Gap Year: The Growing Appeal of Not Going Right to College | Hacker News Reader

Gap Year: The Growing Appeal of Not Going Right to College

moneyland.time.com

47 pointstokenadult44 comments

Stuff White People Like

#120 Taking a Year Off

When someone goes through a stressful experience they usually require some time off to clear their head, regain focus, and recover from the pain and suffering. Of course, in white culture these experiences are most often defined as finishing high school, making it through three years of college, or working for eleven months straight with only two weeks vacation and every statutory holiday (“they don’t count because I had to spend them with family.”)

Though you might consider finishing school or having a good job to be “accomplishments” many white people view them as burdens. As such, they can only handle them for so long before they start talking about their need to “take a year off” to travel, volunteer, or work abroad.

http://stuffwhitepeoplelike.com/2009/01/11/120-taking-a-year...

It's not necessarily a year off, but a year outside of the direct path from secondary to tertiary study. For Australians, working while traveling for a year in Europe is quite normal.

Over the course of my life I've met more Australians doing the "Travel the world for a year" thing than any other nationality. By far.

From here it almost seems like a cultural institution, but of course I'm not meeting the people who don't do it.

Yes, middle class white people from affluent western societies like to do certain things that other people don't.

Why is the internet behaving like this is some new fact we were not previously aware of?

I think it has more to do with the fact that affluent people from other countries don't do the gap year thing and this is why it's seen as a 'white phenomenon'.

I'm brown (from India) and have been traveling full time for the past 1 year with my girlfriend (who is white, from Portugal) and we've rarely met any non-white travelers even though there are plenty that can afford to.

I think it's just cultural. White people have stronger wanderlust.

(Back home everyone thinks I'm crazy :P)

Ah, yes. People raised in non-white cultures, after they end up in a place with relative status and luxury, never take a year off. After all, they're all diligent workers who have no need for such bourgeois goods as self discovery and me time.

As a non-white person, this is unfortunately rather accurate.

As a non-white person that grew up rather poor, and know a lot of other similar people, I don't find this accurate at all.

Unlike the rest of the Internet, where a joke suffices just fine, generally HN requires that you have a point. So - what is yours? Obviously a "gap year" is something that not everyone can afford to do. The same could be said of college. That fact alone doesn't speak to the merit of the idea.

I do have a point, but I think you'll be more inclined to consider it if you first make a guess yourself. So, what might my point be? Hint: Read some more of the entries at http://stuffwhitepeoplelike.com/full-list-of-stuff-white-peo... and ask the question, "In what way might these posts be more than just jokes?"

I think gap years are an excellent idea. If you can afford to travel for part of it, do so.

I feel that I've grown the most as a person from all of the travel I've done. Your perspective changes when you see how other people live and that the world is a big and different place outside of your neighborhood and the latest US-centric cable media coverage.

If you go backpacking you'll find that it's extremely common for European/Australian/Kiwi people to do gap years, it's only unheard of in the states.

I'm now 3-months in to my own gap year and I'm loving it. I'm working in the bay area, not teaching in an impoverished country, but it's been a huge kick-in-the-ass to grow up. Dealing with rent, eating healthily, managing money — it's been both more difficult and more interesting than I expected. I've gained a lot of respect for my parents with regards to simply keeping a family going. Not to mention the incredible things I'm learning from working and socializing with people much older than me. If anyone else out there is considering a gap year I say: go for it.

"I've gained a lot of respect for my parents with regards to simply keeping a family going"

Adding a child (or multiple children) to the mix gives "keeping a family going" a whole new meaning. :)

With over 20 years of experience researching gap years, Bull has seen students work everywhere from outdoor-education centers to Scottish castles to elephant sanctuaries.

Let's be honest about what types of job opportunities there are for an 18-year-old with just a high school diploma, especially in this economy. Working with elephants in a Scottish castle sounds great, but I think the odds are a lot higher that you'll be cleaning the bathrooms at IHOP.

To be clear, it's not just the lack of education that's an issue, it's the lack of experience doing anything. 18-year-olds are a freaking liability to work with a lot of the time. They're often have unreliable schedules, unreliable transportation, and with no real work references, it's hard to know anything about their work ethic. Add on top of that that with these gap year kids, you know they're only going to be working for you for a year, so it's hard to justify investing too much in them.

This. The kids mentioned in the article are all doing something with their gap year, and that's all well and good, but far too many of the kids I went to high school with just got part time jobs at Mickey D's and grumbled about how much they wanted to move out of their parents' houses, without doing anything toward that end.

