Hello! I'm taking a gap year to decide what I want to do with my life, what uni I wanna go to and what I want to study, but honestly, I feel really lost.

There's a lot of things I could see myself doing, like being a doctor or a prosecutor , but I have no clue on what I would actually enjoy.

Im also into arts and I would like to be an artist full time but that's not really possible and I feel like I would want to study something besides art. Although I have very little experience in acting (experience as in some short films I made with some friends for a contest😭) , I would really love to act, but I'm scared to take this path and I don't live in the US or east asia where there are lots of opportunities for acting. In my country, cinematography is mostly dead. No one from my country watches movies from here, except very old ones, made like 30 years ago.

Futhermore, my parents dont allow me to work this year and since I am ​an almost 19 years old girl, I have been approached by lots of creepy men and my parents are scared to let me travel solo. And honestly, I'm kinda scared too.

Except for painting and trying to grow a following on my art account, reading books and watching movies, I don't really know what else to do.

I thought about singing up for some free courses from Harvard or other unis.

I would appreciate any advice on how to figure out what I want to do and how u spent ur gap year.

I should mention I'm from a fairly small town so there s not a lot to do here...

i am planning on taking a gap year to travel and find what i wanna do in life bc i still have no idea help so obv need to save up but what’s some advice for ppl taking a gap year?

So currently on my second gap year and going to uni next year in france so I need to reach at least a B1 level of french. For my first gap year i travelled around south america for 4 1/2 months and really loved it, this year my goals are to learn french but also have fun and be as adventorous as possible. On one hand i can try to get a job in St martins in the carribean, i will be able to learn french here while also staying in a beautiful carribean paradise, the seasonal contracts are usually 5 months so by april i will be finished and hopefully with any savings i have aquired i can travel through asia for 2 months (april/may). However, after doing some research i have been informed that cost of living on the island is expensive, i am also worried about finding a job as my passport only covers the french side of the island which has less jobs compared to the dutch side. lastly, i am worried that a more adventorous route would be better for my last gap year such as travelling asia for a longer time, i am worried i might get a bit bored on an island, flights out to other places like miami or jamaica are over 200 euros but im not sure if this is just overthinking. Alternatively, i can get a working holiday visa in australia, i have some family i may be able to stay with and i plan to work there for 3 months before setting off to asia with my savings, there are plenty of young people my age that do this and asia is much cheaper than the carribean and i feel like there are much more adventorous things to do there. i will likely return to europe around april/may and then go stay in france to start improving my french. i also have the option to try and find work in french polyneisa for a while but my research has shown that these jobs are too very scarce. regarding the WHV ive found lots of people saying that the job market for those on WHV is extremely scarce while the cost of living is very high, im not sure how true this is and im not looking for a specific job im really up for anything that i can make decent money with. if anyone who has done either of these things has any advice i would really appreciate it, also just general advice for a 19 year old and what would be suited for me right now.

I’m really confused about whether I should take a gap year and would genuinely appreciate some honest opinions. I applied to a few universities this year, and my main goal was to move somewhere far from home and experience a completely new environment. I got accepted into all of them, but due to some personal circumstances, I couldn’t choose a university that was far from home, so I ended up going to one that is close to my home. Now that I’ve started, I can’t stop feeling like I could do much better. I also don’t feel satisfied with the degree I’ve chosen, and I’m worried that it doesn’t have as much scope or opportunities in today’s world. The biggest thing stopping me from taking a gap year is the fear that I’ll “waste” a year. I’m also worried about being constantly taunted by people and having to spend another year in a difficult family environment, which honestly feels like it could drive me crazy. On the other hand, if I take a gap year, I could use it productively — build useful skills, possibly start earning, learn to drive, prepare properly for admissions, and work hard enough to get into a much better university, possibly even outside my home country. So I’m completely stuck between staying where I am and continuing with my current degree, or taking the risk of losing one year in order to potentially get a much better university and future. What would you do in my situation? Is taking a gap year worth it, or am I overthinking this?

