Among some countries around the world, high school graduates and teenagers are often appreciated to skip a year before admitting into tertiary education for the purpose of tourism, employment or part time employment. Though, taking a year gap for travelling or working can provide various experiences, it can also cause distraction leading toward academic downfall.
There are numerous benefits of taking a gap year after completing high school and before getting engaged into university education. Firstly, by working or travelling for a year students can gain invaluable experiences in their life. They will have a lot of opportunities to meet people with different personalities and face new difficulties which will develop their social and problem solving skills. Secondly, by working full time or part time, students can earn money which they can later utilize for their educational funding. Thirdly, travelling helps a learner to know more about the world and provides refreshment to their minds. Researchers say, gapping a year between 2nd and 3rd level education is good for some individuals for a better start of higher education.
On the other hand, skipping a year between secondary and tertiary education can cause significant disadvantages too. Students might find it difficult to concentrate into their studies after 12 months of distance from education. It becomes extremely difficult for one to maintain his academic momentum. Working for a year encourages students to focus more on finance than education, and travelling often cause monetary crisis. Thus it creates difficulties for a teenager to give full attention to studies or to go further ahead. For instance, 70% of Bangladeshi students who take a gap year, become unable to move forward with their education for these problems.
In conclusion, investing one year after high school graduation for travelling or working may be profitable in some cases. But I think that, it hampers the flow of studies and may cause various critical situations for a student.