Mind the gap

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When I did my gap year, in 1996, I had graduated and been working for two years. My gap year involved a combination of travelling and working in Australia and Asia. It was fun, and I met lots of friends and gained stories for life… but that’s a tale for another day.

I hadn’t given work much thought until the last few weeks of my trip, when – by chance – I met someone who worked in market research. It was the first time I had ever heard of market research and insight. Little did I know how my life was about to pan out.

At the time, back in the good old days, there was no email/mobile/FaceTime – so it really was a gap from everything for a year. I did it because I didn’t know what I wanted out of life, but I knew I really wanted an adventure, and I wanted to be as far away as possible from everything I knew. At the time, I didn’t give a second thought to my future or my CV.

It’s different now; the world is small and you, a family member or a friend on their gap year can share every moment of every day – so the distance between ‘real life’ and the ‘gap experience’ isn’t so big. No need to queue up at random post offices in strange towns in Australia in case someone may have sent you a letter.

This may be part of the reason that the gap year has changed format, and now means something different. People tell us they took one because it was good for their CV – so it now has an agenda. In some cases, it’s almost compulsory, and is funded by the Bank of Mum & Dad.

There is also a different level of consciousness when planning your gap year – put the term into a well-known search engine and you get a list of volunteering options, work opportunities, and a constant list of people selling life experiences. 

So has the gap year become a bit of a cliché, and when do you take it? After school, university, your first job, your second job? Will it now be more valuable for your CV if your ‘gap’ involves taking a year out to teach at an orphanage, volunteer on a farm, or build a school? Do these things stand out over a long holiday?

I don’t believe one thing is more valuable than another; each person has a different requirement of their gap experience and – as long as you make the most of it – your career and your life will benefit. Just make sure you do it for the right reason.

In recent times, gap years have tended to take place before university, because – once the student has incurred the debt of their higher education – they are pretty keen to get to work. 

It’s still good to see it on a CV, as it does demonstrate that the person in question has an adventurous streak and won’t always play it safe. 

However, it’s not for everyone, so don’t feel the need to follow the crowd at 18 or 22 – you may decide to take your gap year in your 30s or 40s, and it will be just as valuable an experience then.

Sinead Hasson is founder and managing director of recruitment consultancy Hasson Associates.