Comments on: The Benefits of a Gap Year

By: JohnBoy

JohnBoy — Fri, 31 May 2013 00:35:15 +0000

I took a gap year in the middle of my sophomore year, after my grandfather (and greatest mentor) passed away. Bounced around from job to job trying to find my fit…worked at a tire shop, a horse ranch, commercial airliner painting company, automotive body shop, construction…well, a few gap years. Started volunteering at the local FD near my hometown, and found what I wanted to spend the rest of my life doing. Now I’m a full-time career firefighter with a wife and a son and always look forward to working my 24 hour shift every three days. College is great, but it isn’t for everyone. After I retire I might go back and study classical or medieval history or pursue one of my other passions.

By: Eric

Eric — Mon, 11 Feb 2013 22:56:45 +0000

I took a gap year after I graduated high school. I did briefly attend a college, but it wasn’t one that I like going to and I wanted to get some work experience. Somehow I ended up working for half of that year as a carpenter fixing colonial homes in Northeastern Massachusetts. It was a blast! I made good money, got great work experience, and got in pretty good shape with all the work I did. I also worked as a painter, waiter, junkyard laborer, and even a picker. Last fall I started classes again at a trade school, and I’ve been having a great time here too. Gap years are great way to become a more skilled person, but only if you really apply yourself.

By: edward

edward — Mon, 09 Aug 2010 18:43:22 +0000

I have just quit university and am going next fall to the UK in order to teach french. I had one more semester to do but felt like i didn’t belong anymore. I hope a gap year will help me find my way: either return to univerity learning new stuff, or do sth completly different. Good post.

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July Roundup: The Buck Stops Here Edition | Squawkfox — Tue, 18 May 2010 03:35:31 +0000

[...] The Benefits of a Gap Year | The Art of Manliness [...]

By: Jeff

Jeff — Sun, 18 Apr 2010 18:48:47 +0000

Many are over-educated; not in the sense of actually having an education, but rather having sat through many classes intended to be educational. There are too many getting sociology/psychology/philosophy/women’s studies degrees who, upon graduation, get a job they could have gotten out of High School, effectively destroying four years, increasingly five, in which they could have gained experience.

By: Lawrence

Lawrence — Wed, 10 Feb 2010 02:46:57 +0000

I’m 25, graduated, and plugging along in a pretty good job. I feel a gap year coming on.

Since the economy took a dump, very experienced people are cheap, so much so it’s has become less economical for me to advance in training. Needless to say I have been stalled. It’s all to easy to bee bop my way to work everyday, do a good job, and do the same the next day. No challenges.

Does anyone recommend any Gap Year programs involved in engineering, or any thing were you will be able to utilize and develop some technical skills?

By: Mike

Mike — Wed, 04 Nov 2009 17:29:01 +0000

I’m currently a freshman in college, and I took a gap year last year. I would encourage anyone to seriously consider taking time off. I didn’t do anything exotic during my time off, yet it was such a good experience. You can learn so much just by taking a break from the standard routine and thinking for yourself. When you’re not doing something simply because it’s the norm, you realize the significance of things to a much greater degree. Getting out of the artificial environment of traditional education will give you a lot more clarity when you think about who you are, and who you want to become. As Socrates said, “the unexamined life is not worth living”. A gap year is a great time to examine your life and form goals for the future. If you do end up taking a year off, I would encourage you to actively continue your education throughout your gap year. Also, don’t fall into the trap of complacency, continue to challenge yourself constantly. As long as your purpose in taking a gap year is not to live responsibility-free under your parents roof, I’m sure that you will find your time off to be quite the rewarding experience.

By: Debby

Debby — Sun, 27 Sep 2009 11:20:39 +0000

Nice article! I could not agree more. I am the Co Founder of http://www.xtreme-gap.com. For everyone out there looking for a gap year full of adrenaline, check out our programmes

By: Sohrab

Sohrab — Fri, 07 Aug 2009 10:54:24 +0000

i hav been planning to do a gap year for quite sometime now…!! 23, jus graduated with a cushy IT job,i rili feel the need to develop more maturity before i move for further education/job ….!! heres how i plan to spend my gap year which i is supposedly from september to july next year.

the initial 6 months :-fitness training,learning german and getting better on my drumset and travelling occasionaly within india…..oops i forgot scuba diving :)
the next 3 months:- work abroad on some internship and use that time to travel and explore
the last 1-2 months:-getting back to the education/job and preparing for that

The few concerns i face are :-
1)how to fund the gap year and travelling
2)the impact of the gap year while looking for a job on coming back

ny suggestions ??

By: Katanga

Katanga — Mon, 20 Jul 2009 15:24:32 +0000

Between High School and College, I lived at home, worked for 7 months, then took my earnings and traveled through Europe and the Middle East for five months. It was awesome, and as a result, I started college with a real sense of having accomplished something. Plus, I had much more physical confidence and a greater sense of resourcefulness, having taken care of myself, done my laundry, fed and supported myself in places where I couldn’t even speak the language. One of the best things I ever did.