Student debt so high that you can’t sleep at night because you are thinking about how much money you owe? Has studying 7 days a week stressed you out completely? If so then maybe you should consider taking the semester off from College.
Today is yet another edition of Outside The Box Thinking, a Studenomics original. If you are a new reader here then please keep in mind that the purpose of this feature is to have my readers think about concepts that may not be “popular” or “appropriate”, and concepts that most definitely will not be written about on other personal finance blogs. Anyways it’s time for me to list the advantages of taking the semester off from College:
Pay down your student debt. It’s easy to judge and say that taking a semester is a waste of time but what about if you’re one of those students that are forced to fund their education through loans? Some students are fortunate enough to have their parents subsidize all of their education costs, but if you are all on your own and stuck with all of the costs then don’t let anyone judge you. Do what’s best for you and if you truly feel that you need to pay off that student debt a little bit because it is growing to a ridiculous level, then do so.
Recharge. Each College Program has its own level of intensity and difficulty, with some programs being extremely stressful. If you feel that the stress is affecting your health in a negative way then take some time off to allow your body to recharge. Think of the many long term benefits of allowing yourself to prevent mental burnout.
Work in the field. Some career fields are difficult to get into so if you want to get ahead of the competition then you should try finding volunteer work or an internship in your field of study for a semester. Not only will you gain valuable experience but you will have some nice qualifications on your resume. Some programs also have peak periods where it is easier to find work, for example, if you are an accounting student then taking the winter semester off to work would make perfect sense because of tax season.
You have lost interest. This can happen to anyone and in fact has happened to me before. One semester I had so much going on in my life and the courses were so bland that I simply lost interest. I stuck it through to the end and passed all my courses but when it was all said and done I regretted not taking the semester off. Mainly because my grades were not as high as I would like them to be and I did not retain enough information to make the semester seem valuable. When you are not focused and passionate about something then what’s the point of lying to yourself? If you are not happy studying the subject chances are you will not enjoy working in the field for the rest of your life.
That is all for this edition of Outside the Box Thinking. If you are a new reader at Studenomics then please consider subscribing to my feed. Keep in mind that the purpose of this feature is to show everyone that it is okay to think differently or try something new. Please feel free to debate this article or to share your thoughts by commenting. Remember that you will not be judged here.
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I think there are a lot of people like me that took off a semester or two, whether they wanted to or not. For me I changed my major and school during that time off and came back wanting the degree I was working towards as opposed to before just going after a peice of paper. Now it has paid off greatly and worked out well for me.
Really I would classify myself in the last point “lost interest”. It would be good for some students to take a chance to re-evaluate their interests and reasons for college and where they think the degree will take them in the 30 year future.
That’s some great advice Philip. I’m sure you will agree that there is no greater feeling than obtaining a degree in a field that actually has you motivated to work. It’s good to hear it worked out for you and that you did what was best for your life and career.
When you lose interest you should really take a moment to re-evaluate the situation like you have mentioned. You should think whether this field is really for you and if you could picture yourself doing the work every single day for the rest of your life. If that thought scares you then clearly the field is not for you.
I’m a big proponent of taking a semester or a year off if there’s a reason for doing so, although I suspect I’m in the minority. Higher education isn’t something to rush through or just a hurdle you need to pass before “real” life begins. If your goal is to get it over with asap, you’re probably missing out on a lot.
My cousin recently asked me about taking a year off- her parent’s almost flipped when she suggested it, saying “If you stop, you might never go back!”. My response was “So what?” There’s no point in pushing forward if you’re burnt out or unsure about your chosen field. If you want to return, you’ll return. If not, you’re better off for it.
I got to admit that I sometimes find myself in the category of wanting to rush through school. I’m always thinking about how much money I could be earning by working and the money I will earn when I do graduate. Lately I have been working on improving this. I have come to realize that I may only have one shot at education so I might as well try to extract as much value out of it as possible. I have joined more groups, gotten more involved, attended more meetings, and networked more.
It’s easy to try to force someone to stay in school or judge someone for dropping out of a program when you don’t know what they’re going through. Do what’s best for you and your career, do not let anyone judge you.
This is exactly what happened to me, and now that I’m nearing graduation, I think that it was the exact right thing for me to do. Thanks for writing about this!
@Stephanie PTY I didn’t exactly take a semester off from College but what I did was I took a full course load one summer so that the next winter I would have the semester off. This was very beneficial for me because a. There were not many young people working that semester so I was able to earn some decent money. b. It was a chance to save some money and increase my savings before I went back in September.
I am planning on taking next semester off as I have come to realize that I am no longer motivated in the major which I am studying now. I want to take it off to figure out what I really want to do with me life. Alot of people say that I will never go back, or I will be so far behind. Another thing that concerns me is that I will lose my insurance by taking the semester off. Any suggestions?
You can always purchase insurance independently. That shouldn’t be your deciding factor here.
Perhaps you are simply overwhelmed at the moment. Exams, papers, and the end of term can generally be very stressful. You could use the upcoming holidays to clear your head and figure out where you stand in life.
I hope this helps. Thanks for coming by Alexa.
I am totally burnt out with school, I love my school, I really want to get my degree from here but lately because of a lot of family issue and my mother is driving me crazy, I just want to run away from everything. I told my friend I was thinking about taking time off, she told me she thinks i need it cus its sounds like im getting depressed, she suggested I do something that looks good on my resume not just stay home with my crazy mom. I want to get a way from this place and especially my mother, but telling her is the probably the toughest part considering she is an african parent! o lordy! i dont know what to do.
Hey there Nikkie!
Here is my question to you: what will you do when you take time off? Sitting at home will not solve your problems. Maybe you could take a semester off to work full time or to try to start a business? I’ve personally found myself that taking time off to be idle doesn’t really solve much.
Thanks man, this article couldn’t have come at a better time. I told my folks I am going to take a semester off and they literally flipped and now everyone’s blowing up my phone talking about its a bad idea. Only 1 of my friends actually told me to do what’s best for me and my parents fail to realize that. I’ve been so stressed with school, I’m depressed almost all the time. Not to mention I got a scholarship after coming from a bad university and ended up losing it that same semester. I’d rather try to pick up a job and pay for school myself rather than take out any more loans. The more people try to force me to go back, the worse I do. At least if I have a job, I can have my books etc. early and really come in enthusiastic about learning and trying to get ahead
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