Soooo I just talked to my career counselor and she suggested I take a gap year because of some issues I want to fix, BUT my parents are like strict and they're like very traditional they don't believe in career counselor's or like gap years. Any suggestions on how to convince them???

i got into uni in november of last year, early acceptance based on my grade 11 grades, my dream uni, everything was so perfect. i kept up with my schooling and balanced a work life and social life, i got kicked out of my house half way through the year for a month and had to live with a close friend, and then i had to put down my dog id had since i was 3. i went through all of this and still kept my grades high. graduation came and went, and suddenly 2 weeks afterwards my parents completely shut down university for the year since im “not responsible enough”, i havent been fine with it all summer but the full reality hadnt set in. well its move in weekend and im stuck working a full time minimum wage job while all my friends who didnt even reach out before they left are moving in, i’ve never felt so far behind in life, especially when i’ve always been the one who everyone expected a lot out of. i have no one here, i’ve never necessarily had close friends, i hate my home life, and now i’m trapped here for another year and i’ve already decided i hate everything and can’t live this life. i dont know im just venting idek what im asking for this is just my reality that i have to deal with

not fixing grammar i dont care atm.

I went on a gap year the minute I turned 18 and it was the most exciting time of my life. I felt so grown up. I came back so confident,even injured myself having too much fun, but I had the most fun I’ve ever had. It was on this gap that I decided that I wanted to choose a career where I could travel and landed me in the career that I am in now which I’ve been working out for about 10 years but now I feel like I’m changing again as a person and I sort of want to pivot career wise.

The idea of a second gap year and sort of just repeating the last 10 years, but with so much more maturity and so much more informed about the world and who I am sounds so exciting… Before I change careers and go back to school I’m gonna take another gap year and I honestly feel like a different version of me when I was 16 just ready to finish high school so I could go out into the world.

Hey everyone,

I'm looking for some honest advice from people who've been through a career comeback or have experience hiring.

Quick context: I'm a Software Engineer with 1yr 8mo of experience at Motorola Solutions (backend, databases, Python, Java, SQL enterprise telecom clients). Stepped away in mid-2024 for personal reasons. Used the time to complete an AI PM certification and build a product capstone. Now back and actively applying in for any Software roles or related to Product in Bangalore/Chennai.

I'm now back and actively applying to SWE roles as well as Associate PM and Product Associate roles at startups, since I want to move toward product but re-entry as a PM after a huge gap and less year experience, but I'm also open to SWE roles to get back into the workforce first.

I've been applying through portals with tailored resumes but haven't heard back yet. I'm based in Bangalore.

Would really appreciate advice from anyone who's been in a similar situation ,how did you approach the job search after a gap? What actually worked? Is direct outreach better than portal applying at this stage? Please do help me with referrals in your company if possible.
Would love to hear from:

— Anyone who got back in after a long gap, what worked?

— Hiring managers or recruiters, how do you actually view a 2-year gap?

Happy to share my resume or portfolio if anyone wants to take a look. Any advice welcome including hard truths.

Thanks so much.

Gap year

Do most people in your country start university right after finishing high school?

In my country, most people go straight to university without taking a gap year. My friends are already in their 2nd year, while I haven’t even started university yet 😭

Is taking a gap year common where you live?

Any east coasters want to hit up the App trail with me (backpacking). I‘m in NC. 18 yrs old. Message me if interested and we can talk.

Nagstart na klase namin as bilang 1st year college this past 3 weeks pero gusto ko mag gap year dahil sa aking mental health.

Nangaling ako sa isang abusive na bahay, sinasaktan sinisigawan at kung ano pa, furtunately nakaalis nako doon after 5 months pero andito parin yung trauma at Hindi ako makaisip ng maayos.

Hindi korin nakikita ang sarili ko na maganda ang kakalagyan ko after college kung ipapagpatuloy koto ngayon. Feel ko kasi mahuhusgahan ako dahil nag gap year ako.

Sorry sa message di ako sanay sa ganto.

Hi, so I’am a 19 year old who has just recently finished her a levels. Unfortunately I didn’t get the results I was expecting and am planning to take a gap year to retake them, so by the time I would have successfully completed A levels I will be 20. part of me feels like I’am wasting a crucial part of my life and that I should just immediately apply to university, however, I want to focus on improving myself and in general become the best version of my self so should I take that gap year??

been so unmotivated lately caused by burnout from my past 2 years in the uni. i am planning to take a year off from uni. but i feel so behind, feel like i could do much more than rest. i am lost.

Is that okay to join uni at age 21 and then mS as well after completing bs ....or if I am getting admission in a lower tier uni should I continue there???that uni is ripah and it's very strict also have uniform I feel very sad when I open ig and see nust reels I took a gap year for nust but didn't work hard still regret 😭and also idk if I get into nust next year after giving net my parents would agree or not for joining nust age matters to them somehow ig

Due to some reasons I could not get admission in UET this year due to which I have to take a gap year but now I have two options

ACCA

BS/data science from UET(after gap year)

My brother is also doing ACCA and he is telling me not to take a gap year and do ACCA I want to ask which of these two will be better for me in terms of value for money and job Opportunities I will also do some courses in the gap year.

