If you’re seriously considering taking a year and delaying your entry into the workforce after graduation, there are a lot of things to consider. Will you lose out on lost income? Will traveling for that long provide you with the benefits you hope it will? Do you want to be away from home that long? We strongly think you should take advantage of this opportunity if you can, and here are few reasons why.
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No Time like Today
If you’re not feeling the urgent need to travel at the moment, but think you might want to in the future. Trust us, the time is now. If you don’t have a job, but plan on (and need to) get one, it’s rare you’ll have another opportunity to take a year off without having to dissolve a lot of other commitments first. If you get your own apartment, job or relationship, these are all things you will not be able to take with you when you get out of town. If you don’t have wanderlust at the moment, cultivate some and get crackin’ now to avoid more work in the future.
You’ll Learn More Than You’ll Earn
If you’re worried about your ability to find a job and what it might do to your earning potential once you reenter the workforce after an absence, don’t. You will learn so much traveling for a year that you couldn’t possibly learn doing one single job and living in one single city. One of the things it’ll teach you is out to deal with different kinds of people. You’ll be entering a much wider world when you join the workforce after school. You won’t necessarily be in an environment with people you have a ton of stuff in common with. A great way to prepare yourself for new expectations is to travel and experience them in a fun way. If you head to a different country or continent, you’ll be faced with the challenge of learning new customs and adapting your behavior when necessary.
You Could Make Some Amazing Friends
While yes, traveling together can be a breaking point for some relationships, more often than not, it strengthens them. The people you meet on this journey will be part of singular memories for you. That’s what good friendships and relationships are based upon, strong, emotional connections. If you can convince some friends to go with you, that’s amazing. If not, you’ll absolutely meet new ones along the way.
It’s Not As Expensive As You Think
There are so many ways to save money on travel after graduation. We wish we had more time to devote to them on this list. But really, there’s almost nothing you can’t score a discount on from plane fare to train travel to lodging. There are trips for every budget, whether you went to a community college or UC Santa Barbara, so get online and grab some deals. When you see those “Students Click Here” links, you’ll know you’re in the right place.