What to do when you don’t know what to do?
What do you do when there are endless possibilities and you just don’t know where to begin? You might not have a desire for a specific occupation, or maybe you don’t really know what makes you come alive with passion. All you know is that this world is big and you want to adventure it. You want to do something that will fulfil your being and develop skills that will actually be relevant to your life and help society! // Chances are you just completed 12 years of education. Congratulations!!! You did it. You made it. All your early mornings and tiresome study hours paid off. You’ve got your diploma in one hand and the treacherous question we all know and love in the other… “What are your future plans?” Which easily translates to… “What are you going to do with the rest of your life?”
What a daunting thought.
If we stick to the typical status quo I can probably guess you’re sitting at home on your computer looking into universities, trying to figure out what to major in? You’re probably looking at the financial side of things and it’s blowing your mind. You might even be thinking a thought along the lines of “I’m going to spend thousands of dollars on a degree that I’m not 100% confident is even for me.” Maybe this isn’t you, but if it is then you are just like the majority of the rest of us! Take a breath, you’re normal.
You’re not the only person that doesn’t have it all figured out, that doesn’t know exactly what you want yet, and you certainly aren’t the only person who is craving something different. To get outside your comfort zone and have vision on who you want to be. I’ll say it again, you’re normal!
I’m going to ask you to bear with me, take a step back and think a little differently. Think a little bit outside of the box and the mainstream mindset and dream. What if you could have a year devoted to experiencing, developing, adventuring and thinking! A year full of real life experience, opportunities, learning more about yourself and worldview.
Now, I am going to tell you that it’s possible. There’s this thing called a Gap Year. It’s becoming more popular as young people have a yearning for something more and realize that there is incredible depth to life and so much to see and experience. A gap year is a year “off” after finishing up high school and before starting university. It typically includes travel, work, and volunteering. It’s a year that can be crucial in setting you up really well for your future, to learn, grow, give, and develop foundations for the rest of your live… if you make the most of it.
5 reasons why you should consider a Gap Year…
1. You need a breather: You just finished 4 years (or more) of intense structured education. You’ve raced to complete homework assignments, studied for tests, fit in practices, as well as balanced family and friends into the mix. That’s a lot! A gap year can offer time to take a breath and refresh before again entering a challenging academic world.
2. You don’t know what to study: You need to explore your interests. You probably spent most of high school juggling schedules packed with college preparatory courses, sports and extracurricular activities. Which means you probably didn’t have much time to explore your own personal interests as well as the potential careers that can align with them.
3. Get to know yourself: You can’t successfully set goals, have healthy relationships or go about life if you don’t fully know who you are. Knowing yourself and knowing what you want out of life should be number one priority. Everything we do stems out of who we are, our values and beliefs. Knowing who you are can lead to positive decisions that will set you up well for the future.
4. Looks good on a resume: Having world experience and travel on your resume looks good. It makes you stand out amongst the crowd. It gives you practical skills that not only benefit you in the working world, but it teaches you how to communicate, make decisions, navigate the unknown, all while gaining cross cultural experiences. There are just some things you can’t learn in a classroom!
5. Something more: Are you looking for something bigger and greater than yourself? Do you want to be part of helping and developing people, cultures and communities? Do you want to do more than merely exist. A gap year can be a vital role in making that happen. It can give you time and opportunities to go, see, and experience life while being a part of the bigger picture that’s making a difference.What’s all the talk about gap years?
A Discipleship Training School is a great short term option for a gap year to spend some time traveling, learning, and growing. It’s 22 weeks packed full of life experience, personal development, helping others, and adventure.
If you’re keen (or even if you still aren’t sure, but just want a bit more info) fill out the form below, we’d love to chat with you about Gap Year options in Australia and Papua New Guinea.Want more than 22 weeks? No worries, we’ve got that too!
Paige Vivian
Paige, from Grand Rapids, MI, completed her Discipleship Training School with us in 2013. After 3 years traveling abroad she joined us again aboard our Medical Ship in Papua New Guinea serving as a Dental Nurse, and Clinic Leader. Paige is a natural writer, with an eye for beauty in the everyday moments of life. She loves real and raw moments of people discovering themselves, and can strike up a conversation with just about anyone.
Recent Comments