The notion of taking a gap year before pursuing a bachelor’s degree is not a novel phenomenon for several young adults, but only until recently has it been discussed to a larger extent. This tendency has brought significant changes to our lives in recent years. Yet, there remains some disagreement as to whether the overall effect of this trend has been positive or negative. From my point of view, this could have both positive and negative consequences in equal measure.
On the one hand, I acknowledge that postponing university for a year offers some benefits. First of all, young people can utilize their time and energy to accumulate experience in distinct fields. For instance, they can apply for internships or start a small business, which gives them valuable insights for their future career path and some income to cover for the tuition fees. The next reason is that taking a gap year for the youths could act as a vital component in the process of self-discovery, which helps them to find out about their strengths, weaknesses, chances, and also threats before choosing their majors.
On the other hand, however, I am strongly convinced that the implications behind this phenomenon are predominantly harmful in a number of aspects. To begin with, starting the academic journey one year later would potentially lead to delayed graduation. As a result, a student can become less competitive compared to others in the job market in the future. Furthermore, empirical evidence shows that a large number of gap-year students have been working in roles offering little related-experience to their career orientation. For example, a student majoring in engineering can take a year off to work as a waiter, hence increasing his opportunity cost.
In conclusion, I am strongly convinced that despite minor drawbacks, this trend is mostly a beneficial development for a young person, since this experiment can help him clarify the vision relating his future career and be advantageous in personal growth.