5 Lessons To Make The Most Out Of Your Gap Year

Two years ago, I graduated from high school with a 96.95 ATAR, enrolling into a course that now requires a 59 ATAR.

(If you guess what it was. Of course it was Business.)

For anyone who's not Australian, ATAR stands for Australian Tertiary Administration Rank. It's used to get into university after high school.

I deferred my course, taking a gap year.

Now, if you're going to learn the hard sciences or a profession that requires a degree, knock yourself out.

Even then, I'd personally still recommend a gap year.

So, after learning these 5 lessons about my gap year, I decided to not go to university all together.

1. Learning to develop a work ethic
2. Work multiple jobs
3. Learning + Experience > Everything else
4. Save as much as humanly possible
5. You must make an effort to see friends now

#1: Learn To Develop A Work Ethic

Do not do what most people do with their gap years: cruise and lounge around.

This can happen if we don't know what we want to do with our lives. And that's ok.

While we think about our life's mission let's first:

Get a job with more hours.

Now that you don't have to go to school for 6 hours a day 5 days a week, you've freed yourself for future employers.

And that's what I did.

Not full-time, but around 30 hours a week to fill the void school filled up before.

If you're watching this, you probably want to be an entrepreneur or someone who makes a lot of money:

Don't think you're better by not working at a job. Because I did, and it hurt my growth in 3 ways:

1. Employers are doing you a favour by giving you an opportunity to develop a work ethic or skill.
2. Your time is not worth that much anyways until you get a better job
3. Be humble and learn to work a real job while working on your side project. Whether it's starting a business, skilling up, getting hired for a high-income job, etc.

The hours themselves you work won't matter. What does is the person you become after being forged in the fire.

Someone who can work. And more people need that kind of productive person.

#2: Work Multiple Jobs (Why Not?)

Believe it or not, you can hold more than one job at a time. I know, shocking?

Traditionally, people only work one job at a time.

If you're not getting enough hours, why not get another one?

Crazy, I know.

In fact seeing Vinh Giang's, a communications teacher, post on Instagram about:

Not being afraid to give things a go, even working different jobs.

You're young.

You're not going to know your first job is your dream job. Or, there's another job you never thought of that you actually love.

That's the whole point of the gap year!

My number 1 tip with navigating multiple jobs is:

Be fully transparent to your employer that you have hours at another job and you won't be available then.

If you're a great employee, they'll understand.

If they're a great employer, they'll support your career as you juggle different jobs.

#3: Work On The Right Opportunity: Experience Above Everything Else

There are five jobs that I got to experience during my gap year:

1. A Bar Attendant at a golf course
2. A Retail Assistant at a golf retail shop
3. A Golf Shop Assistant at a different golf course
4. A Dispatch Coordinator at an IT/Printer company
5. A Display Home Host for a construction company

(My full work history is on my LinkedIn)

Having these many jobs gave me new perspective on industries, types of jobs and people.

You may not have any idea what you want to work on.

Rather than thinking of the job itself, think of the SKILLS that you gain out of it.

For example, I chose to work retail to learn over the counter sales.

Then, a job as a golf shop assistant learning to take phone calls and customer service.

A dispatcher at an IT company to get exposed to different businesses that use IT.

A display home host to get a taste for consultative sales in one of the hardest markets to sell.

I knew I wanted to make money. I chose experience that would help me learn the skill of selling and dealing with people.

So, if you can apply the framework of,

"What skills or experiences do I gain?"

Rather than,

"How much money will I make?"

You will get more out of the jobs you choose to work.

#4: Save As Much As Humanly Possible

If you still live with your parents, great. Even if you don't want to, if you can save on living expenses, take it.

Even if you want to move, do it just for this gap year.

My thinking for why I'm saving is to give myself breathing room to take risks like:

1. Moving to the city
2. Taking jobs that pay less in MONEY but pay more in SKILLS
3. Reinvesting my savings into my self-funded education and skill acquisition

The last thing you want to happen is a fantastic opportunity being offered. But, you can't access it because you spent it.

If your current lifestyle isn't what you want, then what is the point of going all out with your spending?

Bottom line is:

Don't spend money on stupid shit.

It's a question if you want to waste the opportunity to make money for a year by spending it all.

#5: Organise Your Meetups With Friends

You eventually realise how easy it was to hang out with your mates during school.

You had a shared obligation that forced you and your mates to meet 6 hours a day, five days a week.

People now have jobs. University to attend. Doing stuff and being busy.

No longer do we have school to become a guaranteed method of crossing paths. Now, you have to make an effort to meet the same people you hung out with in school.

I'm quite focussed on my work, but once in a while, I'll make an effort to hang out with my friends.

Don't feel like you have to hang out with them all the time either. That becomes desperation for times that are gone by.

The feeling I get is, I'll meet them and it feels like time hasn't passed.

Of course your friends will change. It's not called that: it's called growth.

Recap

To recap all five points:

1. Develop a work ethic by having and working a job
2. Nothing stops you from working multiple jobs. Getting different exposures to types of jobs, environments and people.
3. Work on the right opportunity in terms of skills and experience rather than pay
4. Save as much as humanly possible to go on the offensive by not spending more than you earn.
5. Understand you MUST organise meetings with your friends.

So, if you're about to enter a gap year. Or graduated but looking for some tips about alternative career paths. Or even creating a personal brand to help sell yourself to employers.