laura.obermeyerSo I just graduated and am opting out of going to school right away. Pretty much anyone and everyone will ask me why I'm not going to school, but I think the more important question is why are you going to school? I think that theres a number of reasons people attend university right away- to achieve education, to conform to a norm, to gain the social aspect and college experience, or to extend your adolescence. I knew that I wanted to learn, but I wanted to opt out of the conventional education system. Instead I am traveling, reading, learning, working, and networking my brains out in order to experience all the things I knew I wanted to in high school but couldn't. I by no means can offer you crucial life advice, but take the damn gap year.
Go ski, play, have fun! Learn to live before you have to waste away in a classroom for another four years, wishing you could ditch on each and every snowfall.
This outlook turned me into a high caliber outlaw in the eyes of my guidance counselors, but oh my god I am happy.
People will argue that the gap year turns into two years, and then 5, and then forever, but so what? If you're doing what you love, why should it matter? School can wait. If you want the education and are willing to work for it, it can happen at any time.
This is how I felt last year and kinda do feel, most kids went to school because their parents forced them to or because they'd look bad it they didn't, something I do kinda fear as well. I didn't wanna go waste my parents money and end up coming home early or just take forever to figure my major out, and fuck student debt today, I mean sure college is a fun experience but high school was still fun and not nearly as expensive. I'm probably gonna end up in retail or work somewhere I enjoy being, even like a skate shop would be a fun full timer, otherwise I have trade school and apprenticeships.
But I graduated last year with the intent to work a good job all summer and be able to ski all winter and all that good stuff. Sadly I spent all summer doing random yard work and just little motivation, high school was hard on me academically and kinda emotionally. Got sent to comm college by parents randomly and didn't do too well because it was honestly the most pointless shit to be paying for, stopped after Christmas, and just kinda felt bad about myself because I had an awful gpa in HS with no SAT or ACT score, because I really had to focus on just passing my real classes.
But after that shit it was great, ski season was boomin and I worked my current part time job and was able to ski before or after work a lot, sadly it was on my own most of the time. But even with working I've learned how bad life can be compared to mine and its opening me up to do better for myself and always had time to just think, especially with long, lonely, but scenic drives to the hill all the time.
OP I'd say plan out your gap year to be safe, also relax because it is sssoo nice not having some bozo teacher telling me about prime numbers. Just don't get too lazy.