How to utilize your year-drop after graduation?

Dropping out is a recent growing trend among students in India. While it is considered a taboo in our society, yet there are points to contradict the opposite. When you decide to take a year’s gap or two after your graduation, whatever may be the reason, you generally fear falling into the bad books of the extension of your family. Hardly one will empathize with your reasons; your neighbors pose that irritating question then and again whenever you intersect them at the street- ‘were your marks too poor?’; sometimes your parents’ mishandling of the pressure of uncertainty will haunt you; and too many people will have too much to say about your future. What do you do in such cases?

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Well, I have decided to not bore you with the same old advices but I intend to make this article more like an interaction. Speaking out of my personal experiences, I had dropped a year so that I could enter a better college the following year. It was not based on impulse or my whim but was purely the outcome of a thorough evaluation of what I wanted from life. While in my case, luckily, my parents were supportive way more than I had expected, however it was not as smooth and easy as I had perceived it would be. My journey in the gap went by explaining to people what I expected from myself and how I am going to design my life ahead. While I had no problem in dealing with the way people cared about me, what really took to my nerves was the way this questioning session shot to annoying levels. Questioning turned to suggestions which then turned to decisions. Theirs, not mine.

Amidst all the hassles I managed to focus myself on my objectives and utilized my year’s gap in ways which might prove handy to you as well –

Reading habit

Knowledge is power. You could be an engineering student or MBBS holder or anything in the world but nothing should stop a student from equipping oneself with knowledge, be it through newspapers or books. Knowledge is the weapon which shall never fail you when you need to show your confidence, stand tall and hold your head high. Reading makes us wiser, increases our potential as a debater, and changes us into what we desire. Apart from all that the habit of reading does, the most important factor is it boosts up vocabulary power and increases one’s reading tenacity. Once this habit paces up in you, it gradually turns into an addiction. And well, thumbs up for such addictions.

Short-term courses

Online courses like in edx.org or coursera.com are the best options to go for if you’re planning to utilize your gap with something that would be productive in future too. These courses are almost like training and they actually polish up your CV. It is important to keep in mind that along with the courses you opt just for passion, you must also enroll for the courses that would be related to your chosen field. Also, language courses from established institutions will be helpful.

Tuitions

If you’re planning to sit at home and simply concentrate on your preparation, it is better to accompany yourself with teaching activities. When you teach students at home, you’re not only managing your pocket money but also revising yourself. Most of us do not remember lessons from schools, blame it on us or India’s education pattern, but the truth is when we provide tuitions we are actually offering ourselves a second opportunity to grab what has been lost. And this time, the lessons become more transparent somehow as our ability to perceive attains a definite maturity level.

Job experiences and freelancing

When you apply for colleges after your one-year’s preparation, the most frequently asked question by the interview panel is – how will you justify your decision of dropping out? This question is not a bomb in disguise but a very simple attempt at knowing how smart are you to have tackled your life keeping your ambitions in mind. Let’s be practical here. Nobody wants to listen to how you prepared for the respective exams and how many sleepless nights you’ve been spending while wondering whether the results would be worth the risk you took. In such cases, you better show them your work experiences, be it a job or your freelance work. This not only convinces them about your dedication to the respective field but also of your abilities in the practical arena.

So, here are some tips to save yourself if you take a year drop. My suggestions, ranging from improvisation of personality development to professional experiences, come from having experienced it myself as you know. While my intention must not be mistaken for suggesting students to drop out, yet what I want to make sure is this is something I have not regretted till date. Sometimes, a break can change you completely and bring you closer to what you’ve been seeking for long. That is what it did to me and that is something what it would do to you if you have determination.

And after all, nobody else needs to believe in your journey except you.