Things to do on a Gap Year after University
It’s the application season! Masters? Panic masters? Graduate scheme? Normal job? All these options on top of your current university deadlines and trying to make the most out of your final year can be overwhelming. Another great option is a gap year. As someone currently on a ‘gap year’, deciding to ‘take a year out’ is also overwhelming and can be daunting. There’s a lot of pressure to ‘make the most’ out of a year out. This blog aims to give you some ideas for a potential gap year for all kinds of budgets and interests.
Enjoy quality time with family:
After spending the majority of the past 3 or 4 years at university, spending some quality time with family for a bit is very nice. It might be the last time you’re able to spend so much time with them. Enjoy the perks of seeing your family. Cook with them, play board games, and go on walks, just appreciate the little things which you may miss a few years down the line once you’re likely to be out on your own.
Get a non-graduate job:
This is a great thing to do if you’re unsure what industry you’d like to go into. You could try retail, hospitality, nightlife, or an office job for a bit. Firstly, you can save some money to spend later in the year (more on this later). Secondly, you can experience some different industries which will help give you a sense of what you’d like to go into when (/if) you decide to go for a conventional graduate job down the line. No experience is bad experience! Thirdly, it can buy you some time to plan what you’d like to do with your year and the rest of your life. Finally, you can meet new local people and build social networks in your local area.
Classic travelling
Obviously, a bit of a cliché, but travelling is a classic gap year activity for a reason. This can come in so many forms and can fit any budget. Travelling is brilliant if you want to see the world, experience new cultures, see some sun, meet new people, and be busy every day. Travelling requires a lot of proactivity, planning, organisation, resilience, and you’ll be taken outside of your comfort zone every day which is incredibly empowering. You can do some classic backpacking around Europe (get an interrail pass), Australia, Southeast Asia, or even Central America which is a popular backpacker destination now. You can literally go wherever your heart desires. I would completely recommend going solo if you can’t find a travel buddy, you’ll learn much more about yourself.
Cheaper travelling options:
Volunteering abroad can give you the opportunity to LIVE abroad for longer periods of time at a lower cost. Often volunteer programmes will pay for your accommodation and food in exchange for some work. These can include Workaways, au pairing or volunteering in a hostel. Opportunities like this are available basically everywhere so you go wherever you want to. There are also lots of volunteering programmes working with vulnerable communities all over the world which can also be a great option. If you plan on volunteering with vulnerable communities, ensure you’re researching the volunteering you’re planning on doing properly and make sure the work you’ll be doing will genuinely benefit the community. Lots of ‘voluntourism’ programmes focus on short term solutions and don’t tackle the real issues the communities face. They may also disrupt the local economies and take a large cut of your money for their personal profit. This is something you need to be aware of.
Work abroad (or at home):
You can also work abroad! This is a great way to see the world at hopefully a net-zero cost. There are tons of cool opportunities to earn a bit of money whilst travelling. One that springs to mind is the Australian Working Holiday Visa which allows you to work out in Australia in loads of industries such as farm work and hospitality, whilst experiencing their wonderful culture. Something which I’m personally interested in is Camp America or Camp Canada which involves working with children at the summer camps across the pond, with the opportunity to use the money you’ve earned to explore the country afterwards.
Hiking:
Maybe the great outdoors is for you! There are tons of hiking trails all over the UK (and the world) which you may never have the time to experience whilst working. Hiking from Land’s End to John O’Groats is an iconic one, but there are many other smaller routes which would be equally bracing. Being totally free out in the wilderness would be incredibly empowering. Once you’ve bought your hiking kit, this is a relatively low-cost option.
Learn a new skill:
You’ve got so much time to use to learn a new skill or rediscover an old hobby, as we all said we would in lockdown, remember? But if there is something you’re keen to learn, now is your time. You could do anything from learning to sail, surf, video edit, knit, cook, or even take an online course, many of which are free. These could make you more employable and even help you discover your passions. Lots of job interviews might ask you about skills/passions you’ve developed outside of university or work so this would be a wonderful thing to mention.
Visit your friends:
Take advantage of your friends who have moved out and got their own places! Not only is it wonderful to catch up with them, but it can give you an incredibly useful insight into what working graduate life is like. Ask them what their jobs are like, how they got them, see where they’re living. This is a great way to see where you could be in a couple of years’ time. It will give you a realistic sense of what sort of employment might suit you and where you could see yourself living.
Make yourself more employable:
Work on your CV, do courses, be active on LinkedIn, apply for jobs to experience the application processes, apply for some graduate schemes, and practise the psychometric tests.
Despite the vast opportunities which may be available to you on a year out. If you simply just need to recharge after university, that’s also okay! We all have different needs and interests, and no two gap years will be the same. There is no competition about ‘who does the most’ in their gap year. It’s YOUR gap year, and you need to make it suit your needs first and foremost. Hopefully this blog has given you some inspiration to have a wonderful year out!
