Gap Year adventures

[Valentas]

Hello,

I am wondering whether anyone has taken any sort of Gap Year to broaden their horizons and experience the world. By that I mean, travel to a place you have ever wanted, worked in that job to earn money or joined that internship you thought may suit you for your future career.

I hate when my friends look at me like an idiot because I am strange - I won't join university until I find my passion. In their opinion, you have to have a degree, then search fr a job..

My approach is different. Why not to try to get a job first in science field, try to learn from pros and then decide whether you would like to work here or not. It seems to me that my friends firstly collect degree and then think what to do with it :[)

I read a book about the importance of finding a meaningful work; not a Job but work YOU see as beneficial to you as for humanity.

I have a friend in university who studies biochemistry but his dreams are quite different : he said he wants to build an elevator to cosmos, build a solar plant on the Moon and send energy via laser beams to Earth... If he did not make it, he will open brewery and make the best beer in the world with his microbiology knowledge...

Also he has given me amazing though: only go to university to learn a subject you could not learn on your own locked in your garage: engineering, medicine, biochemistry, chemistry, physics;

I think it is very useful thought. However, I still have that nagging feeling in my gut that I am not ready for university yet. Also I still have a hope to study in the USA because I have made a mistake to underrate my performance quite badly...

A friend in MIT told me that they value what a person had done which is weird and unusual activity... I can certainly say that I am weird: I enjoy beekeeping with my grandfather and already made a lot of money from this. Also I play accordion for 10 years and won 3rd place in World's Contest in Italy and 1st place duo with my brother...

The problem is: I did 6 A-levels in school: Physics, biology, chemistry, English, maths, German...

I feel exhausted...Seriously. I started to learn playing guitar, found programming to be interesting and read several books on business already...because my dream is to own my business. I have no clue what kind of business but I will certainly establish something...

Jesus, how I envy people who took 3 A-levels: CS, Maths, English and have no other way then computer science

So yeah, basically my story ends here. Could anyone write about their gap year? I certainly feel that Js think I am mad...

 

[pjoa09]

I think the Gap Year is evil.

You have to make sure you end it in 6 months or a year. Past that you are at risk for winding up with just a High School diploma because you start to realize that you can live decently without even going to college.

It's a great thing, don't get me wrong, but you really need to watch yourself. I think I made a mistake by not cutting the line early enough.

I am on a 3 year hiatus and I have just been working in my father's business and despite the fact that it isn't the best job in the world it still looks better than getting a degree that I won't use. It's just the moment you look at what is on your friends plate you start to think 'hey, that's rubbish and he's not going to use it, he's wasting his time and I am not'.

However, I might give going to college a try again for a degree in Software Engineering, Computer Engineering, or Computer Science. It's been one of those things that I can't help but dabble into quite frequently but I haven't ever been able to engage into properly.

Basically, you should go to college within a year or half year at best don't push it too far.

I will say though, I took my hiatus for a different(not so different) reason, I was not exhausted, I just couldn't see the point of a degree for someone who has had such a horrible academic record. Instead of wasting time and getting poor grades in college while blowing over $40k a year of my parent's hard earned money and winding up with no useful knowledge or skills, I thought I should really see what it's like to earn money.

 

[Beholder]

I'm currently on sort of a gap year (and a half).
I was planning on saving up for about seven or eight months then go traveling for the rest. What actually happened was that I sat around doing nothing for two months, then worked for three, quit my job and went to Europe. I've been traveling around Europe for just over a month and a half, and as I'm typing this I'm boarding a plane to the U.K., where I will be for another month before flying home.
After that the plan is to work some more then fly to south east Asia, or south America, or Africa, haven't decided yet. Anyways I've got to turn my phone off now.
Hope you have a productive gap year!

 

[Valentas]

My first destination is software firm where I will be taken as a dummy and they are going to teach me Java and Oracle databases.. Ambitious, but better than doing nothing. It is going to be a test of patience and I might finally decide that software engineering, specifically cryptography, is for me. You know - job 8-5 every day. I am now reading books on Java and playing with Eclipse to learn fundamentals as best as I can..If my internship will seem to me as pointless, in other words, I will not like the job, I am going to knock on the door of planes engineering and construction company who might let me to wander around and try out some stuff

After this, I have no idea where to turn my attention. I know for sure that I am going to get hell out of my country as soon as possible because I need to relax my head a lot...though I doubt it will be possible because I cannot stop learning something

God, how I crave to feel that power in internship, that finally I may have found my field where I could dabble into computers for the rest of my life...I have a lot of dreams and most of them are associated with technology. My original choice was biochemistry but after lab work i understood that i prefer not to pollute myself with Hg and radioactive shit My chemistry teacher suffered a lot from this in her late years and advised to stay away from chemicals no matter how much safety is provided. She suffered from retinal detachment which was caused by chemicals...lol. She advised me to become a doctor but I dropped out medical school after one week. What's the point if I am not going to work as a doctor..

