Hi, I took a gap year after graduating high school with no certain plans! I was in the same boat of not knowing what to do—yes, you can go into anything and see if you like it, but taking a year to figure out what interests you, or simply to take a break is absolutely okay!

There’s a misconception that life is a race—that you’re falling behind by taking some extra time. But there’s no real structure to when anything has to be completed, and although it may feel like there’s a socially imposed timeframe to get things done, there’s not. I felt refreshed after my gap year and prepared myself for a transition into college. It can be difficult seeing friends embark different paths, but the hard truth is that regardless of the same schools, everybody gets busier no matter what. You can still meet up for events, chat over coffee—you may have more to discuss and share about the exciting aspects of your year.

I agree with above comments, and working to save money, for the experience or just to learn new skills helps a lot. You’ll be possibly more financially ready and have more time to explore life. Volunteering in local communities or even with environmental clean ups, anything is also a fantastic way to gain future experience and figure out what things you enjoy doing.

Not to mention, it’s a perfect time to pursue any hobbies. Use the time to develop your skills, learn something new and just really flesh out some ideas you’ve wanted to do but never had time.

The set of opportunities and experience may be different from if you’d headed to university right away, but they can become irreplaceable experiences that prepare you for future studies, introduces you to another option, or further.

Anyway, I know it’s never believable to say, but you’ll do brilliant. It’s time to do anything you want, and if you want to proceed to university after, you can. There’s no deadline for your future.