Anyone take a year off?

[behind_these_eyes]

I've been thinking about taking a year off - a lot. I'm really confused right now and I don't want to jump into something like college if I'm not 100% for it. I figure I can work a little and get some money to pay for it - the financial situation right now at my house is not good at all.

 

Today I really decided that I want to take the time off, and told my parents. They immediately began complaining about how my health insurance will be 300 bucks a month if I'm not a full time student...anyone else think the 28,000 dollars for a year of college would be a bit more? I want to travel, I want to work more, I want to figure everything out.

 

As of right now, they're not talking to me. They didn't go to college and they think that I'm gonna end up never going back. The thing is, I love learning. I know I'll miss it - I just hate school. I need to be away from it to actually want to go.

 

I guess what I want to know is - Did anyone else take a year off? Did it work out? Did you go back to school or continue working? Do you think it's wise? I'm just so confused right now. Thanks in advance if anyone responds to this.

[Spirits Away]

I'm also gonna take a year off. But instead of working, i'm going on a holiday to Japan & learn the language there.

$28000 a year?? in what currency??

 

I'm much different from you in terms of financial situation so i guess we cannot see the situation in the same way

 

My only rule is that if the workplace can give you a lot of experience and are not just some monotonous job, then go for it.

 

Besides, much of my friends in Post Secondary is lagging at least a year anyways however smart they are.

[aireyc]

Psh, yeah I'm not in college but I can still offer up some stuff from experience regarding friends and relatives.

 

Personally, I know what I want to do with my life, but if I was unsure I would take a year off. As long as you show interest in school and want to learn, you can go back. The main thing to keep you going is to have a goal to reach. Unless you come up with some great idea that gets you a lot of money, you're going to have to go to school and work for it. Taking time off may help you understand the need for an education, all while you get a break and can sort things out. I know people who dove right into things and it was pretty tough, and they wished they would have taken a break. Some others did take several years off and did some minor work. They went back to school and are now very successful. As long as you have that desire to return, I would just chill for a bit. Also, I wouldn't let health insurance stop you from planning your future. Be depressed with insurance or relax, take a break, work in a year, and have a great life.

 

Note though that I would only suggest someone do that if they were uncertain about their career/future.

 

Chris

[Prezkot]

OK, this is my experience after taking a year off:

 

I could of got a sweet scholarship somewhere if I had continued to use my "gifted knowledge" through High School. Unfortunately, like many "great minds" (damn gifted-learning teachers ), the other mental aspects of my mind got in the way, and I got all depressed and anti-social. My grades slipped, and I barely got out of High School alive.

 

I took a year off to get my mind straight. Let me tell you, it was the most maddeningly boring time of my life. I basically lost all my friends, I couldn't really get a job, and basically had $30/week spending money (minus gas = very little). I was essentially a slacker loser without even being stoned/drunk/white trash.

 

I'm in community college now, and while I pretty much have the hang of it, I'm using this semester as a "get back into the habit" thing. I still tend to do my homework at the last minute and stay up late for no good reasons, but I also know I don't want to fail again.

 

So, if you got other life stuff to do and are sure you can support yourself, then go ahead and take the year off. Otherwise, it might spell trouble and could hamper you longer than that 1 year.

[PAdreamer]

I took a year off. More than a year, actually. I worked a little here and there, but mostly I stayed home, being bored, trying to figure out WHAT to do with my life. I felt a bit forced to go to college this past spring, so I half-heartedly took some classes at the community college. But it wasn't what I needed. I finally resolved myself to do what I knew was right for me, and I figured out a lot of stuff about myself. Now I AM ready for college, and I have a ton of goals that I am ready to achieve! I agree that if you are not ready to go to college and you know it, then you shouldn't do it. It's a waste of your time and money if you're not going to put your whole self into it.

 

Your parents will stay mad for a while. But this is your life that we're talking about here. You have every right to decide what is or is not right for you right now. Stand your ground. Live YOUR life! Good luck!

