Taking
a Year Off After College
An
Early Sabbatical?
At some point after having
completed your degree, you will realize
that you have a career to look forward to.
Some of you may be less than hesitant to
enter the proverbial rat race. So what are
some of the alternatives?
Volunteer
If you can afford the time
and resources, it would not hurt to take
time off and volunteer. But before you start,
ask yourself what your objective is, what
you wish to accomplish and how you will
measure the endeavor as successful. After
all, you are a business student at heart
so anything that you do will be judged by
the result – tangible or intangible.
Help Out
Often, events take place
and we feel like helping out. It could be
in family matters or in your community.
This is a great learning experience and
will complete you as a person. You can surely
afford to invest one year to climb a more
important ladder. Antowain Smith may not
have completed his degree initially but
his sacrifice before attending college is
a perfect example.
Travel
If you plan to take a year
off or an extended summer trip, expect a
tougher time finding employment upon your
return. What you should do is plan before
your departure. Preferably, you should even
have a job lined up so that you do not corner
yourself. Of course, this may defeat the
original reason of taking time off: to find
out about yourself and decide where you
wish to go in the future.
The advantage of travel
is that you get to experience some great
times and add a global perspective to your
overall outlook. All three scenarios are
noble in their own way. If you plan on looking
for work upon your return, you may wish
to journey to somewhere that will help your
career down the road. Interested in international
business? Then travel to another continent.
Interested in Wireless? Visit Scandinavia
or East Asia where everyone is connected.
You could also combine
work and travel and look at gaining employment
relevant to your field of study in a foreign
land. While you may need hands-on experience
or permits for some jobs,
opportunities are plentiful. |