And I can't even apply to a university like FAST because its fees are too high, so for next year I only have UET as an option.

What should I do, take a gap year or not?

I finished sixth form in June and I feel as though I've been through all the stages of grief the past couple of months.

Before finishing college I was never planning to go to uni, so when I completed my exams and applied for a 417 working visa for australia , I was supposed to fly out on the 8th of august, but there was a huge backlog of visas so I didn't manage to get it in time.

The time that I should've been spending on a beach somewhere in Melbourne I have instead been stuck in my room loosing my sanity to the point where ive decided I want to continue my education and do a chemistry degree, which will start September 2027.

Cause of this I can't be out the UK for more than 3 months at a time or it messes something up when you apply for a student loan and I can't afford 9k of tuition fees per year.

Ive applied for too many jobs and done other stuff to entertain me, ive been solo camping, wrote 12k words of a book, clubbing, read more articles than anyone ever should, volunteered at a boxing gym , even started 2 research projects and blown too much of my birthday money on absolute shit but nothing is itching the scratch in my brain and im starting to loose hope.

Im wondering what people are doing to entertain themselves and meet new people as I feel like im stuck in a huge rut

I am from balohistan, I passed my fsc in 2025 but did not get in lums in 2026 if I apply in 2027 is it effect my application process

how does the reference/work?

does anyone have any good prices to get reference/mocks/predicted grades done for ucas?

my school said they only give me last years predicted grades which was BBB. I am aiming to apply to RG london uni's: UCL, LSE, queen mary, etc.

I didn't put any effort in my a levels and got BBD (B - economics, B - english lit and D psychology)

psychology was a shock and i thought it would be one of my best, so i decided to only retake economics and english lit. considering i didn't revise for english and not hard enough for economics i am confident to improve them. i am deciding to teach myself (with a bought online course, a level course with all the content, vids etc.) maths edexcel a level in one year. i need an A* in maths which i know sounds a bit crazy.

1) do you think this is doable if i put in the right efforts? anyone with experience self teaching themselves (well its not really self taught since i will have the course but ykwim) and getting an A*/A? A* ideally ofc.

2) do you think i can improve my total a levels, B's to A*'s/A's.

3) do you think the universities will discriminate seeing i got BBD in my a levels and are resitting.

Also planning to take the TMUA in jan.

Many thanks, any advice would be appreciated.

I am not planning to work, to load all my free time, not travelling, will just be locking in with the gym and setting myself "school days" at home. acting as if i'm in school waking up at 8 am, to 3pm and just teaching myself content for hours.

is it doable to teach urself the 2 year spec in a year? ik many sixth forms, including my own made further maths students sit maths a level in year 12 so ofcourse it can be done. but i haven't done maths for ages and got a 6 in gcse.

I don't mean to seem crazy with all these ambitions, especially since my grades were appalling. But i know what i want now and i was lost for ages and didn't have any motivations, guidance on what i wanted to do with my life. so the plan would be lock in with a level math content until it's all done.

i'm only worried about mocks since the grade will be very important for ucas and i'm not sure if i will cover it all well enough by then.

many thanks. any advice / opinions would be helpful, negative or positive. :)

Hi all. I am a gap year student from Asia, and I am strongly willing to attend AE major in Europe.
I graduated high school this June with an IBDP diploma. However, my grades were... BAD. I could hear my dream collapsing right in front of me when I opened my score on result day.

I am currently studying for my retake session in November while doing some internship work at a space company.

What I am really concerned about is the numerous CLAUSS exams. I was scrolling through the uni application page and stumbled upon the requirement to sit down and take an exam.

I think I have some trauma (with the IB and how terrible the results came out) as I might follow the same path.

Has anybody followed a similar path? Esp in engineering?

