To Gap or Not to Gap, that is the question, and for the 200,000 British 18-25 year olds who take time out each year it is seemingly a very relevant one to our modern society. Deferring places at university, taking a year out to volunteer abroad, or simply making a career break are becoming increasingly popular choices as opposed to soldiering on through the production line of what is essentially 17 years of education by the time one has completed a standard degree course.

We are witnessing a blurring of conventional attitudes towards what was formerly perceived as a standard career path into successful employment prospects. A degree, even from a well reputed red brick university, these days no longer stands upright by itself as a way of distinguishing a candidate from their peers. In the eyes of an employer, a degree simply shows that you have applied yourself academically to set deadlines and have seen the course through to the end which illustrates discipline and commitment, both admirable virtues to be sure - but a degree by its nature is theoretical, and specialised towards one area of study and therefore is not always relevant to work skills required in practical real life situations.

Consequently, notions of the “correct path” through education and into employment are blurring in relation to simultaneously changing attitudes of employers towards prospective candidates for their workplace. A gap year offers so much by way of filling in the potential cracks that might just hinder your venture into employment. Provided you do not simply have a “rest” for twelve months, the discipline, responsibility and self motivation that go into undertaking a year out, perhaps travelling or making money, mean that you are demonstrating valuable and desirable qualities of being a mature and independent individual. Alexis, 23, says that although gap years are not necessarily the right choice for everyone, “it might broaden your mind. A gap year is something you’ll remember for the rest of your life, be it good or bad and lifelong memories cannot be bought”.

On the other side of the coin are factors that go beyond the simple idea of getting off the educational treadmill for a year before university, because gap years are not necessarily confined to this phase of your life. Individuals such as myself, who, despite having until this point have never felt the need or desire to have one, do not necessarily rule out the idea of travelling or volunteering later in life. However, it is worth noting also that a major factor for this category of 'non-gappers' is lack of funds, or perhaps a hesitancy that goes hand in hand with youth and naivety. Holly, 21, admits that she has “no regrets about not taking a gap year before university; I would have been worried about drifting and not returning to my studies. If I was going to take a gap year it would be now, before the career job falls into place. If money wasn’t an issue I would love to travel throughout more of Italy and perhaps further across Europe. In my case I wouldn’t want to travel alone, but then there is the problem of finding someone who has enough money, and the same goals in terms of where to go and what to see.”

It is important, however, that you do utilise the time effectively whatever you decide to do, thus avoiding the awkward question of, “And what have you been up to for the past year?” Employers will not be impressed by someone who has simply drifted through a calendar year because they had nothing else in mind at the time! A gap year can offer an interesting supplementary dimension to your CV even if you are a top scoring first class candidate, because it is important to hold interests beyond study in order to demonstrate that you are a well rounded, socially confident individual who has experienced some of the world besides the safe confines of educational institutions. Len, 21, has just completed her first three years of a degree in architecture, and knowing that the next stage is a further two years of study that will lead into employment, wants to take some time out before continuing with her career path. She is currently working in order to build funds that will allow her to embark on travelling later this year, and decided to take a gap year “to sort my head out, realise what I want to do, do something exciting and challenging which has the possibility to change my life in an unknown way”.

Travelling, working, or volunteering all offer mind-expanding new experiences and going abroad often offers cultural awareness that brings with it a maturity that cannot be underestimated in terms of preparing you for the big wide world. Opportunities abroad are particularly attractive for 'gappers' because of the increasingly cheap and convenient travel options available for accessing locations all over the world - even if you are taking time out to earn money, why not do it in an exotic location beyond the safe confines of your home town and have something new to talk about on your CV? Admittedly it can be a difficult make or break decision after A-levels whether to take a Gap Year or not. I recall abundant college visits to careers fairs in preparation for university applications, where the idea was repeatedly pitched to us that a year out would be the adventure of a lifetime before moving onto higher education. But even then, a mere three years ago, the perspective on gap years was quite different to the credibility they hold today.

Back in 2003 most people it seemed, still viewed them with a degree of scepticism as to how useful they would be career-wise. Friends of mine who seemed at the time hell bent on taking a gap year eventually bowed out and followed the path straight into their degree instead. Now it seems to be a growing trend to take time out, however, and in Britain up to 40,000 school leavers who already have a university place will defer for a year to go travelling or earning instead; others end up waiting a year to apply for university because they are not assured of getting the right grades at A-level, and a bulk of school leavers take a gap year for want of a better plan. These options are all fine in principle, but only so long as you go on to make your time count.