[fantasia2004]

I know a program called "Semester by Sea" that allows students like yourself to travel all over the world while learning your subjects. But you can also travel abroad if you like by yourself because you wanted to take a break from school correct? Travel with friends or in a group and see where your mind takes you. Anything is possible.Good luck

[behind_these_eyes]

Hey everyone, thanks a TON for the replies. I do realize that it may be boring, but maybe that's what I need. When too much is going on I just tend to go with the flow and look up at the last second to see something HUGE that needs a lot of attention and energy. I'm exhausted from it.

 

I already have a pretty good job, it's not in any way what I want to do, but it is stable I think. I don't do any drugs or drink anymore, and I think I'll be fine without resorting to those types of things once my friends are all away.

 

I guess I just want to avoid any big decisions until I feel like myself again. I can't believe I have to deal with all of this. 5 years ago I was riding my bike and eating fruit roll ups..

 

Again, thanks for the replies everyone.

[jessijess]

I took a year off from college. Only problem is that it was 5 years ago. The more of a "break" you take from going to college, the harder it is to go back. Believe me, I know. I took a year off basically because my life was getting too busy & stressful. I was working full time & then I took a part-time job at my friends restaurant to help them out too. my parents funds were running low too so I decided to take a year off & to get a job in a day care center to see if I really wanted to be a teacher.

Well..... the good thing is that I decided not to be a teacher so I didn't waste my money on something I'm not going to use. Bad news is that without a degree, I wasn;t making much money & thereforeeee couldn't afford to go back to college.

Have you thought about going to school at a community college? They;re alot cheaper than universites & you could jsut take all your basic classes (gen eds) that will transfer pretty much anywhere (math, social studies, english, psych, ect...) another good thing about community college is that you can take different courses to try out things you might want to try without spending too much money.

another option could be an online college.

Well, if you want to talk more, feel free to PM me

[lostNheartbroken]

I too have taken a year off...it'll end next monday when I close on my 3rd home and move to give a jump start to things.

 

Last summer I came here to the beach to vacation for 2 weeks, that was last May and I'm still here. Before that I'd just graduated with an associates in IT, finished my real estate licensing/classes, bought 2 houses and rehabbed and rented them out, and just come out of a 3 year relationship...things were changing all at once and I finally just came here, bought a boat, bought a car, and haven't gone back to school or got a serious job yet. I've travelled around and met people, taken a road trip for a month and 16,000 miles with an illegal russian girl, gone to every major city you can think of, driven for a month through mexico, guatamala, belize, honduras, nicaragua, el salvador, and costa rica, and wondered in my mind if it's worth it, asking myself if I'm being productive.

 

It's better to finish all the things you've started before taking a year off. Education should be one of the more important things as much as it doesn't seem like it, think of what degree you want and just do it, otherwise your situation in life will change and it will be 10 times harder. College does more than just give you knowledge, it gives you confidence, it challenges you and builds up characteristics that will help you through life.

[Spirits Away]

I think this topic has progressed into an interesting discussion. I've never really considered the fact that it can be "bad" to take a year off. There are many things that i haven't thought about which can go wrong (ie. changed financially). I think this is how i would make the decision. At times my friends would get insecure of the fact that they're lagging behind everyone else in education. They may be still on their 1st year when they're suppose to be in their 4th. IF the fact that you're lagging behind for a year will bother you when you go back to school, then don't take a break. Because i often see people get really distress about it. But if it's your decision and you don't find anything wrong with lagging a year or two, then there is no reason (assuming you're financially stable) why you shouldn't take that break.

[idontgetit]

people in the uk do it all the time. there it's called a "gap year" i'm sure they have programs and ideas of things to do during that year. might be fun to work your way around the world. stop off in a few different places, get a job in a bar or hotel and work your way around. seasonal places do that regularly. ski and beach resorts are notorious for it...especially if you can teach a sport.

[AlleyCat]

My situation is a little different, but I thought I would share it anyway....

 

I planned to begin law school directly after college. I had always been a good student, so I never even seriously considered the fact that I wouldn't be accepted to my school of choice. But I didn't get in (and I didn't get into my "back up" school either... I didn't plan enough to have a "back up back up school" . Rather than submit a last minute application to a school I didn't really want to go to, I chose to wait.

