There’s an opinion that more and more school leavers are opting to take a gap year to travel or get work experience before they enter university. I, however, believe that it is rather a negative trend because if not entering the university right after leaving school, it will be quite challenging to get back into a studying routine and also will cause teenagers to face social stigma from others, including their close relatives.
To begin with, I am certain that taking a gap year for traveling or working is a negative phenomenon since it will make it quite challenging to start studying again. One reason for this is that while doing any of these activities, teenagers stick to a completely different lifestyle compared to one they would have if they studied at university, and therefore, changing an already established routine will be complicated. Having a fixed and packed schedule will be tough and potentially may even cause a severe burnout due to the sudden change in the way of living.
Another reason why I don’t support the idea of going on a gap year for either traveling or working is that it will provoke social stigma towards teenagers. Older generation (parents or other relatives) usually doesn’t support anything unconventional and follows fairly traditional ways of living, which include getting a degree right after finishing without having any time to rest. For that reason, constant criticism about such a decision will make it fairly hard to live together and may become a reason for constant conflicts inside the family. And as a result, may cause issues with self-esteem afterwards.
To conclude, I believe that taking a gap year to work or travel is a negative development considering that it will make the process of getting back to a studying routine fairly difficult and also will lead to social stigma from other people, including close relatives.