My Thing With Gap Years...
Over the years, there has been this off-and-on relationship between me and gap years. It’s something I employ from time to time to catch my breath whenever I have done something particularly tasking. And in this case, as in most cases for me, it’s schooling.
For as long as I can remember, I’ve always had gap years in my academic career. I think the earliest I got was after my Common Entrance in primary six, I waited for some time before getting into JSS1. I don’t think I waited up to a year though. I was transitioning from a private school to a government school and the process was backbreaking. It took a long time, but I started school eventually.
Now that I think of it, I guess that must have been the genesis of it all for me. I’ve never seen schooling as something to rush, you take it at your own pace and have a great time while you’re at it. Back then, many of my friends all wanted to “get this done with”. It was like a race against time, and I was just not cut out for it all. I’ve always been taking things one step at a time and at the pace I want.
After Junior WAEC, I stayed home some more, but that was expected. I still didn’t stay for up to a year because I didn’t have a reason not to. Once the new session began, I turned up for the start of my SS1 classes. And it was after I was done with senior secondary school that the gap year thing started getting to me.
By the time I was in SS2, a lot of my classmates had already taken senior WAEC and NECO, and they passed with good grades. Then in SS3, while the rest of us were preparing for our own WAEC, they were preparing for JAMB. For me, I never really saw the point of the rush, the same way I never saw the point of writing multiple exams that only served the same purpose. One of my friends then wrote WAEC, NECO, and GCE, all in one year! Like… come on!!!
I saw it as suffering joor and I avoided it like a plague, I just focused all my energy on my WAEC and prayed like hell that I aced it. People always said it was good to have a backup, that’s what the other exams were for. I didn’t have a backup plan, if my only plan failed then I was in hot soup! Thankfully, it didn’t fail. I made my papers and I didn’t have to rewrite WAEC.
This was the point where I took my first full gap year. While many of my friends started applying to universities, I stayed back at home. The idea of leaving one school and running off to another didn’t make a lot of sense to me. I was going to stay home and rest before attempting to go to the university. I stayed back one year, and a few months in I got bored and decided to get a job, which is how I landed that phone company I told you about. It was around that time that the year rounded up and I started preparing for school.
I tried the first time, but it didn’t work, so I waited an extra year. The second time I tried, I got my admission which I’m still studying at the moment. I’m at a polytechnic, and I should have been in the final semester of my final year. But no, the gap year syndrome got me again!
After ND, all students are required to go for a compulsory one-year IT. I made mine two years! It was a personal decision because after all the shege that ND showed me, it would have been stupid of me to return without some fortification of both mind and body. So, I took an extra year off so I’ll be ready both mentally and physically.
I used that opportunity to build my brand as a writer and learn many of the skills that I put to good use today. So, I resumed last year and while it’s stressful as expected, I’m not tired just yet. I believe I’ve rested enough for me to get tired so early in the game.
That’s me and my gap years so far, and then, with the way things are going, I might even take a gap year before service. Because why not? With all the stress that will come with leaving this school and being a final year, I’ll need to rest properly before I move on to that next stage. Besides, I’ll need to save up some money. After all, to serve Nigeria is not cheap. Those things you’ll have to buy will cost an arm and a leg, and even more, if you have no accommodation plans.
But that is something for the future.
This is how I’ve always lived my life, one step at a time. I’ve never seen the need to rush or anything. I just do my thing and hope for the best all the time. For months now, many of my mates (from secondary school) have been graduating. Many of them were going off to service and many more were signing out of their institutions. I’m happy for them, really.
We all have a different time stamp and for me, I’m just not rushing it. Everyone moves at their frequency, and I’m no different. This is how life should be, you just do what you want, when you want, and how you want. Don’t let society tell you how to live your life. And this is not just kept to schooling for me, I apply it in other areas of my life as well. If things are so rushed that they won’t give me time to think, I’ll just take a step back.
Some people thrive in such situations, but not me. I’ll keep taking it easy because this world is stressful as hell and I’m not the one that’s going to make it harder on myself. I won’t let pressure get to me, I’ll keep chasing my dreams at my own pace, and the only person I’ll ever strive to be better than is who I was yesterday.
So help me God.
I did not have much gap year until after secondary school and honestly, there is nothing to rush when it comes to education.
I am one of those who wrote exams (GCE) in SS2 and the purpose was to be familiar with the Waec standard of conducting examination which turned out positively because I wasn't expecting to pass but I still went on to write Waec in SS3.
Gap times aren't only in education, I refer to that period as a waiting time in life. It is a time to empower myself and also prepare for what's ahead.
Indeed... the struggle never ends, so if you don't take out time to rest or try something different, you'll find yourself always working and struggling. This is not a happy thing at all.
Wow
I never had a gap year until I finished my university program. I went to an Arts academy after university and that was the only gap year I had.
Omo you've had so many gap years but I'm glad you did something reasonable with the time
Nice!
Omo... no joy😂
You went through everything back to back! That's impressive!
You've done well!
Living life one step at a time, especially in this out educational system, is not a wrong approach at all. The stress associated with schooling can be frustrating, especially when financial stability is a challenge.
The fact that the year spent home wasn't a waste adds meaning to the gap. Rushing through graduation without acquiring the knowledge and experiences you have gained would have likely made life much tougher.
When you come in contact with people stress of school have shown shege, it might make you wonder if this educational system is truly meant for all.
Omo... school is just too stressful joor, that is enough reason to keep you away and to make you rest. Unless the person too like suffer.
Hahaha. Those that are for the first class cert won't be happy to hear this. 😆😆
To be honest I don't know too much about the academic educational systems. So ,I think I need to know about it before understand this post.
But I understood one thing 😅. It's about gaps🤣. In your life you lost many years because of it and most possibly it's the main point of your article.
Hehe...😂
There's nothing much to it. I don't even consider those years as lost, because I made sure to do something tangible with them.
At some point In life it is necessary to take a break because at the end of the day, you are the one going into it and you know your self better. Your success and failure is somehow determinant on the mental health you enter with