I have weird dream: I want to take one friend who is crazy as I am, and backpack somewhere faaaar away on foot. I knew a couple who flew to Spain and went across it on foot. They wrote about their adventures in one forum...what they understood is how little a person needs anything...they understood the value of simple cup of hot water when they were walking through heavy rain, how simple it is to help out other person. Locals saved their asses from storms, rains, freezing cold. Their trip took 6 months...amazing. Anyone with me?

 

[pjoa09]

software firm sounds good

 

[Architect]

I kind of wished I had done one, I plowed right through from school, to more school, to grad school, to work. No breaks in the slightest. However I didn't because of concern about this ...

I think the Gap Year is evil.

You have to make sure you end it in 6 months or a year. Past that you are at risk for winding up with just a High School diploma because you start to realize that you can live decently without even going to college.

Yep

 

[Valentas]

Well, I know for sure that I will go to university unless I win a lottery and then I can go invest money and live off dividends...otherwise, I am not going to be a slacker. I believe I am already learning more than a first year in university...Two weeks in a row been reading and going to sleep at 1-2 a.m....'cause everything is interesting. I just embarked on Mathematical Thinking because I need it...first week seems like nonsense but I hope it will get better. And I have a hope that I will start my job at IT company next week...so. Firstly, I am going to work, then I am going to university because sometimes people seem like they earn that piece of paper and then starts to think what they are going to do with it...or just go to uni because media, school, parents force them to do so..I asked my classmates what would you do if you not going to university? First thing was weird look 'cause they believe I am the best student there...after that: "I don't know...probably rest a bit and then do something...".

Maybe I will regret this year, I don't know. But I know for sure that work experience will help to decide what's good for me. Also I have no intention to pursue something which does not at least resonate with me or I can tolerate very well...there was a story about banker who graduated from Oxford. He was working his ass in the office, earning loads of money but quit after some time because it was 21st century slavery...now he's composing music I don't want to end up like that.

 

[Intellect]

I think the Gap Year is evil.

You have to make sure you end it in 6 months or a year. Past that you are at risk for winding up with just a High School diploma because you start to realize that you can live decently without even going to college.

Why is this a problem? You said it yourself, college will cost you a lot of money and (in most cases) put you straight into debt.

The reality is that for someone who's a self-educator (like INTPs), most of the material that would be studied in college is available for free.

In my opinion, it's far better to travel, broaden your horizons and actually gain work experience rather than sitting around for 4+ years and driving yourself into the ground financially for a slip of paper.

 

[Valentas]

Umm...usually it's not the case. Reality is that employers require piece of paper with 'cum laude' ... though in software engineering it's not always a case.

To be honest, I won't be lazy. EDX.org offers that MIT course ( sweet ) and I am already learning Circuits and Electrical engineering But I may have to drop it because internship is more important...I wonder whether best universities in the world would consider me as a strong applicant if I have done some work in software company... That's just an amazing thought. I don't see a problem to pay 9k/year for that CS degree from Cambridge.

Oh, btw, the CS admissions criteria is sooooo dumb and paradoxal. Look up any uni's website and they will explicitly state that no prior programming knowledge is required

Try to apply to Oxbridge without having written some Android applications already or won that IT award. They require only Maths and more science subjects. But reality is...you are given programming problem during the interview and you don't need programming experience.. hehe

And this quote : "[FONT=Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif]“Drop out of school before your mind rots from exposure to our mediocre educational system. Forget about the Senior Prom and go to the library and educate yourself if you’ve got any guts.” ~ Frank Zappa"[/FONT]

 

[pjoa09]

Why is this a problem? You said it yourself, college will cost you a lot of money and (in most cases) put you straight into debt.

The reality is that for someone who's a self-educator (like INTPs), most of the material that would be studied in college is available for free.

