In some countries young people are encouraged to work or travel for a year between finishing high school and starting university studies. Discuss the advantages and disadvantages for young people who decide to do this .

There are pros and cons for students to take a gap year before pursuing

further

education, whilst youth are able to expand their horizons by travelling and gaining working experience, there are some drawbacks that should not be overlooked, including the delay of graduation and financial difficulties caused by travelling. On the bright side, there are advantages derived from a year off before the study at educational institutions,

such

as learning about different cultures and making friends from different nations, which helps them to demolish discrimination based on different races and cultures.

For example

, many universities in Taiwan are in favour of providing exchange student programs, enhancing the acquisition of different experiences. On top of that, there are some positive effects provoked by those who take gap years to gain working experience in industries that correlate to their faculties in the academy, including cultivating practical skills from workplaces

as well as

building social networks.

On the other hand

, it is true that some downside could be fostered by

such

activities, first of all, people who take

time

off will need a longer period to finish their degree compared to their peers, which will cause them anxiety about not being able to catch up with others.

For example

, the majority of those who take a gap year will fall behind their high school classmate in universities,

in other words

, by the

time

their friends graduated, they need to continue their studying.

Secondly

, travelling could cost a great amount of money, and lead to a financial burden for young people who need a long period of

time

to pay off their debts.

Such

phenomena could cause social issues since they may not be able to ensure themselves a stable life or be able to plan their later life. To summarise, there are many advantages for young individuals to take

time

off before continuing

further

education,

however

, it is inevitable that

such

decisions could lead to various disadvantages which provoke negative impacts on both individuals and societies.