Career Exploration and Development

Service or Gap Year

Gap year opportunities (also called term of service or year of service opportunities) refer to a prolonged period (often, but not always, a year) between a life-stage, when students undertake some form of work or service experience. College students and recent college graduates tend to be a large percentage of the participants in these programs. Students will often take a year off from their studies to take part in one of these programs, or will participate after completing their degree. These programs are popular with students upon graduation, since they can provide a great entry-level experience in a variety of fields, or provide a transitional year before continuing further studies. From battling HIV in Africa to saving endangered species in Alaska, there are literally thousands of interesting ways to spend a year serving, while gaining experience and learning more about yourself and your world.

Review the resource guides to the right to learn more about the many gap year opportunities available domestically and worldwide. Also, visit the Career Development Center or call 440-775-8140 to schedule a meeting to discuss gap year experiences with an advisor.


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