Returning to study after finishing 13 years of schooling might be the last thing on some students’ minds, especially those who have no idea what they want to do.
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Abbey Fellows, 21, graduated from Wagga High School in 2015 and is heading towards the end of her third gap year, without regrets.
“The first year was really hard because a lot of my friends went straight into university,” Ms Fellows said.
“It was hard to come to terms with myself about whether I was doing the right thing, but now I’m so grateful because I’ve fallen in love with my job.”
Ms Fellows juggled four casual jobs at times to save for months of travel and kept deferring her degrees until she landed into a field she enjoyed.
“I am a learning support officer at Wagga High School, working half my time in special education and the other teaching English as a second language,” she said.
“I never thought I’d be a teacher over my three gap years. I know for a fact that if I went straight to university I would be doing something that I wouldn’t like and would’ve swapped degrees, wasting time and money.
“I’ve traveled the world and learnt so much and I would recommend a gap year to anyone,” she said.
Like Ms Fellows, 19-year-old Charlie Hamilton is coming to the end of his first gap year after graduating from The Riverina Anglican College last year.
“I just didn’t think I was ready to go to university and I really wanted to travel and didn’t want to wait until after my uni degree to do that,” he said.
“I worked casually during school to save up for travel and headed to Canada for a summer camp where I also worked over there too.”
Mr Hamilton said he has secured a place at a Canberra university next year in a double-degree of media communications and arts.
“I think I’ve lost some of my writing skills and I might struggle getting back into the swing of things, but I definitely recommend gap years,” he said.
“I think having a year off broadens your horizons.”
However, Kildare Catholic College’s careers adviser Karen Murray said not all students have the choice.
“I think a lot of students are forced into gap years, particularly regional students, as many have to qualify for youth allowance,” Ms Murray said.
“To qualify for youth allowance, students have to claim their independence and usually need to work 12 months or earn a certain amount of money.
“It’s so expensive for students to move away from home and a lot of parents out there can’t afford to pay for their kids’ living.
“It’s usually a sad reality for country kids, who are often forced into having one or two gap years.”
Ms Murray said there are a lot of “positive aspects” of gap years, despite the challenges some face.
“Many travel and they learn a lot of soft skills from dealing with different cultures, while those who aren’t sure about their careers can reflect and speak with industry people to crystalise their choices.”
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Similarly, Wagga Christian College’s careers adviser Jenny Azar said it’s ultimately an individual’s choice.
“Some parents don’t trust gap years, as they think they can lose the motivation and won’t ever go back,” Ms Azar said.
“They can be a trap for a waste of time if they’re not planned or organised properly, but some need to take a break and for others it’s not always a choice because of financial reasons.”
Ms Azar said it can be harder for those in regional areas as opposed to city-dwellers.
“City kids don’t need to save as much money because they have more university options and often don’t have to travel as far,” she said.
“Some people say that taking a gap year makes kids more resilient and mature, but I also think that students who have to move away for university also gain those skills.
“Gap years can give you a more holistic way of life but it comes down to the individual’s need and what their families can afford.”
Owner of Hunters Supply Scott Woodhouse regularly employs gap-year students mainly due to their work-ethic.
“They seem to be easy to train and they learn everything pretty quickly and they’re eager to learn because they want to earn money,” Mr Woodhouse said.
“I mainly take students from Kildare Catholic College and Wagga High for 12 month contracts because they need the work and are usually saving money for university or travel.”