Over the holidays people often have some time to reflect on their lives and their careers. This might be a time when you can actually stop and think about the path you’re on and determine if you should maybe consider taking a turn up ahead. Some find it very rewarding and life changing to Take a Year Off.
Now, I’m not suggesting you quit your job, quit school, sell all your belongings and move to some remote island where you live off the land with no real purpose… but I am suggesting taking on an experience of a lifetime before pursuing that MBA degree or that PhD… or that job search that doesn’t seem to make sense right now.
Taking a Year Off really means you find ways to gain experiences that you may have never had, to grow and to discover possibly your true calling. Tracie Thomas from Northwestern University Career Services offers advice on this topic on the UCS Website at http://www.northwestern.edu/careers/students/career-advice-and-counseling/taking-a-year-off.html
Along with reading Tracie’s advice and visiting some of her recommended sites I would also recommend visiting Twitter. Right before writing this blog post, I visited http://www.planetgapyear.com/ (one of the sites Tracie and UCS recommends). On the top of the page it mentioned that https://twitter.com/enroutegapyear was tweeted everyday up until Christmas (December 25th) a new example of a gap year experience. I learned of great programs like Project Abroad, City Year and a site called http://www.helpx.net/ that helps connect organic farms with people looking to volunteer.
So enjoy the holidays… and enjoy exploring all the great possibilities for Taking a Year Off!
Northwestern UCS Blog 