Director Oxford U Careers Service, FT’s career columnist, Chair of Skylark Works, New College Tutor for Welfare, & author
What's the rush? 😌 or No time to waste? ⏱ For this final year student, should she get straight on to a job? or take a gap year to explore options 🌏 other than a corporate role which she feels pressure from her family to do? What would you advise? What did you do and do you wish you'd done the other? Share your advice on the #ft #workandcareers #dearjonathan column - and send in your own Q to dear.jonathan@ft.com #gapyear #parentalpressure #familyexpectation #corporaterole
Hanlie du Plessis
11mo
Lydia A. Kan The key is ‘why not’? Or ‘What is stopping you’? Assuming a (as mentioned privileged) position where this is a (financial) option then it seems from what we know that the biggest obstacle could be the pressure and expectations of the reader’s family. I suspect the reader KNOWS what she wants to do : she wants to explore other ‘options’. I also suspect she knows all the ‘pros’s and cons’ including the advice above-how difficult a career break is; corporate environment for women; engrained gender bias in some settings. What is holding her back?
Jonathan Black It sounds as if this reader needs clarity on what she wants to do next. She is torn between the options and also under pressure from her parents. At these points of major transition in life it can be overwhelming. I see it when colleagues struggle to decide on medical careers; moving jobs; returning from maternity leave. People can be severely limited by options due to family and financial constraints. Others can be paralysed with too many choices. We don’t know what her financial situation is and fiscal responsibility remains important- especially if you have dependants! In my experience she needs coaching- more than advice- to crystallise her own thoughts in a safe and unbiased environment. This would give her the courage to pursue the next step. As for my own life: over twenty years ago I also wanted to go on a gap year before starting medical school in South Africa. I only ever wanted to study medicine and had worked very hard for my place. My father said an emphatic :’No!’ Little could we have known that a mere year’s delay in qualifying would have changed the landscape of working in and ultimately settling in the UK.
Charles Hardy
11mo
It's a good question for people to reflect on, and determine what is right for them at that specific time in their life. What is right for one is not right for another. I took a year out between school and university and it was one of the best decisions I've ever made. I got some part-time jobs, earned some money, travelled a little bit, took a break mentally from the rat-race that is Alevels-degree-work. I recognise that not everyone can and not everyone wants to or needs to. But it does get harder and harder to do once you're into your career.
Sharon Bebington
11mo
This is a question, I'm sure, only some of us have the privilege to ponder. That said, this isn't the readers problem. Why not take a year off just for yourself and maybe do as Lydia suggests. One thing is for sure, once you start on the road to a career or begin to raise a family, having this kind of opportunity will become harder.
Strategic Business Advisor and Leadership Specialist
1yThe reader asked: "I’m starting my final year of university and there is a lot of pressure on me from my family to apply for a corporate job. I see myself potentially enjoying a corporate role, but I am considering taking a gap year to explore other options. Is this a good strategy, or is it best to start working immediately after I graduate?" Female, 20s My response: "Your excellent question is one many women in the world cannot - for financial or cultural reasons - ask at 21-ish. Not needing a job immediately to pay off education debt or to earn to provide for others is indeed a privilege. Why not add to your richness with a self-funded gap year combining work, travel, and adventure?"