*Note: This was originally published in 2021 on my former website.
I had no idea what I wanted to do after I graduated from university, but I knew that I was mentally, physically, and emotionally tired.
After spending 18 years in school (K-12 to university), I was exhausted and burnt out. I knew I needed some time off before I started applying for jobs in my field, so I took a break.
The decision to take a break after graduating wasn’t an easy decision to make, especially since society still expects many grads like me to find a job right after graduation. Society expects grads to follow the societal timeline of going to school, landing a job, getting married, having a family and so on.
My break lasted 11 months and in that time, I got to know myself better, what was important to me in my life, and I don’t regret any of it.
I struggled with my decision at first but as the days, weeks, and months went on, I became more comfortable with it. I soon started to see the benefits of my self-imposed break.
Time for much-needed rest and reflection
When you decide to take a break after graduation, you get so much time to think about many things like your post-secondary experience. You’ll reminisce about the all-nighters you had, the exams you fretted about, and even the embarrassing moments you had. You’ll also have so much time to sleep (this is was my favourite part of my break).
In the first few months of my break, it was summer, and I slept in a lot. I watched a lot of Netflix shows, and I caught up with friends.
While I still worked four days a week at my part-time job during my break, I still had so much time to do whatever I wanted. It was an amazing feeling to know that I didn’t have to study after a long day at work. I didn’t miss school at all!
You get to know yourself more
September was one of the harder months during my break because it was back-to-school season and many of my friends were still in school. Naturally, my friends were sharing their first day back-to-school photos and videos on Instagram.
Growing up, I was the kid who loved going to school, so not going back to school after 18 years was heartbreaking and such a strange moment. Luckily, I had anticipated I would feel this way back in July, and I made the decision to take a short trip during the first week of September to Vancouver. I spent 8 days with my sister in a new city. I went to all the tourist spots and local spots, I went to see Phum Viphurit in concert, and I met up with old high school friends who moved there.
The trip was an eye-opening experience for me as I realized just how much more of the world I wanted to see, and that I was craving more independence in my life.
It gives you insight on what matters to you in life
My break helped me realize a lot of things that matter to me in my life:
– Seeing my friends and family happy,
– Buying experiences like travelling instead of material things,
– And enjoying the little things in life and not taking life too seriously.
I’ll be honest, taking a break after graduation isn’t for everyone because everyone has their own circumstances. If you do take a break, know that you will go through a period of self-doubt and wondering if taking a break was the right decision. However, once you get over that period you’ll discover that you can use your break to do things you’ve always wanted to do.
What should you be doing during your break?
Honestly, it’s up to you and your goals with your break. My goal for my break was to rest and build up my marketing skills since I knew I wanted to apply for marketing positions after my break was done. I spent a lot of my break honing certain skills in marketing but still had plenty of time to rest and do other things.
Maybe you want to use part of your break to volunteer in your community, or to launch a passion project you’ve always wanted to do. Whatever it is, do it and then decide when you want your break to end.
So, if you’re a recent grad, consider taking a break after graduation because it doesn’t just help you rest after years of school, but it also helps you figure out what direction you want to go to next and get to know yourself better. You just finished a HUGE milestone in your life and you deserve some time off to celebrate that!
Trish types away 