Exploring Different Careers by Grace

Exploring Different Careers by Grace - August 2019 Scholarship Essay

Many people would say that a gap year is pointless and is just a waste of time. However, I think that a gap year is a great idea! Young students today, including myself, do not know exactly what career path they want to pursue. A gap year is a perfect opportunity to decide if one wants to go to college and what he/she wants to major in.

In a gap year, the most important thing is to try different things! It gives a person the ability to explore his/her interests and desires, research careers, job shadow, etc.

I would encourage anyone who taking a gap year to consider what he/she enjoys doing in his/her spare time. Writing stories? Playing video games? Volunteering? Every person has different interests and goals. What one person likes may not be what another person likes. A person should take his/her hobbies and think of what careers would fit well into that hobby. If a person loves writing, perhaps he/she should consider becoming an author. If one loves playing video games, maybe he/she should be a video game designer. Or maybe if someone loves volunteering, he/she could look into a human services career.

The next thing I would do is to research careers. Even though money, time, etc. are not everything in life, they are factors. One should research careers, including what kinds of degrees would be needed to work, the ability to find a job, salaries, and time that needed to be committed to a specific job. These are important factors, especially if one is considering and mapping out his/her future plans and goals.

Another good idea during a gap year is to job shadow. Many times college students will realize that their pursued career path was not what they thought it was going to be and choose to pick an alternate route. During a gap year, one can be certain that he/she enjoys a career by job shadowing. Rather than waiting until college and then deciding a certain major is not right for someone, that person can be sure what his/her major will be if he/she can job shadow. Even a simple phone call or email to a company can give a person the opportunity that would be extremely beneficial and rewarding.

There are plenty of other options and things to do during a gap year, but exploring interests, researching careers, and job shadowing are just a few important ways to help one decide his/her major and help lead and guide him/her to the best future plans.