Others volunteer for a good cause and serve the community for free. It gives them a realization of how important society is. Some join the workforce and work as interns or part-time workers to earn wages.  

Another big chunk develops their skills by taking short courses such as hair styling, design, music, or acrobatics. These activities during the gap year could act as turning points for students’ choice of courses.  

The gap year is an important time that gives you the chance to take a better direction of what you need. You take time to decide on the major you want and the career that you are passionate about. Some teenagers have changed their minds on the courses or career paths they want to take during the gap year. Some have become stylists, others designers, and still others artists. If you still decide to join university, you will still be successful. You are only required to study harder and when you are writing papers, use Fixgerald to create plagiarism-free papers. Creating original papers is the first big step towards success in education.  

Benefits of a gap year to teenagers

They get more insights into their major

 When teenagers take a gap year, they engage in various activities that change their mindset. Those that take volunteer work to develop in themselves a community mindset. They might take a major in community development, psychology, sociology, etc. 

 Those who travel abroad alone develop a sense of confidence for surviving in unfamiliar environments. By observation, most teenagers who take a gap year change the courses they had previously determined to take. Their experience enriches them with different ideas and endeavors. 

Get extra skills

 The gap year is also a time to develop important life skills. Those that get employed understand money doesn’t come by just asking for it but by earning it. Due to this, they develop a mindset for saving money and not spending everything. They develop a sense of being responsible, having self-control, and having time management skills.

 Those that work as volunteers understand the importance of giving. They understand why it is important to care for others and the environment. After they join college, they will have skills that the other students lack, which helps them succeed better in college.  

They get an extra course

Students with a second course have better chances for their careers than those with a degree only. They can get hired fast or use their training to start a business. During a gap year, some teenagers take short courses as hairstylists, designers, musicians, or instrumentalists. 

 After they join college, they can use their training to earn an income. The designers might start working on designs, the musicians will compose songs, and the hairstylists can provide their services to students at a fee. 

 They improve themselves

 Self-improvements can be done in various ways. It can be done through the development of personal skills or through earning an income. Students require money for personal use in college. Their parents might not be able to provide all the money they need. If they are earning money themselves, they can use it to improve themselves. The skills earned during the gap year help them improve their personalities.  

Conclusion 

In the past, it was not common for teenagers to take a gap year like it is today. Those that have taken a gap year tell how the year was important to them and how it affected their decisions for education and career. There are many activities you can involve yourself with during your gap year like volunteering, traveling or employment. It gives you benefits such as self-confidence, making better choices for majors, and training on an extra course. 

 Author’s Bio  Joshua Robinson works for an online agency that provides virtual training in the field of career and education. He is a content developer, and his audience is mostly school and college students. Other than his work, he likes scuba diving, digital painting and learning crypto trading.

Read: Helping My Teen Failing to Thrive.

###

Contact us if you have exhausted your local resources of your troubled teen or young adult. We help you make smart decisions for teen help programs, therapeutic boarding schools and other options for struggling teens.