Graduating high school is a major achievement that deserves to be celebrated and enjoyed. From the time you started going to school as a child till now you have been working towards becoming a high school graduate. And now comes the big decision – what to do next? Many students choose the traditional route of attending a four-year university, others go to community or junior college, and others attend trade schools. But you can also choose to take a gap year. Here are three benefits of taking a gap year before college and what you can gain from this route.
Explore Your Interests
The first benefit of taking a gap year before college is that it gives you more time to explore your interests before college. When you attend college, you have to select a major which will be the focus of your studies and determine what types of jobs you will be qualified for in the future. This major decision can be overwhelming for high schoolers who feel that they don’t know what they want to do yet. To avoid changing majors later resulting in later graduation dates, Teen Life suggests taking a gap year can help you discover what it is that you want to study.
Save Up Money
Another great benefit of taking a gap year before college is the opportunity to save some more money. College is expensive, and the costs only keep rising year after year. By taking a gap year and working, you can save up some money to make the financial burden of attending college less of a burden. Saving during a gap year can also set you up for long term financial success. According to Power Finance Texas, an emergency fund should be worth six months of your expenses. If you can save about six months’ worth of funds during your gap year, you will be in a great position.
Gain Life Experience
The final benefit of taking a gap year before college is the opportunity to gain life experiences. If you take advantage of your gap year as an opportunity to learn more about yourself and interests, give back to your community through volunteering, and traveling, you can become a more well-rounded individual that is ready for the intellectual rigors and global perspective of college education.
There are many options for what to do after high school. You should seriously consider a gap year before college to expand your horizons. If these three benefits of a gap year sound cool to you, you should do more research to see if a gap year is right for you.
College not for you? Check out what you can do instead!