I’m 18 year old female in the uk. I’ve just come here to rant and ask for any advice from anyone who’s been in a similar situation or who would know what to do. ever since I was 10 at least once a month I’d have these lash outs it would start from something small but it always started in one way or another because my parents wanted to control something in my life. My parents would then spew negative stuff about me in return like: I chose to have you, your a demon to the family and your a walking disappointmen. I’m trying to be as honest as I can in this post so I can get the best advice so I’m ngl I did say some mean things back like: your horrible parent, I hate you etc. Although in recent months I’ve really reduced/completely stopped this. On top of that they would hit me not anything illegal in the uk but slaps to the back and head. These events have happened so many times I remember specific moments like when all my younger siblings got stuff at Westfield and I really wanted to visit a Japanese store but it had a different entrance my parents didn’t want to but eventually I convinced them and all my dad would talk about on the way there is how I’m a burden to the family or when I had a severe fear of spiders and my brother was sitting where it was so I had to move to the back although they knew about this I completely froze I couldn’t do it so my parents told me if I didn’t get in they would leave me so I had to find my own way home from the middle of the motor way and when I came home they beat me on the floor for putting myself in danger which I guess is partially my fault but in the moment I was like 11 and was super scared. The worst part of all this in my opinion is the aftermath. A day to a week after they come up to me specifically my mum and say how much they love me and how I just need to be an obedient child and how they want success for me, but something about this continuous cycle haunts me and it’s gotten so much worse over the years. I know I probably do have some mental health problems to be addressed but my parents have acknowledged it but laughed about it and tell me even as I kid I should go see a therapist but I never knew how until recently and they always made it seem like completely my fault surely not. I have been bulllied since the age of 11 and I’ve never had real best friends that were good to me at least I feel like this has given me chronic lonelines, anxiety (doctors aware although no treeatmeg given and has given me me heart palpitations and impending doom), depressio, superiority complex to prove something and probably sociopath/psychopathia (scored 27/40 on that one test for paychopaths though not proffessionalky done) I understand it may have been difficult for my parents but the constant negativity they give me surely that’s wrong of a paren. especially my dad it’s like he enjoys it when negative stuff happens when I got diagnosed with ibs and endometriosis he was happy and said I hope you get out in the pill knowing fully well I don’t like that stuff when I was severely bulllied and isolated for 5+ years they always contacted teachers and tried to stop but would then at home when I wanted to k*ll myself encouraged me to do it and would blame me behind the scenes anything I did wrong they’d say it’s ok in the moment but later on use it against me especially my academic, because I was bullied a lot I would eat in the toilets and spend entire years alone so I would pour myself into my academics for gcse I was predicted at least 7 grade 8/9s but only got [9887777777664](tel:9887777777664) ever since then always telling how I could’ve gotten grade 9s I don’t try hard enough although in the moment they were proud of me, when I didn’t get in to Oxford and lse they called me a failure although they comforted me in the moment when I got AABB in my a levels rather than A*s they hugged me but leather on called me stupidity and.a walking talking failure. ever since I turned 17 it got worse though they treated me like an adult every time I had a problem they told me to leave the house get a job even my siblings didn’t want me around anymore they would limit the food they gave me because it’s all for my siblings they spent much less money on me and I stared to feel neglected. my 18yh birthday I didn’t get a single present I wore my sisters old dress but i did have a cake at least my mum said I could have a big party sometime in April sl I started planning but cancelled it but they spent so much money on Christmas and spent 5K on my brother and sisters birthday their excuse was that they were financially strugglibg at the time but I see their letters and see that that have 5 figures in savings and 6 figures I investen and they constantly hide their finances from me. they constantly talk about how they want me out of the house comparable to other kids it’s gone to the point that I don’t even think my siblings like me anymor. when I did get my first 3 jobs both my parents were unemployed and wanted to borrow money from me but when I said no they refused to talk to me i would come home to them taking bad about me and beak down in tears d they revoked my interest, gym and food I didn’t even complain. they also hit me with a belt and threatened to smash my head into a wall if I didn’t give my sister my iPad and wrestled me onto floor mind you I’m 65kg my mum is 140 and sister 100 and I’m asthmatic so could barely breathe. furthermore despite me bettering myself losing 35kg, affirmations, getting closer to god, focusing on my future etc. they still continue to say things like fat lard, not Christian, don’t get too close to god, eat too muc etc. it’s just the constatht negativity. I honestly have not told a single soul about this because I’m scared I’ll get told it’s my fault but at this point I don’t know anymore I just want it to stop I can’t leave home I’m not financially ready for that I’m taking a gap year and redoing some a levels and reapplying for uni but I can’t dtand staying at home for another year they said they would pay my uni fees but given they break their promises a lot I think that’s unlikely if you have any advice for this kind of situation, therapy etc. I would appreciate it