
Contributor: Dr Kingsley Sage
Dr Kingsley Sage is a Lecturer in Computer Studies at Sussex University, Brighton and Hove College. He is currently on his own career break taking part in the Mongol Rally
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Of course, the answer to when you should take a gap year is incredibly personal and the real question should be, "when is the best time for me to take a gap year?" Everyone is different, so you need to dig deep into what you know about yourself and think about how taking a gap year and backpacking might affect you and your future.
To help weigh up the options of whether to take a gap year before university, during your studies or after graduation, we sought advice from Dr Kingsley Sage of Sussex University for a Tutor's perspective of how gap years can affect students.
"A year out before university helps to mature students and give them more experience of something other than school"
Taking a gap year before Higher Education seems to be encouraged by many institutions who believe that a year out in the world before university helps to mature students and give them a little more experience of something other than school before they go back to studying. But it's not for everyone.
Dr Kingsley Sage, however, suggests that this is in the fact the best time to take a gap year: "At 18 you may have something you've been burning to do, some passion you want to nurture, and your gap year will be more about you and what you want. Once you start university, there will be a lot of peer influence about the cool things to do, such as a certain place to travel, and you may find yourself led astray from what you really want to do."
"Taking a gap year in your middle years of studying can be quiet damaging but a mini gap year during the long summer holidays is a good alternative"
Dr Sage has strong views on this: "Taking a gap year in your middle years can be quite damaging, actually. For a start it can destroy your perception of university study, and how you feel about it. I believe if you do something you should do it wholeheartedly and a gap year can be incredibly distracting - you'll be thinking and planning for it beforehand, and possibly find it difficult to get back into the routine of study afterwards, or just lose your enthusiasm for it. There are many stories about people getting depressed after a gap year, or just coming back to reality with a crash, and if you are just starting university or looking for a job, you at least have something exciting to be thinking about, a new challenge. Whereas, if you are just coming back to something you know already, you might very well find it hard."
But, if you are considering taking some time out of your degree:
After three or four years of studying, taking time out may sound the most obvious thing to do, and you have the world to chose from! You canteach English in Japan, volunteer to help a village in Africa, or make your way to Nepal without flying, or any one of thousands of other choices before settling down.
"Timing your gap year is a very personal decision, but it's not your only chance to go, nor do you have to limit yourself to only one gap year"
Dr Sage suggests that a gap year at this time is a must if you haven't yet done it and know that it's something you want to do: "You certainly need to get it out of your system before you settle down to a job if you know it's something you really want to do. One thing I would bear in mind, though, is that you may miss the graduate recruitment fairs, which for many are the best ways to get a job after graduation, and if you have to wait a whole year for it to come around again, that can be a long time."
At the end of the day, timing of your gap year is a very personal decision. It is also worth remembering, however, that this isn't your only chance. Many older people take career breaks and go travelling, volunteering or work abroad for a while, so if your gut instinct is to study and get yourself a head start in your career, there's no reason to think that the experience is now closed to you, or, indeed, that you have to limit yourself to only one gap year.
Dr Kingsley Sage is a Lecturer in Computer Studies at Sussex University, Brighton and Hove College. He is currently on his own career break taking part in the Mongol Rally
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