As we close on this crazy year of pandemic life, it’s a breath of fresh air thinking about life after Covid-19, and it may stir some thoughts about plans after high school. As the world slowly opens back up, the option of a gap year becomes more prevalent than ever. While most high school students took a gap year this past year solely because of the pandemic forcing college classes to be taught online, taking a gap year between high school and college can actually be extremely beneficial whether it be traveling, working, or simply living to find passion in life.

The most known and obvious pro for a gap year is traveling. Taking a year to travel the world is not only educational in general, it allows people to interact with cultures that they may have only read about or may have never heard of before. It allows people to live and understand the cultures of the world, which is something that simply cannot be taught in a classroom. Traveling during a gap year would also make up for the year of quarantining and isolation we had to endure. On the other hand, the major downside of taking time off of school to travel is the cost, so it may be more difficult for some to actually travel if they are not able to pay the expenses. On the bright side, there are some websites and organizations that can help make traveling cheap and more accessible.

If traveling isn’t your thing, most people take gap years simply to work and save money. Many families across the nation were hit extremely hard, financially, due to COVID-19 and the economic depression that came along with it. As a result, some people might not be financially stable enough to pay for college at this time.  An amazing option, especially if college, trade school, or cosmetology school are in the near f Therefore, taking a gap year is an amazing option for those that want to co would allow people to save up enough for the future. Working for a gap year not only allows people to save money, but also gives them the freedom to see what interests them, and what they might want to pursue as a career. This also allows recent grads a chance to gain experience in the workforce, which could be beneficial down the line with a future employer. 

Ultimately, though, a gap year leaves students having to push plans for education, which could also create anxiety of being “behind” their peers. It could also set future plans back a year, whether that would be higher education, employment, or completing a certificate. A year is also a long time, and leaving a full year of nothing beneficial could be detrimental to the overall quality of life.

A gap year is only beneficial however the person makes it to be. Kyndal Prahl (12) believes that “Considering the year we’ve had, taking a gap year would be beneficial to ensure that students don’t get burnt out.” A gap year could mean the realization of passion (which most people realize much later in life), a chance to enter the workforce, to travel the world, but it is left up to the individual. A gap year means taking a year with the intention of continuing onto what would soon become a career, whether that’d be going to college, a trade school, an apprenticeship. It’s also meant as a point in life to find purpose in life, and life is so much enjoyable when there’s a purpose and a drive.