Pete Robbins ’12, Bachelor Editor – As part of the first Wabash CareerFest, Assistant Director of Career Services James Jeffries, Assistant Professor of Psychology Eric Olofson and Spencer Peters ’14 led an information seminar Wednesday about gap years. The presentation divided gap year programs into six categories: travel, fellowships, entrepreneur, art, teaching and nonprofit.
Peters explained some of the things students can accomplish with a gap year.
“If you know what you want, this is when you can further your progress toward getting there,” Peters said. “And if you don’t, the gap year is when you can find out what you want to do.”
Jeffries elaborated for those who are undecided about their future careers.
“If you don’t know what you want to do as a career, that’s fine,” Jeffries said. “There are lots and lots of options for you, even if you haven’t even figured out roughly what you want to do. But there are also some very unproductive things to do with your time. You don’t have to have it all figured out, but you should move forward prudently as you figure out your plan.”
Olofson shared his experience with Americorps, part of the travel category, with those in attendance.
“Through Americorps VISTA (Volunteers in Service to America), I created a mentoring program in Morehead, MN and made sure it was sustainable by connecting it to a curriculum,” Olofson said. “But I’m also an advocate for Americorps not just for career building. For those who are thinking, ‘I’m not ready to start my career, and I know I won’t have another opportunity to do something like this,’ Americorps is perfect.”
Olofson explained that through Americorps, students can get their loans deferred, as well as receive $5,200 of education credit which can be applied to their loans. He also offered guidance for those students interested in fellowships, as he is the Chair of the Graduate Fellowship Committee. He mentioned the prestigious Fulbright program in particular.
“If you have a passion for something that doesn’t fit in a traditional academic program, fellowships are a great way to go,” Olofson said.
Jeffries also urged students to look into post-graduate internships, which are popular with many companies given the poor economy, particularly in sectors like advertising.
