In focus: 

Open Days, Early Entry and Gap Years

This is a super busy time of the year for tertiary institutions with most offering on campus opportunities in the form of Open Days. Any students and their career supporters are encouraged to attend, but it is especially recommended for students in Year 10 – 12 considering further study post-school. 

You can find a list of Open Days nationally on My Future. VTAC have also updated their VTAC Open Days list and will be in attendance at any which have an * next to them. I have also attached the super helpful resource from Compass Career News which lists key open days (Victoria centric) and suggestions and Study Work Grow have their super handy SWG Open Day Guide available too.

Most of us wouldn’t purchase a car or house without prior inspection and the same approach is strongly advised for tertiary study, after all, it is a big investment! So, with this in mind:

• Register for any open days of interest
• Attend information sessions
• Chat to institution staff and students
• Take a tour of the facilities
• Find out about the services and opportunities available
• If you are unable to make the Open Day, see if there are any School Holiday Campus Events, Virtual Tours, Information Webinars and/or On-Demand (Recorded) Information Sessions.

Early Entry Programs

• MSCW Careers and Pathways Hub has a Early Entry Guide in the Latest Guides Section
• Please see the attached Early Entry Programs Summary from Compass Career News.

Gap Year Options and Insights

Even though it is a bit of a long one, I really enjoyed reading this article by Lucy Sattler regards Gap Years. It is available on LinkedIn.  

Over the past few weeks I've been refreshing our Gap Year resources, and as part of that process I've rebuilt the Gap Year quiz. You can see where we're up to here, and take the quiz for yourself if you're thinking about taking some time out.

I've also been looking at the data we've collected over the past few years, and thought it would be good to share some of the insights. We've had over 2,500 young people take the quiz, so we've got a fair bit of data to go through.

First up - What even is a Gap Year?

The 'standard' Gap Year we generally think of is a 12 month trip, usually overseas, that can involve a bit of work, a stack of travel, and not a lot of study.

This Gap Year would be taken by a school leaver before they head off to uni, and sometimes they're organised in advanced, but other kids head off with not a lot more than a general direction and a one-way ticket.

But not all Gap Years look like this.

Some are half a year, or just a couple of months. Some don't involve any travel, but take you out of your routine and give you the chance to do something new for a bit.

Some people take time off to work full time and earn some serious cash before diving back into study, and some use it to gain an interim qualification or other skill for a while.

It's like hitting the pause button on your formal education or career to do... well, whatever you want really (within reason, of course - your parents might have something to say if your grand plan is to become a professional couch potato).

A Gap Year wasn't really on the table for me when I left school, and it wasn't really something the people around me did, but I've since become a big fan when people want one for the right reasons.

Will my own kids take a Gap Year? Ethan's the closest to graduate, but he's keen to head straight into a degree. Rose, on the other hand, is in Year 9, but she's already planning on spending 12 months in Paris, so she can learn to make croissants. I am 100% on board with this plan, and am trying to work out how I can swing a year off to go over with her (not that she'd want me...)

Sometimes people also take Gap Years later on, in between big contracts for example, or during Long Service Leave, or after a big exit (we can dream), and the benefits are pretty similar then, because Gap Years give you an opportunity for a full reset.

The Pros and Cons of Gap Years

Alright, let's break it down. Gap years can be awesome, but they're not all sunshine and rainbows. Here's the lowdown:

The Good Stuff:

1. Time to figure stuff out: If you're not sure what you want to do with your life (and let's be honest, how many 18-year-olds really do?), a gap year can give you some breathing space to work it out.
2. Real-world experience: Whether you're working, volunteering, or travelling, you're going to learn stuff that you just can't get from a textbook.
3. Personal growth: Nothing says "grow up fast" quite like navigating a foreign country on your own or holding down a full-time job for the first time.
4. Skills development: From learning a new language to mastering the art of budgeting, gap years are a crash course in life skills.
5. CV booster: A well-planned gap year can make your resume stand out from the crowd.

The Not-So-Good Stuff:

1. Potential for procrastination: It's easy to fall into the trap of using a gap year to delay making big decisions about your future.
2. Loss of momentum: If you're academically inclined, taking a year off might make it harder to get back into study mode.
3. Financial strain: Gap years can be expensive, especially if you're planning to travel.
4. FOMO: While you're off having your adventure, your mates might be settling into uni or starting their careers. It's natural to feel a bit left behind sometimes.
5. The dreaded couch trap: Without a solid plan, it's all too easy for a gap year to turn into a year of Netflix and naps (tempting as that sounds).

But it's not as easy as just weighing up the pros and cons - what is important for one person is much less important for another, and every young person really needs to make their own decision about what they do.

Into the data

Alright, this is where it gets really interesting (well, I think so anyway - but then again, I'm a bit of a data nerd). We've been running a Gap Year Quiz on our website for a couple of years now, and we've collected some pretty fascinating insights.

Before we dive in, I need to give you a bit of context. The quiz sits on our Gap Year page (https://studyworkgrow.com/gap-years/), which means that the people taking it are already thinking about gap years to some degree. So, it's not a truly representative sample of all school leavers - it's more like a snapshot of those who are actively considering a gap year.

The quiz does two things:

1. It gets kids thinking about how prepared they are (or aren't) for a gap year
2. It asks them to reflect on some key things they need to consider

We've had 2,574 responses so far, which is a pretty decent sample size. So, what have we learned? Let's break it down.

