Who here wants to be in university right now? For those who don’t, why are you here? I don’t intend to bash higher education or those who choose it as a pursuit — in fact, I’m in great favour of getting a degree. I’ll just point out that, perhaps, you followed the path of least resistance after high school: going straight into university. It’s a common pathway, but I wonder if you’ve ever considered what’s outside of school and working towards your future — taking a gap year, for example. A gap year is vague in definition, but generally entails time away from school — whether that looks like travelling to castles in Edinburgh off your savings, working a customer service job in your hometown, or babysitting during the week and learning how to skateboard in your time off. Why would you do that, you might ask, when there’s so much work to be done, and time always seems to be slipping away?
Gap years are one way to explore the inner workings of yourself. Without the structure of classes, you are pushed to learn about your motivations for getting out of bed in the morning. What do you like to eat when you have time to cook? Where do you want to travel in your life? What kind of lifestyle would fulfill you? These are all interesting, introspective questions that may only be answered honestly in the space that a gap year provides.
I view taking a gap year as a radical and brave act in today’s employment market. It’s hard to get a job right now, especially an entry-level one. The required years of experience seem to keep increasing for every position. In this light, taking time away from school for no reason other than personal fulfillment and enrichment is a powerful move that can only be characterized as punk.
While the idea of punk may evoke visual imagery of piercings, studs, and mohawks, true punk is a mentality. It’s the radical expression of self: where the world expects you to suck it up and build your future, you sit down and figure out what you want first. Patti Smith says, “To me, punk rock is the freedom to create, freedom to be successful, freedom to not be successful, freedom to be who you are. It’s freedom.” Kurt Cobain shared the sentiment that punk is about being true to your beliefs and your values, and doing things your way. You can do it too.
Punk trends generally challenge the mainstream — and right now, the mainstream is hustle culture. People shamelessly promote overworking, often exhausting, lifestyles to get to the other side of the (capitalist) rainbow. I see no clearer objection to this exhausting social messaging than to take a gap year. Sharing with other people, yeah, I’m just figuring it out right now, is a fierce move against the grain. Beyond that, it’s a powerful commitment to self-discovery. If that’s something you want, I say go for it.
Take that gap year. I dare you to question yourself!
