12 Gap Year Ideas for Students Rethinking the Fall Semester 🍁
by Becky Pincince
If you’re graduating from high school this year, chances are the pandemic has impacted your college plans, or at least made you rethink them. A poll showed 35% of students were planning for a gap year instead of school, and another 35% were only going to enroll part-time.
Gap years likely bring to mind hopping a plane to volunteer abroad or go on backpacking trips, but there are lots of options that don’t require a passport, and some have argued that this is a great time to change what we see as a gap year. There are lots of options here in the U.S. that could make your time “off” a meaningful experience. Here are 12 ways to take a gap year without a passport, and make sure to use the databases in the bonus section to find even more opportunities!
1. Get Outside 🏞️
21st Century Conservation Service Corps has programs of various lengths across the nation and lets you get hands-on experience preserving public lands. The US Forest Service’s Resource Assistants Program offers a stipend and lets you explore Forest Service careers. USDA Pathways offers an internship program with paid work experience.
2. Volunteer 🤗
DoSomething is a youth-centered online platform that lets you participate in various campaigns, with the chance to get scholarships while you’re at it — win-win! Get involved politically by checking out Election 2020 Gap Year. Join the SKYWARN program to help report severe weather to the National Weather Service — they have a free online training. If you’d like to see more volunteering ideas, check out our previous article on serving your community during the pandemic.
3. Join a Job Placement Program 💼
Generation USA offers free online programs that help you become certified for entry-level jobs, but some programs require you to live in certain major cities. Codeup’s campuses in San Antonio and Dallas offer 6-month programs in full stack web development and data science. Lambda School has an income share agreement that allows you to take their online program without paying anything upfront, then make monthly income-based payments to cover tuition. SVAcademy prepares you for a sales development representative job with a 4-week online program, then places you in a job in San Francisco or New York — all without you paying any tuition.
4. Join the Fight for Racial Justice ✊🏿
Learn more about Black Lives Matter and support the official organizers here. This Youth Activist Toolkit provides the basics of organizing and taking action. The Equal Justice Initiative offers advice for getting involved in criminal justice reform and racial justice. Learn more about anti-racism, check out this lesson plan for becoming an active ally, and look at these 75 things white people can do to support racial justice. Use Idealist, VolunteerMatch, and Chegg Internships to find volunteer positions and internships at nonprofits working for racial justice.
5. Connect with Other Language Learners 🤳🏾
You can get the benefits of language learning and cultural exchange with technology. Speaky is a free language exchange app that lets you connect with people from over 180 countries. Tandem, a similar platform, has a free and pro version in addition to tutors you can hire. Interpals and Global Penfriends are both good options for finding international penpals — both for snail mail and online!
6. Join the Fight Against the Pandemic 📱
Contact tracing has emerged as an important role as the country moves to reopen, and many people have already signed up for the job, which can be done from home. Contrace Public Health Corps can help you find full-time opportunities, and John Hopkins University set up a free class through Coursera that is a good start if you’re interested.
7. See What Colleges Are Offering 🏫
The University of Pennsylvania has gap year certificates, and they are also offering a free online course on resilience skills. Stanford has free online classes on a range of topics. This list of free online courses from Ivy League schools is also a great resource. MIT has numerous free classes online that you can explore. American University has shifted their gap program online for the fall.
8. Take Online Classes 💻
Open P-TECH is free and allows you to study a variety of technical skills for digital badges that you can add to your resume. Cognitive Class is also free and in addition to technology learning paths offers a virtual lab where you can practice the skills you’ve learned. Omprakash is offering a free open-access platform where you can examine the pandemic through an intersectional lens and engage with other participants. HubSpot Academy offers free online courses in marketing and sales. The free courses on Alison and Sophia offer cover a variety of topics and fields. Codecademy has a selection of free classes that prepare you for the tech industry.
9. Prep for Your Career 👩🏽💻
First off, knowing how to type properly will come in useful almost anywhere. If you’d like to be an artist, photographer, architect, baker, or anything that can be displayed well visually, consider starting an Instagram account to showcase your work. Doing freelance work can help you earn some money and build a portfolio. Ask professionals questions about their industry on CareerVillage. Becoming G Suite certified or doing Microsoft 365 trainings to show employers your technical skills.
10. Do a Service Year ❤️
Americorps encompasses several programs that are still conducting their critical work around the country, and they offer living stipends and the chance to help others. For example, City Year members normally serve directly in schools, but have shifted online in the wake of school closures. You can also explore Volunteers in Service to America (VISTA), which fights poverty, and National Civilian Community Corps (NCCC), where you can work on hands-on projects across the country. Service Year offers 10–12 month placements and living stipends dealing with issues such as education, health, and public safety.
11. Check Out Gap Year Agencies 🧭
Some agencies have adapted to the pandemic, but keep in mind that they charge tuition — however, many also offer financial aid or sliding scales. Global Citizen year recently launched its Global Citizen Academy. Amigos is offering part-time virtual leadership learning opportunities, and Boost has an online career planning program. Year On is planning a 15-week virtual gap experience with volunteering and externships. ARCC, High Mountain Institute, and Gap At Glen Brook all offer domestic travel programs.
12. Start a Business 📝
Startup School has a free 8-week online course about how to start a startup, along with a collection of videos on the topic. This book tells you the basics of starting a business. If you enjoy DIY or crafts, Etsy is a great place to sell your finished pieces — check out these steps for opening a shop. For the artists out there, posting on places like Instagram, TikTok, and Amino Apps is a great way to get your work noticed and connect with your audience and other creators. If you grow your following enough, this can open the door for doing commissions or earning some money through Patreon, Tapas, or DeviantArt.
BONUS: Search Databases 🔍
GoAbroad and GoOverseas both have a section of online-only experiences and let you search by location — there are lots of great opportunities right here in the U.S. TeenLife lets you find gap year programs, community service opportunities, and more. CoolWorks lists seasonal work opportunities across the country, but you do need to make sure to check with the individual companies. Gap Year Association is a useful resource not just for finding opportunities, but as an overall gap year resource. Gapyearly was started by two students to share gap year stories and advice — they also have a page for domestic gap year options. The last two organizations collaborated on a gap year planning guide has a lot of good information and advice, but keep current travel restrictions in mind!
