More than a stop ‘gap’ measure

US President Barack Obama’s daughter Malia recently made headlines for wanting to take a gap year and resuming her education at Harvard University later in the fall of 2017. But a few enterprising students in the city have treaded the path long ago. Taking a gap year between academic years may be the norm in the West, but here in India, the idea of breaking away from a disciplined academic life to pursue a hobby or travel, still raises eyebrows and for most parents, alarm bells. Will a year of ‘aimless’ wandering steer you away from your goals or bring you closer to your self That is a common concern for students on the brink of jumping into the uncharted territory of a gap year. We met a few young guns in Mumbai who took a break and laid out the route for those to follow.

Harnish Ganatra, 22 — Took up photography After completing my graduation, I wasn't sure if I should take up a course in photography because I wasn't ken on learning the theory part. So I decided to travel and click pictures along the way. While doing so, I bagged a few freelance assignments. Some of my friends were pursuing their Masters and some had a job when I was still out and about figuring out what I want to do. I travelled extensively to the south of India and Goa during my travels and also got hold of a freelance assignment in Jhansi. I now have a clearer idea of what I want to do (advertising) and am preparing for the same. I am not sure how my employers will react to the move, but I have a strong portfolio of pictures to count for my year.

Srishti Millicent, 21 — Taught children I completed my Bachelors in Computer Applications in 2015. I was confused as to what to do further, so instead of sitting around and wasting my time, I started to learn French and that’s when I decided to drop a year. During my gap year I learnt A1 level French. One thing led to another, I travelled and I landed a job as a teacher for kids between the ages of 6-16 in Punjab. Interacting with kids made me responsible. I never knew that a lazy and careless person like could be so responsible! I gained self-confidence and did many solo trips, thanks to my new role. My parents were worried for me because all my friends were pursuing MBA or MCA and here I was touring the country alone. My relatives weren’t to comfortable with the idea initially and I got taunted a lot for it, but they came around eventually, for which I am very grateful. Travelling made me take up photography as well and now I want to pursue a career in photojournalism. I plan to do my Masters in the same field. I am also maintaining my travel blog for which I have many future solo trips already planned.

Mayura Desai, HR Specialist, Sutra Services (Recruitment firm) A gap year may affect you in terms of hiring. There’s a 50-50 chance based on the role you apply for and the company you apply to. If you’ve taken a gap year to learn a language or something constructive, it should be fine. A certification value holds water with recruiters. However, if you say you were at home doing nothing and maybe just learning cookery or something, it brings down your negotiating value. If you've been travelling and learning a new culture, it depends on how well you’re able to explain this to the recruiter. Your convincing power in an interview with an HR person or recruiter matters a lot. A gap year could affect your prospects negatively in an MNC, but with smaller companies like consultancies or start ups it might not matter. Companies like Google that care for their employees’ extra curricular activities might even react positively to a gap year.

If you’ve taken a gap year say between your graduation and an MBA course, it gets a little difficult to tackle questions during campus placements in your final year, affecting your salary.

Diptanil Roy, 21 — Volunteered at an NGO I was a science student who wanted to pursue sports management. Since I wanted to get into the best college but knew little about the field, I needed to do my research, which took a while. In the meantime, I missed my deadline for admissions. So I had to unwittingly take a gap year and I am so glad I did! During that time, I volunteered with two NGOs on Kolkata—three months I worked for an anti-ragging campaign and seven months for an NGO for abandoned and orphaned kids. At the latter, I taught maths, science, English and helped with the budgeting of the place. It was a different learning experience for me. I’d recommend everyone to take some time off if they are too confused. Everybody needs time to detoxify. I learnt a lot in that time about life out of school and was better prepared to face college because of the experience I had gained. Initially I was a little depressed because all my friends were in college while I wasn't but in retrospect, it was worth it. As for job prospects, if a person in front of me sees my CV, I can convince him that the time I took off was very helpful to me. It helped me grow as a person.

Jeremey Fernand, 18 — Took up a course in jazz music I took a break right after my tenth standard. I was home-schooled and put into school one year earlier than my peers, so I decided to use this one-year to my advantage. I have been learning the keyboard since I was eight and decided to be part of music bands to see where it could take me. My father is a photographer, so I took a few lessons from him and experimented with photography too. I volunteered for Sahara NGO where I wrote drafts and reports for their donors and even handled their social media. I even taught the children some music and baking!

Apart from that I took a few courses on jazz music and creative writing on Coursera to improve my skills. I enjoyed the year thoroughly. This helped me streamline my interests. I was confused about what I wanted to do previously, but now I know that I want to pursue journalism. I was apprehensive about what colleges might ask since I took the break but I made the year count. My parents were supportive about it so I didn't worry my choices any more.

Bhagyashri Samant, 24 — Travel I wanted to take a gap after my graduation because I wasn’t sure whether I wanted to pursue advertising or get into marketing. I wanted to gain some experience in both the fields and then take a firm decision. After working with various firms during my gap year, I realised that advertising is not my cup of tea. I’m now preparing for an MBA in marketing. During this break I got to do and learn things for which I otherwise wouldn’t have found the time. I travelled and even picked skills while I was working at various organisations. My family was worried that I won’t take the same interest in studies after of the gap, but that isn’t the case.