I took a gap year in 1986, as did many of my friends at school. This might be a new thing in the US, but it's fairly common in the UK, and has been for decades.

Very common in Europe, yeah. I could even dare to say that it's mandatory for young men here in Switzerland, since it's impossible for conscripts to go straight from highschool to college.

Avoid a huge debt burden for the sake of prestige and college can be four gap years. Do crazy things for course credit. Take professors in all sorts of your interests out to lunch and ask them questions. Experiment. Mess up. Go around the world in the summer, a semester, or for a year and have it sanctioned. Whatever. All of it can inform your technical or practical pursuits and in some cases change your path. College is Disneyland for hackers and entrepreneurs. If you arrive at this view of it early, there's no reason to delay it.

Gap years are awesome - especially if you travel.

As a parent, I hope to instill the following to my two daughters:

Take a gap year or two (at most) Do not get married earlier than 25 Do not have kids earlier than 30

You really really need to enjoy a gap year and enjoy your 20s, but do so in a way that sets you up to be comfortable and happy for the rest of your life.

So there's no need for a woman to have children at all, but saying "do not have kids earlier than 30 isn't great advice. There's a measured correlation between maternal age and the incidence of Down's Syndrome and other trisomies - the longer a woman waits to have children, the higher the odds there will be a problem. Which is not to say that all women should have children as young as possible - it's just that there's no one blanket piece of advice that's universally good.

>There's a measured correlation between maternal age and the incidence of Down's Syndrome and other trisomies - the longer a woman waits to have children, the higher the odds there will be a problem.

The odds of which are still insignificant.

1/50 at age 43 is insignificant?

http://www.pregnancy-info.net/chromosomal_downsyndrome.html

(however, it's a gradual thing and not much different at 32 versus 28, for example)

>1/50 at age 43 is insignificant?

43 is quite far from 30.

>however, it's a gradual thing and not much different at 32 versus 28, for example

Exactly.

You'd be surprised at how fast the 40's sneak up on you.

What if your kids don't want to live your adventure dreams for you?

I don't think you guys have much reading comprehension: "Hope to instill" does not equal "Behavioral edict"

These are the things, I as a parent, of MY children HOPE to instill in them,

I am not trying to force them in any direction - but I'll be damned sure to have more than a hands-off approach.

Too many kids have horrible lack of parenting.

As someone currently on an extended trip (1-2 years total, been travelling for 4+ months thus far) I'm not sure I'd actively encourage my kids to do this before college. My wife and I left our corporate jobs after saving for 3 years and paying off school loans.

We're able to spend a bit more and travel to more places as a result of having "real" jobs before our departure. This also gave us a taste of our day to day with our chosen professions and an excellent chance to make changes (based on real experience) if desired.

That said, I'd certainly recommend it for just about anyone who is interested. We've learned (basic) Spanish, tons of geography, and about the diversity of cultures in South America. We've also seen many amazing sites. I really wish this was more common for Americans.

Are you going to have a gap in your resume or are you working remotely? When you take a gap year before, during, or even right after College, it's not a big deal at all. Take a gap year after you start your career and you might have to start explaining it to future employers.

This is extremely common in Europe and the UK. It's definitely related to if you afford it. My friends that went to private Schools are mostly taking gap years and most of my friends that went to state schools are going to University or going to work, etc. Interestingly those that went through the state sector tend to know where they want to be going more, I don't want to play to stereotypes but this could be because their were fewer constraints put on them in terms of possible job paths.

It's most likely because in the UK we don't have high school, once you're 16 you finish school and can go to Sixth Form College where you choose 4 subjects to focus on, none are compulsory and get deeper knowledge in what you're interested in. Many people feel that after going through School and Sixth Form they want to take some time to explore before University.

I've personally not gone to University this year and am working on a startup, I can't call it a gap year as although I have traveled a fair amount to speak at conferences, etc I'm still spending all of my time building a company. I definitely believe whatever path people choose, it should be one that has a rationale behind it over following the crowd or what they were taught to believe. Although my Sixth Form did push the idea of University on students my teachers personally agreed with my decision based on everything I'd been doing over the last few years.

I've gone seven years now without college, and I've found that my previously brazen attitude about not needing college has been tempered with a deeper understanding about what college will be able to give me, should I ever attend. Of course, the needs might well be met by the oncoming wave of MOOCs, but the idea that knowing what one wants out of something (in this case, college) before executing on it is a force multiplier to its effectiveness applies to a great many other things. Why not here?