 

I told myself I would work for a year and then try again. Well, that was two years ago. Now that I've been working at my current job for 2 years, it's hard to fathom attending school full time and not having a job. Plus I am thinking about all of the things I planned to do before I hit 30 (get married, have kids, establish career), and it makes me even more hesitant to take 3 years off to attend law school (assuming I could get in). I consider myself to be extremely motivated - I "knew" I would not be out of school for more than 2 years. Now it will be at least 3 before I go back.

 

If you decide to take a year off, make sure it's what you really want to do. Don't allow yourself to become settled in a career, and I definitely agree with the other posters who suggested taking some classes at a community college or online, or in some other format. It'll help keep learning a part of your life, and should make it easier when you do go back.

[Cadence308]

Everyone posted some great suggestions. I agree that you need to figure out what it is you want to study and if you are uncertain what to study and want to attend college, begin taking your general classes that everyone has to have. If you don't even want to do that, take time off, and it's okay, esp. since you sound so certain that you will be able to go back to school.

 

I didn't take a year off before attending college. I graduated from high school 1 semester early and had planned to attend college, but backed out at the last second because I felt like I needed a break and a change of pace. I moved to a new city and worked for several months. I was 17 yrs old and realized how difficult it was to find a good job to make ends meet. And how difficult it can be to make new friends! After 3 months of a break I was ready to go to school, so I moved back home and started attending a community college. I studied hard and felt ready to go back. Different people need different breaks and for different reasons. I already knew what I wanted to study.

 

Then I finished my BS degree, did a post-grad, then a master's degree without any break since that one from after high school. Now I'm taking another break until I feel ready to go back to school and do a Ph.D. Everyone is telling me not to take a break and how I'm going to regret it and that I'm not going to go back. I KNOW ME and I obviously like learning since I was able to do almost 8 years of college, straight, without any breaks, not counting summers.

 

The most important thing is for you to decide when you are ready, what you want to study (goals), how you plan to pay for it (sounds like parents), and then where you want to study. The nice thing about community colleges are that they are a lot cheaper, smaller class sizes, more personal instructors who have time for students because they are not busy doing research in their laboratories, more personal students since classes are smaller, and the whole environment of community colleges are that they are less daunting. I would strongly recommend to anyone to complete a 2 yr at a community college and then to transfer to a 4 yr. I think it just makes the transition to a 4 yr much less daunting.

 

Good luck with everything. If you want to chat more PM me.

[cantgetoverit]

I took ten years off. In that time I travelled the world and did sh#t jobs, anmd at the age of 33 I had no work skills. I went back to school this year and started over. I used to be a horrible student and hated school , but know I am an A+ student. It takes time to realise the value of education. I think afterc taking time off you will probally become a better student if you return, because you will know what you want tyo do wityh your life.

[MetalJoe]

people in the uk do it all the time. there it's called a "gap year" i'm sure they have programs and ideas of things to do during that year.

 

Yup, a lot of us Brits do it - either between school and university, or in the year after graduating uni.

 

I didn't take up the chance back then because it didn't seem like the right time and I wasn't sure what I wanted to do. I finally got around to doing it this year, a mere 7 years after graduating. I quit my software development job back in April and headed over to Australia, where I spent a few weeks as a snowboard instructor (yeah, you read that correctly) and then a snow bum for a couple more months before trekking around the outback. I had a great time and don't regret doing it at all, even though I'm back in the UK now with no job or money ;-)

 

If you're going to take a year out - plan it! Don't take it to chance because it's very easy to spend the year doing nothing productive - I know friends who did just that. Use the time to travel, try new things, learn more about the world and other cultures. If you're into snowboarding or skiing, head off to a mountain on the other side of the world for a season - if you've never tried it before, now's the chance!

 

Put the year to good use, because you're young and you probably don't have any real commitments right now - you might not get the chance in the future.

[CarterJonas]

I had thought about taking a year off between school and university but decided to get it over with! I can honestly say it was a very happy time of my life. My concern was that if I took a year out I wasn't sure how motivated I would be to go back.

 

On the other hand a lot of people do it and go back after a year or so. Remember that you also have the option of taking a year out after uni.

 

Do you have a careers adviser at where you are so you can discuss your options with them?

 

goodluck