Gap Years Exist Anytime in Your Twenties.
Your twenties can take a lot of twists and turns. One day you may be getting drinks at a dive bar and cramming for a calculus exam and the next you’re in the nine-to-five grind. Maybe you love your job, or maybe the “real world” and adulting was not exactly what you thought it was cracked out to be. The truth is, a lot of people are still figuring it out in their twenties and beyond. Many continuing to work jobs that they don’t really love. Why not step back, take a break, and try to reset where you are at as a twenty-something?
Photo by: Emma R Hoskins
While post-grad you can’t necessarily study abroad unless your work offers fellowships and sabbatical opportunities or you return to graduate school. There is a chance to take matters into your own hand, through a working holiday visa.
Working holiday visas provide the opportunity for you to live and work in another country, typically for up to a year if you are under the age of 30. Working holidays are much more than having a quarter-life crisis and moving to another country for a year. They provide ample opportunities to travel, explore, reset and grow.
In light of the recent slow travel movement working holidays provide you with the opportunity to work, play and immerse yourself in a new culture. You have the opportunity to create whatever schedule you want. Try a new job that’s a pivot from your current job, work part-time and travel on days off, or even work one month on one month off. The flexibility is endless. Allowing you to have an income while exploring a new country as opposed to working heads down to afford that trip you’ve been wanting to take abroad. You aren’t just a tourist quickly checking off all the must see’s and do’s from your list. You are fully engrained in the culture, building connections with locals and minimizing your environmental impact with faster tourism.
In the United States gap years are not as widely accepted as in Europe. For Americans, there is the traditional life path. High school, college, transition to a career, and retire. Taking a break or even trying something new for up to a year isn’t traditionally as accepted. In light of recent mass layoffs at corporations such as Google and Microsoft people, are realizing now more than ever that when it comes to working, at the end of the day you are still just a number.
While taking a working holiday visa may be met with skepticism from loved ones, it can have long-term impacts on not only your career but in your life. Often companies are more interested in people that took a break or did something different, plus it can open up new opportunities for exploration and self-discovery. Overall, sometimes being a little different or going outside the typical box can reap the most benefit in the long run.
Would you take a working holiday visa if you could, or does the thought of it terrify you?
US Working Holiday Visa Options
Age: 18 to 30
Length: 12 Months
Student Requirements: No
Age: Over 18
Length: 12 Months
Student Requirements: Yes, full-time post secondary or graduated within 12 months prior to receipt of their application *(Associate’s, Bachelor’s Master’s or Doctorate degree)
Age: 18 to 25
Length: 6 Months
Student Requirement: No
Age: 18 to 30
Length: 12 Months
Student Requirements: No
Age: 18 to 30
Length: 12 Months
Student Requirement: No
