WHAT I WANTED WASN’T AS MUCH A “BROADENING” OF MY SPIRITUAL PERSPECTIVE AS MUCH AS A “DEEPENING.” “
A DIFFERENT PERSPECTIVE OF THE GAP YEAR In most of these articles, there’s generally an element that’s missing. They talk about deepening awareness in the “practical,” “professional” and “personal.” That’s good alliteration, but I think we can take the liberty of adding another distinct category – the spiritual. Sure, there have been some that have taken the gap year to “broaden” their spiritual perspective – that is, observing other religions and spiritual systems. So I can’t say this “spiritual” gap year idea is completely original. But as a guy heavily influenced by postmodern ideas and other belief systems, what I wanted wasn’t as much a “broadening” of my spiritual perspective as much as a “deepening.” In other words, sure, I wanted to be knowledgeable in what other religions believe, but even more than that, I wanted to learn what it truly means to be a follower of Christ and what God’s Word says. BLANK SPACE: DEFYING MYTHS ABOUT THE GAP YEAR No, not the Taylor Swift song (although I will say I cannot help but jam to that song every once in awhile). The “Blank Space” perception is the notion at the core of every myth associated with gap years. It’s the idea that all gap years are a waste of time and don’t add to your professional value in a measurable way. I can tell you, from my experience, that this couldn’t be farther from the truth. My so-called gap year is still one of the most influential years of my life – not a blank space but a bridge to my future. So let’s take a look at some of the most common myths surrounding gap years:
MYTH #1
IT WON’T ADD TO YOUR WORK EXPERIENCE / CONTRIBUTE TO YOUR RESUME
This is one of the most bogus myths about gap years. Most gap years in one way or another are actually geared towards advancing someone’s career – not just through the valuable experience of widening their perspective but actually getting their hands dirty with work. Personally, I had an awesome work experience during my gap year. I snagged different tutoring opportunities both at the Bible Institute as well as at a local school working for pay. I even got to write for our yearbook, which eventually led to my current writing job! More on that later.
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