The Big Why

First up, we asked about the main reason for considering a gap year. Here's what we found:

• 34.3% said "I'm not sure what I want to do with my life"
• 24.4% said "I need a break"
• 16.9% said "I'm looking for 'real-world' experiences"
• 24.4% said "I want to travel (and I want it now)"

So, the biggest motivator is uncertainty about the future. This totally makes sense to me - if you're not sure what you want to do next, why rush into a degree or career that might not be right for you?

But here's what I find really interesting - almost a quarter of respondents are primarily motivated by a desire to travel. This suggests that for many young people, a gap year is seen as a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity for adventure before the responsibilities of adulthood kick in.

School's Out... Forever?

We also asked how people feel about leaving school.

The responses were pretty evenly split:

• 17.2% are terrified
• 15.5% haven't really thought about it yet
• 33.8% can't wait
• 33.5% think they'll be ready by the time they finish Year 12

I've got to say, I'm impressed by the optimism here. Two-thirds of respondents either can't wait to leave school or think they'll be ready when the time comes. That's a lot of confidence!

But let's not ignore that 17.2% who are terrified. Leaving school is a big deal, and it's totally normal to feel scared about it. If you're in that boat, remember that you're not alone, and there's plenty of support out there if you need it.

Peer Pressure (Or Lack Thereof)

We were curious about whether gap years are a group decision, so we asked if friends are also taking a gap year:

• 2.7% said "Yes, all of them"
• 69.7% said "Some are, some aren't"
• 27.5% said "I'm the only one"

This is really encouraging. It suggests that most young people are making their own decisions about gap years, rather than just following the crowd.

Parental Pressure

Now, here's where it gets really interesting. We asked about parental pressure:

• 55% said "They're cool"
• 14.1% said "They want me to go to uni now"
• 19% said "They're afraid if I have a Gap Year I won't go to uni"
• 11.8% said "They'd like me to take some time off"

More than half of parents are supportive of gap years! This is huge, because it suggests that gap years are becoming more accepted as a valid post-school option.

But let's talk about that 19% whose parents are worried about them not going to uni. This is a common concern, and it's not entirely unfounded. Some research has suggested that students who take gap years are slightly less likely to complete a degree. However, other studies have found that students who take gap years are more motivated when they do start uni and achieve better grades - the data here is really mixed.

The Long Game

We asked whether a gap year fits with long-term plans:

• 12% said "Of course, I'm going to use my experience to springboard my career"
• 50.2% said "I think it'll help because I'll gain experience"
• 25.4% said "Not really, it's more of an escape from the pressure"
• 12.3% said "No, but I'm not sure what else to do"

Over 60% of respondents see their gap year as part of their career development. This is fantastic! It suggests that most young people are thinking strategically about their gap years, rather than just seeing them as a year off.

The 12.3% who don't know what else to do may not be thinking strategically, but the Gap Year will give them a chance to think things through, grow up a bit, and work things out, which they may not get if they jump straight into the next big thing.

I find the 25.4% who are looking for an escape from the pressure really interesting - at the end of the day, the quiz is really for their benefit, no one else will see their results (unless they choose to show them), and they can be completely anonymous, so the answers they give are genuine.

A quarter of the people who've come this far in the quiz are open in saying that they aren't thinking long term at this point, they're literally just looking for an escape valve.

Which makes me think (again) about the mental health impacts of our existing senior schooling system - why do we have a system which is structured so that a quarter of respondents can't think about their future?

But that's a question for another day...

Work Ethic

Finally, we asked about willingness to work towards gap year plans:

• 69.3% said "Yes"
• 20.7% said "Planning needs to fit in around school and my job"
• 10.1% said "I'm happy to go if someone else organises it for me"

This is probably my favourite result. Nearly 90% of respondents are willing to put in the work to make their gap year happen. This level of motivation and initiative bodes well for successful gap years.

So, What Does It All Mean?

Looking at all this data, a couple of key themes emerge:

Kids are generally prepared and supported

The majority of respondents have parental support, are willing to work to fund their plans, and have some travel experience. They're thinking strategically about how a gap year fits into their long-term plans, and they're prepared to put in the effort to make it happen.

This level of preparation is fantastic. It suggests that most young people considering a gap year are approaching it thoughtfully and responsibly, which increases the chances of it being a positive and productive experience.

But they may not have a clear reason why they want to go

The most common reason for considering a gap year is uncertainty about future plans. While this might seem concerning at first glance, it's actually not a bad thing. If you don't know what you want to do with your life, rushing into further study or a career might not be the best move. A gap year can provide valuable time and experiences to help figure things out.

The key is to approach this uncertainty proactively. Use your gap year to explore different options, gain new skills, and reflect on what you want from your future. It's okay not to have all the answers at 18 - but it's important to use your time wisely to start figuring them out.

Where to from here

We're in the process of moving across our database of Gap Year programs to the new page, you can find the ones we currently have here.

I think the data paints a pretty positive picture: young people considering gap years are generally well-prepared, supported by their parents, and approaching the experience thoughtfully.

But I'd love to hear from people who've actually been on or had experiences with a Gap Year. Did you take a gap year? Was it everything you hoped for? Or perhaps you wanted to but didn't quite make it happen? Maybe you're planning one right now?

And thanks for staying with me again for another edition of Pondering Careers - see you next time!