The gap year does not deserve its poor reputation.
As year 12 students turn their focus to receiving exam results and plans for 2023, there is one proclamation their parents would prefer not to hear.
The statement ‘I want to take a gap year’ from a young adult who had once intended to go straight from school to work or university will send a shiver down the spine of many parents.
Gap years have become synonymous with delaying the responsibilities of adulthood and are often stigmatised as being the domain of young adults who are immature, irresponsible and lack grounding.
Yet, as more and more students opt to temporarily step off the 13-year compulsory education treadmill, the gap year is starting to shake off its bad reputation.
A gap year is a break in one’s education, typically between high school and further study.
They are not the exclusive patch of those finishing their schooling. Some university graduates also choose a gap-year option prior to completing their qualification.
During a gap year, high school graduates might travel, work in a role not necessarily aligned with longer-term career aspirations or engage in community service.
There are also opportunities to take on internships, teach English overseas or take short study courses.
Increasingly, graduates view gap years as a period during which to recover from academic burnout and spend time considering what lies ahead.
While taking a year out to have a break or contemplate one’s next step does not seem too dramatic, many parents associate the words ‘gap year’ with thoughts of a young adult hoping to ‘find themselves’ or ‘live it up’.
Parents’ fear is that, in ‘finding themselves’, their adult child might decide on a wholesale abandonment of study plans or lose any focus or direction for a future career.
There is also the added financial concern that a gap year delays a young adult from receiving a proper salary while the activities pursued during a gap year do not justify the money spent or earnings foregone.
Despite the obvious parental misgivings, gap years come with a host of benefits.
They allow high school graduates to take a step back, recalibrate and thoroughly plan what they want to do next.
Gap years can increase the likelihood a young adult will find something that is the right fit for them, and it can promote positive mental health. Some gap-year takers even report higher levels of motivation to succeed academically as a result of a break from study.
On top of that, a well-planned gap year can enhance a young adult’s resume when graduates are able to attribute the development of new knowledge and skills to their break from study.
A gap year overseas, for example, might result in new cultural knowledge, a second language and excellent cross-cultural skills, while volunteer work in a not for profit might develop leadership, teamwork, fundraising and communication skills.
With some gap-year activities taking graduates out of their comfort zones, employers are increasingly viewing a gap year as a solid foundation for a successful career and a sign of an individual’s strength of character.
In short, a gap year can provide a chance to reflect and refocus at the same time as developing the independence, maturity and self-assurance necessary to successfully complete further study or excel in the workforce.
Nonetheless, gap years are not for everyone.
When a young adult knows exactly what they want to study or is clear on the career pathway they want to pursue, taking a year out can seem more like an unnecessary detour from a crystal-clear route to the future.
The best advice for parents, when confronted with a young adult who wants to take a gap year, is to work with them to plan a meaningful rather than wasteful break from study.
And when a child has not raised the idea of taking a gap year, parents might consider encouraging one, particularly if they believe a young adult stands to gain rather than lose from one.
It might end up being one of the best years of their child’s life.
• Professor Gary Martin is chief executive officer of the Australian Institute of Management WA