In my opinion, it's far better to travel, broaden your horizons and actually gain work experience rather than sitting around for 4+ years and driving yourself into the ground financially for a slip of paper.

It very easily could have or may turn into a forever gap year. I have wound up doing something that I don't enjoy that much. My mind tends to wander away from the task at hand and it's not that suited to my attitude.

Work can turn you into a mindless workaholic if you don't settle down and spend sometime using your own intuitions on what you really wanted to do in the first place. That's what college is for, I think? Fuck. Still wandering. Hell... free time is just good stuff that looses it's purity.

This is a bit biased as I can only think of CS/CE/SE as a degree major. Some free time, discipline, guidance, and opportunities to set you bouncing between software companies or even creating your own is quite nice and becoming an expert requires good practice for 10+ years. By then you'd be a valuable employee who is willing to take on the risk of being an entrepreneur with not much thought.

 

[Intellect]

It very easily could have or may turn into a forever gap year. I have wound up doing something that I don't enjoy that much. My mind tends to wander away from the task at hand and it's not that suited to my attitude.

Yes. But this is a general caveat, not one that is specific to the college/gap year issue.

Work can turn you into a mindless workaholic if you don't settle down and spend sometime using your own intuitions on what you really wanted to do in the first place. That's what college is for, I think? Fuck. Still wandering. Hell... free time is just good stuff that looses it's purity.

I don't quite understand what you're saying here... Any problems you have in the real world don't disappear in college.

The key is awareness. If you're aware of your situation and what kind of problems it presents, then you can make changes accordingly. If you're a workaholic, for example, maybe you need to look at your job/lifestyle and understand why you are that way.

While college provides time to experiment with various careers and helps you slowly lay the groundwork for a future career path, I think the same can be done through internships, employment, and networking.

Now, all that said, some people need the support that college offers (or the degree in some cases -- law, medecine, etc.). For those without structure, focus or drive in their lives, college is probably a perfect environment for them.

All I'm saying is that the knowledge/experience that college offers will never compare to its real world equivalent. There is nothing that college offers (aside from the degree) that can't be found in the real world.

 

[Valentas]

Don't worry, I started my MIT application today I may be mad but I have 1% possibility to get in. Oh yeah SAT, just ordered a 2k pages book for maths

 

[pjoa09]

Yes. But this is a general caveat, not one that is specific to the college/gap year issue.

Fair enough, if it were some niche degree I'd say live with a High School diploma, get a job like mine and plough through the library and feed that hunger. Just my attitude.

I don't quite understand what you're saying here... Any problems you have in the real world don't disappear in college.

The key is awareness. If you're aware of your situation and what kind of problems it presents, then you can make changes accordingly. If you're a workaholic, for example, maybe you need to look at your job/lifestyle and understand why you are that way.

While college provides time to experiment with various careers and helps you slowly lay the groundwork for a future career path, I think the same can be done through internships, employment, and networking.

Now, all that said, some people need the support that college offers (or the degree in some cases -- law, medecine, etc.). For those without structure, focus or drive in their lives, college is probably a perfect environment for them.

All I'm saying is that the knowledge/experience that college offers will never compare to its real world equivalent. There is nothing that college offers (aside from the degree) that can't be found in the real world.

That free time problem might be a little relieved for 4 years. I was always envious of my friends' breaks. I am not a workaholic, but it's very easy to see that coming as there is a lot of work. There's never enough done, often they are repetitive tasks and social conventions.

I think college is great for engineering, law, finance, or medicine. Not so great for the unfocused. I could imagine how many electives the unfocused one would take. I was unfocused and that is why I opted for the 'gap year'.

All I am saying is that 4 years of studying a field, being able to experiment on the side, using the degree to fill in some basic corporate requirements, and not being stuck in a job is quite enviable. Such an option may turn into an impossibility if you have been working in a company for 22 years and find yourself 40 years old.

Now if you are just going to go to college go to some classes that won't help you down the road, you are best dropping out, IMO.

 

[skip]

We don't have a gap year but when I decided to change majors in undergrad I went to live and work in Ireland, as a break from school.

 

[Valentas]

Wow, I recommend a course "Mathematical Thinking" on coursera.org;

The course has some taste of "why I am learning this?" but on the lecture 2, that becomes fun and makes individual think outside the box Nothing like at school.

 

[Absurdity]

I'm on a gap semester right now. Too much school can seriously put you in a bubble. Go out and see the world.