/ 26 May 2017

Taking a gap year

A gap year provides you with a taste of the real world and may give you some direction about what you wish to pursue as a career
A gap year provides you with a taste of the real world and may give you some direction about what you wish to pursue as a career

If you are unclear about what you want to do when you finish high school, taking a gap year is one of the options to consider. A gap year is when you take some time off — typically a year — to explore the world, get a temporary job so you can save up some money and get some work experience, or do more research on the career you want to follow, perhaps by enrolling into a learnership.

Jemma Chait, a software developer with a small company in Johannesburg, took a gap year after she matriculated from high school. She then went on to study towards a bachelor of engineering (BEng) in electrical engineering at the University of the Witwatersrand. She tells us a bit about her journey.

1. Why did you decide to embark on a gap year?

I wasn’t really sure what I wanted to do, but it was encouraged in my family, so I didn’t really question that I would take a gap year.

2. What did you spend your time doing during your gap year?

I volunteered at an orphanage in Cape Town for a month and then came back up to Joburg for the rest of the year. While here, I waitressed and saved up money to go to Vietnam at the end of the year.

3. What are some of the lessons or skills you would say you learned during your gap year?

I discovered a lot about independence. Earning your own money has an almost addictive feeling to it when you’ve been so reliant on others for so long. I grew in my own self-confidence, as I was able to tackle and handle new and unexpected situations. It helped me to understand a little bit more about what I really wanted to do with my life. I’d always known I wanted to help others, but the freedom of the gap year enabled me to think about exactly how I would accomplish that.

4. What would you say to someone considering taking a gap year?

Take it. Without a doubt. But make something of it, don’t sit at home for 12 months. Work in a shitty job, grow a pair, make hard decisions, earn your own money and figure your life out as at least a little bit of an adult.

5. What do you think is the value of a gap year?

It gives you a very quick dip into the real world before you start making decisions and carving out the rest of your life. It helped me figure out my path and gave me the breathing room to grow up a bit.

6. What are the disadvantages of taking a gap year?

I felt for some time that I’d “lost” a year, as I was a year older than all of my university peers and struggled to connect with them in a meaningful way. This thinking changed when I was older and I realised the value of what I had learnt. It can be a lonely path, though.