Is taking a Gap Year a good idea?

I believe that taking a year to give back or experience new places is incredibly valuable, whether as a traditional gap year between high school and college or after graduating from college. It's a formative experience (and serves your professional development well as well). It's an opportunity to contribute your time and talents to underserved communities and to learn about new sectors/geographies, as well as elements of yourself.

Thinking Beyond Borders is an exceptional Gap Year program: https://thinkingbeyondborders.org/

Many people have found that this to be a mistake, as there is too much of a possibility that something will come in the way of returning to studies. It is best to get to know yourself now to have a good sense of what career area might suit your personality traits best and pursue it.

Getting to know yourself and how your personality traits relate to people involved in various career opportunities is very important in your decision making process. During my many years in Human Resources and College Recruiting, I ran across too many students who had skipped this very important step and ended up in a job situation which for which they were not well suited. Selecting a career area is like buying a pair of shoes. First you have to be properly fitted for the correct size, and then you need to try on and walk in the various shoe options to determine which is fits the best and is most comfortable for you to wear. Following are some important steps which I developed during my career which have been helpful to many .