Filling the “Gap” in Your Resume by GYA admin Photo: Outward Bound Those students who pursue intentional gap year experiences often cite their gap time as incredibly transformative, full of skill building and personal growth. It is also a common concern that a gap year might be perceived as “time off” or a “break from productivity” that appears as a dreaded… We’re here to tell you the opposite: intentional gap years are often FULL of productivity and growth relevant to professional opportunities—it’s often a simple matter of: Thoughtful reflection Framing the experience for optimal relevance Let’s first address any readers…
Professional Development
Career Starter’s Guide to Gap Year and Experiential Education by Elizabeth Bezark This is the guide I wish I had seen on my first visit to the Gap Year Association website when I was fresh out of college with a plate that was full of passion for the field, but empty of professional experience. Experiential education can be a challenging field to break into! However, if you stick with it, you’ll make incredible connections and form enriching relationships while you build experience and land your first jobs. I developed a Career Starters Guide to Gap Year and Experiential Education, which…
Ethical Engagement with Animals on Gap Year Experiences by Nora Livingstone, Animal Experience International (AEI) If your program connects with community-based organizations that work with animals, and you want to follow best practices and avoid common pitfalls to students volunteering with animals, please read on for some valuable resources. If you’re a potential gap year student interested in volunteering with animals and interested in ethical best practices for doing so, we hope that this blog will be a useful resource for you as well. While planning to work with animals, consider their wellbeing using the following framework. There are 5…
How to Put a Gap Year on Your Resume by Megan Lee Your backpack is officially empty and your socks no longer smell like the plague. You’re settling into life back home and are eagerly looking to the next steps in life. OR – you’re at the stage of life where you peek into your Gap Year memory box only when you’re feeling particularly nostalgic. Whether you completed your trip yesterday, yesteryear, or yester-decade, here’s the advice you need to add some pop to that black and white list of credentials. General Gap Year Resume Tips: No matter if you’re…
Conferences for Gap Year Students to Attend by Sophia De Bruin When I was seventeen, on the cusp of adulthood, I boarded a flight to Germany that forever changed how I view education. In the four weeks I spent in Southern Germany, I realized that education and learning has less to do with a classroom, and more to do with a mindset. In those few weeks I learnt more about the world around me than I had in an entire year of sitting in a classroom. My classroom transformed from a small room lined with desks in Canada to common…