Take a year out
Thursday 3 August 2006
When A-levels finish and the results come through, there can be a lot of pressure on you.
People want to know what your plans are, but the truth might be that you haven't really made any.
Not all people who've done their A-levels jump straight into uni. We talk to two readers who decided to have a bit of breathing space once the results were in.
Island hopping
Claire, 19, wanted to see a bit of the world before heading to uni.
"I wanted to go island hopping around the Greek islands and earn a bit of money at the same time before starting my English degree.
Nice little earner
Me and a friend decided we'd treat it like a working holiday. It'd be nice to earn cash but didn't expect to come back with buckets; just enough to live on would be OK.
Let's get started
We did all sorts of stuff: housekeeping, bar work, even a little stint of helping out in a school. It's such a gorgeous country and each island has its own special characteristics. It was an amazing experience and when I came back I was relaxed and happy and ready to get started."
Work it
Robbie, also 19, decided that he wasn't quite ready to jump straight into a degree at university.
"I decided I wanted to earn a bit of extra money before going to uni. People told me that it's good to have savings or some kind of financial back-up at uni and I didn't want to be left short. I didn't want to work in the UK though; I thought I should try and get out of the country while I had the chance.
So fine
I still wanted to do something to do with my degree, though, and because I was going on to study Fine Arts Valuation, I got a job in an art gallery in Australia. At first I was just humping sculptures about and unloading stuff, but soon I was being asked my opinion by both my employers and customers and I found my knowledge improving. I then took three months to travel around that amazing country!
Got the edge
I'm glad I took the year because it means that I've had a taste of what working full-time might be like when I leave university and I got to see Australia, which is spectacular. I've also got some cash in my pocket and an edge on some of the people I'll be starting my course with in October!"
Doing your bit
Our gap year blogger Lani spent her time after her A-levels in Ecuador volunteering. Read her amazing story.
Over to you
Did you take a year off after school or college? What did you get up to? Let us know on our contact form or send us an email.
