Pros And Cons Of A Gap Year
A gap year is characterized by a pause in an academic learning session for a student- to pursue more experimental methods of staying active. Most students use this time to build the experience they have in their industry of choice. Depending upon a student’s country of residence, taking a gap year can be either the norm or highly frowned upon.
At the end of the day, what one does in their own life should not be limited by the expectations set by others. Without further ado, let us discuss the advantages and disadvantages of taking a gap year.
Advantages:
It can help reroute your mind
Often it so happens that students get embroiled in another area of study than what their heart desires. Parents might force their children to take up scientific subjects such as mathematics and chemistry because they consider their offspring smart enough to cope with it.
However, keep in mind that university-level education is much more difficult than High-School, especially when it is a particular topic of study (area of specialization or honors subjects). A gap year might help reroute your mind as to what your capacities are and help pick a subject matter depending upon your true calling. If you are still hesitant to take a gap year and would like another person’s perspective on this matter using the school learning management system which is the LMS full form, can be a convenient place to get feedback from peers and teachers.
It can help grow side hustles-
In today’s day and age, it is rare to see people with a singular source of income. Instead, it is all about optimizing your time to build multiple sources of income and combat a slowly declining economy.
Taking a gap year might be the last option you have before having to fully focus yourself on academics. Keep in mind that in this transition period no school management software will help you keep a track of what is going on and hence it can become quite difficult to manage both aspects of your life. So, whether it is cooking, working as a producer’s apprentice, or indulging in drop shipping- taking a gap year can come in hand.
It can help build experience-
Last but not least, one of the most important reasons that students give for taking a gap year is to build experience in their line of future work. Many employers ask for experience in the related field as a requirement even for an entry-level position. Taking a gap year means you have many more options to show on your resume, especially if you search for places that offer jobs to freshers. It can also help you get acquainted with the job market and form an understanding of the industry standards that you should expect.
Challenges:
It can create excess competition.
Every year with the outgoing batch comes an inflow of students who are separated into those who want to avail of further education and those who want to pursue a paying job. Yet even for the first option, the end goal is often the same as the second category. By taking a gap year you might be losing out on the opportunities presented during that academic year.
Instead, you might face greater competition in the following year as the number of seats stays limited but you have to apply with students from a different batch.
It can result in lost motivation
A gap year is only successful if you make it out to be one. However, without tools such as the school management software or the learning management system which is the LMS full form, it is easy to fall behind and grow lazy. The situation is not made less challenging by the rapidly digitalized world we live in where most transactions have the option of taking place online. A gap year can also be looked up to as unnecessary by recruiters if you have no extracurricular activities to show for it. Finances should also be considered while taking a gap year as not having enough money to sustain your expectations during a gap year can make you lose motivation halfway.