Break From Your Norm

I would have just finished my first year at the University of Southern California if I had followed the path set out for me by society, but I did not.

This time last year I viewed college as a magical place where partying and learning met. I didn’t have a clue how it actually worked, and still don’t. The main difference between then and now is in my ability to climb obstacles that I may encounter. There was, and always will be, hindrances to what I want to accomplish. However, I no longer feel as daunted by them.

At a certain point you need to be confident in your life decisions, so if you are stressing out over a big decision (e.g. what to major in) then maybe some time off is worth considering. It helps to have space and time before attending college to think about such decisions.

I took a gap year

“I have yet to work with a student who has regretted taking a gap year.” — Mr. Clagett, St. Stephen’s administrator

Gap years are still not highly regarded — despite Malia Obama bringing the concept closer to mainstream a couple months ago with the announcement of her own gap year — especially among previous generations. They have never been widespread in the states (unlike in Europe), so most of the reports told are the horror stories; the gap years that went terribly wrong. These exist, but even more numerous are the gap years that went terribly right.

Use your time wisely

The truth is that you are the architect of your own life. If it fails then that is your failure, but if it succeeds then you have caused it to succeed. Your gap year follows similar rules, so what you do with it will make or break you. This may seem like a lot of pressure, but it really doesn’t have to be. Here are my steps to a productive use of a gap year:

• Learn a new skill: French, drawing, curling, whatever! Find one thing that you want to be better at, and commit yourself to it. Even if you just make one small improvement every day it can build up to a huge change over 365 days. I decided to learn programming, and took a web development bootcamp to learn the basics.
• Find a job: You are going to have a lot of free time, so you have to keep challenging yourself to keep life interesting. A job will not not only push you, but also help you make some money to finance the other aspects of your gap year (or even your college experience if you make enough). With my new coding skills I found work as a full-stack developer with Easyship, a tech startup based in Hong Kong.
• Travel somewhere: Pick a place and commit to traveling there by the end of your gap year. Exploring new cultures breaks up the monotony of your time and pushes you to expand your horizons. Plus it can be a hell of a lot of fun. I visited Kyoto, Japan and was blown away by the culture of the place, and the sake.
• Reflect on your experiences: Reflection is key to ensuring that you fully absorb everything that you’re learning. Always carry something with you that can record your experiences and reflections. I carried a small journal around with me, and eventually started this blog.

The allure of it all

I have come out of my gap year with clear eyes about college. All of my previous anxieties have been put to rest: I believe in my major, understand which classes to take, and know that I can balance a social life with my academic schedule (50+ hours per week at a startup helps with that). Best of all, Easyship and I have worked out a system where I can work remotely!

I spoke specifically about my gap year experience in this article, but believe that most of my subject matter can apply just as well to any extended amount of free time. It is no coincidence that many professionals in the workforce are advocating longer and longer breaks from work. They know that extended periods of free time are necessary to understanding oneself, and the deeper that understanding, the easier it is to make confident, informed decisions. That attitude of self-discovery is important regardless of your avenue in life, so hopefully after reading this article you are inspired to consider an extended break of your own!