The Unbelievable Career Advantages of Taking a Gap Year

There are plenty of reasons why you should consider taking a Gap Year. Finishing high school, and moving on to college is a pretty big step. You should take some time to mark this transition, and really internalize the importance of this moment. A Gap Year shouldn’t be just a period in which you can take some time to relax, though that’s pretty important as well. You should use this opportunity to figure out what you’re going to do further on, and prepare for your future career.

Taking a Gap Year is a smart decision, no matter what you decide to do with it. But if you’re going to take some time off, you should try to maximize the potential benefits of this period.

Gap Years Improve Your Job Prospects

Gap Years can be immensely useful for your future job prospects. There are some who consider taking Gap Years even after they’ve finished college, and are already employed. Even though they’re motivation for taking a mid-career break is somewhat different than yours, taking some time off before you’ve settled into a career might save you the time and hassle of having to do it later.

Many employers say they value work experience over education. This should not be taken as a plea in favor of abandoning college all together. Having a college degree is a given, for most candidates, so naturally employers are going to look for relevant experience, that can set them apart. Finding work during your Gap Year might seem like a difficult task, but there are ways you can maximize your chances of landing a job that can help you gain that all important work experience.

Use Your Gap Year to Experiment

Your Gap Year is the perfect time to experiment, and explore different career paths. That way, you’re going to have a head start when it comes to investing in the training for your chosen career. You can use the experience you’ve gained during this period to find a major that suits you, and perhaps even find part-time job during college, so you can continue to work on your CV while you study.

Develop New Skills

And for most jobs that require a college degree, apart from work experience, and a relevant skill set that relates directly to your field, most employers value soft skills as well. Soft skills can only be acquired through daily practice. That’s not to say you can only develop them during your Gap Year. You’re probably going to keep on learning, and practicing all throughout life. But during this time you’re going to find more diverse opportunities to put your skills to the test, in situations you might not encounter otherwise. These are immensely valuable experiences you should not dismiss. These are the kind of things that are going to make your resume stand out later on.

Gap Years are also great opportunities to learn foreign languages. In an increasingly globalized work market, knowing more than one language is going to make you an immensely valuable employee, regardless of your field. And the sooner you start learning, the easier it’s going to be. Plus, it is much more easy to learn a foreign language when you’re living within that culture, than it is to learn from books, and CDs.

Leverage Your Blog in Your Job Search

You can start documenting your Gap Year experience through a personal blog, or personal web page. This can be the basis of a future portfolio, if you’re considering starting a career as a freelancer. It’s going to help you meet, and bond with people who share passions similar to yours. The people you connect with via these experiences, either directly, or via your blog are going to form the network of people you can rely on when you start hunting for a job. Often times, knowing the right people is more valuable than anything else. Because people would rather hire someone they know, and trust, rather than a person who looks good on paper, but might not be such a great person in real life.

If you’ve already set your heart on a specific field, consider the skills you won’t be learning in college. During these months, instead of trying to learn ahead for your future courses, try learning something you might not have time to learn later. You never know when those skills might come in handy, and having a vast array of skills is going to stand out in the eyes of any employer. Plus, you might discover something you enjoy that you’ve never considered before.

There are nay-sayers who believe that Gap Years are just a waste of time. But the truth is the only time that’s really wasted is the one not spent learning something. Your Gap Year can be incredibly valuable for your future job prospects if you take full advantage of the opportunity.

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About the author: Marc Mendelman is a Junior HR consultant and a Contributing Editor at Today Assistant. He is passionate about identifying daily work hacks and creating ways of increasing personal and professional productivity. You can contact Marc at marc.mendelman@gmail.com