This article makes me incredibly angry, and I think I've figured out why. This sort of thing masquerades as a transgressive act, but it serves to reinforce the notion that the lives of working adults are drudgery, and that, every so often, we need a break from it all. People who can afford this sort of thing are already in the highest caste in the US. And don't tell me that those programs that provide stipends aren't seriously competitive - I'm willing to bet the majority of those admitted don't need the money.

Here's a great example of such a program: Where There Be Dragons[1]. The very name is racist and archaically antipodean. I'm sure it's a great honor to be a Dragon, and the name really pops on that college application!

This is not an indictment of cultural exchange, but of hedonism and signalling pretending to be any type of worthwhile exchange. I'm sure that some people do meaningful work and somehow find themselves by switching tasks or locales. But I'm willing to bet that more than a few are disingenuous, and this article actively encourages that sort of behavior.

[1] http://www.wheretherebedragons.com

Playing devil's advocate for a minute here...

Does it really matter why they do it? Almost any teen would have an element of hedonism in their choice to take a gap year. In fact, I'd hope that was the case!

But does that matter? It still gets them out of their bubble. Sure, sure, they'll be in a different bubble with the Dragons stuff, but a lot of people need that safety net. But they're still out of whatever their environment was and they see a different one. It's hard for me to see that as a bad thing.

I think a gap year, even if you don't travel is a good idea. I'd just started freelancing in my final year of high school so I deferred a place at university to see what I could make of freelancing. After the year I decided university wasn't for me (something I'd thought for years but as it was the natural path people take I was going to do it anyway) and that I would be better continuing freelancing and building a business. Three years on and it's been one of the best decisions of my life.

Taking a year out gives you a good opportunity to evaluate the pros/cons of further education. The last year or two of high school are spent being told how important further education is, taking exams, and applying to universities. Evaluating what would happen if you did something else never really enters the thought process for most people. A gap year gives you time to consider your options.

I'm a Swiss male. Since we all have to do 240 days military days minimum (soldier grade, sometimes they force people to do more, 21 weeks is mandatory as military academy, the rest can be split up), most of the men here take one year off anyways. Plus we start school at 7, so most men begin university at 20. It's pretty late but I have to say that I think the additional level of experience helped me tremendously to make the right choices later on. Plus I met my wife in my year 'off'.

So yeah, IMO noone should give shit to those guys choosing to take that year off. University education is the final stage before modern adulthood and it's important to do the right choices - after primary and mid school where everyone has been spoon fed it's really no surprise people need to take a bit of time to know what they want and who they want to be.

I find the (almost) complete lack of gap years in the US really weird, and really unfortunate. I feel like people going on gap years is beneficial even to those people who don't go on them - it adds a different (and on the whole beneficial) dimension to first year student life.

My guess is that the gap year concept is actually unusual in most of the world. As far as I know it's very uncommon in Asia, where the closest thing is studying abroad for a year.

I took a gap year and joined the Americorps NCCC. I spent the year volunteering all across the Southern states and served with people ages 18-24 from across the country on construction and education projects. It was a great way to expand my limited understanding of the world and gain confidence. Had I gone straight to college I would have missed out on a lot of learning. I think gap years are a great idea but recommend doing something interesting, productive or useful for yourself or others.

I did something similar. Though for me it was after college and before starting on a career. Spent a year in Syria(I'm Lebanese) doing youth-work, teaching, etc... It was definitely an extremely beneficial year for me. I would recommend it for anyone as long as they can afford putting off making a living for a year(while this may be a foregone conclusion in the west, many people here have to start making money ASAP to support their parents, not the other way around)

College? or Travel?

Do both! Study Abroad!

So the idea is that college is too expensive so the government will help you pay for college by letting you work for them for a year? Government solutions to government created problems. Hooray.

>Government solutions to government created problems.

And the college being expensive is a "government created problem" because?

Because government (a) tells everyone that they need college, (b) works to make sure that huge floods of loan money are available.

How does the government tell everyone that they need college? I'm curious. Because last time I checked, there was only one group of people who tell others that college is required, and that group was People With College Degrees.

A common argument is that easy access to guaranteed, government-backed student loans is responsible for rising tuition costs. In other words, a persons ability to attend college is no longer directly linked to their financial ability to pay for it (up front), so why wouldn't the schools just keep raising tuition? The only stopgap in this situation is how deep a debt hole the borrow is willing to dig, and we've seen again and again that without some sort of push back, lots of people are perfectly willing to keep digging.

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