My dad told me something I rolled my eyes at for years: "You don't have to...

My dad told me something I rolled my eyes at for years: "You don't have to go to college right away. You can take a year off and figure things out." I was 17 and thought he was crazy. In my world, you graduated high school, went straight to university, got the degree, got the job. That was the script. I ignored him, went to college, burned out by sophomore year, and ended up switching majors twice.

Turns out he was right. It wasn't that college was bad, it was that I hadn't learned how to be an adult yet. Taking a gap year to work a job, travel, or just sit with yourself teaches you stuff they don't put in a syllabus. Like how to budget, how to handle a boss you don't like, and what actually interests you when nobody is grading you.

Now I see it differently. That advice wasn't about delaying education. It was about not wasting time and money on something you aren't ready for. My younger brother took that gap year, worked construction, went back to school for mechanical engineering, graduated at the top of his class. He knew why he was there.

I still wish I had listened. But I also think my dad knew I needed to make my own mistake to learn that lesson. So here I am, passing it along. If you are grinding through something that feels hollow, consider stepping back. Respect the pause.

Sign in to post a comment.

---

Sign In

---

Jepson Scott @scottjepson174

Man this hit hard. I did the gap year thing but only because I had no idea what I wanted to do and my parents basically said figure it out or pay for it yourself lol. Worked at a restaurant for a year and honestly learned more about people and myself than any class ever taught me. Went back for nursing at 20 and actually wanted to be there. But I still get jealous of people who had parents like yours who just get it from the start instead of having to crash into the lesson.
9 days ago

---