In some countries young people are encouraged to work or travel for a year between finishing high school and starting university studies. Discuss the advantages and disadvantages for young people who decide to do this.

In some countries, it is customary to take a gap year after graduating from high school to work or travel to visit faraway places. This is intended to open insights and add to the experience for individuals who do it.

The disadvantage for those who have a gap year is that they will be one year behind their friends who immediately continue their studies at university. Life is not a competition to get ahead of each other to reach the pseudo finish line. But still, in general, the path a person takes is to complete a bachelor’s education, then work for two years, then continue his master’s and then to the doctoral level. It’s in almost everyone’s mind and falling behind your peers is not a very pleasant feeling. The next disadvantage besides the psychological loss is that when friends have obtained a salary and a permanent job position, people who did gap year will still have not finished their studies. It will be more hitting than just being late starting college.

The advantage of doing the first gap year is that one will get more insight into what they want to do. By working, for example, people will know more about the characteristics of the world of work and thus will be able to choose a major that is more suitable to their work interests. Likewise, seeing the world at large will give them an understanding of trends and opportunities that exist in the world. They will feel like global citizens and not just residents of a small country. Their way of thinking will be much more expansive and they will be able to see their position among the world’s population.

In conclusion, there are several advantages and disadvantages of doing a gap year. Simply put, the advantage is that with a gap year, people will be wiser in determining the path to choose for the future. On the other hand, the disadvantage is that people who do gap years will be a little behind compared to their friends who already have a clear plan and know clearly what they want to achieve in life.