Schoolies vs. Gap Year: Which One Is Worth It?

Schools out. Lockdowns are ending. It's time to sink some beers and celebrate!!!... But hang on... what should I actually do?

Do you take your friends' parents' yacht around the Caribbean while drinking exclusively Grey Goose? Do you go to the Gold Coast like everyone else and play Kings Cup in the hotel room before clubs open? Or do you forget to plan at all and decide that your Grandpa’s farm will probably do?

Then again, what about skipping all that for a gap year...? Three months overseas sounds pretty red hot. Or six. Or literally fleeing the country, leaving no trace of your existence. (Flights are opening up baby!!! The world is your oyster!)

Ok ok ok. What do I choose? Schoolies or a gap year?? We're here to help. 

Gap Year

Pros

An entire year of (almost) complete freedom is such an exciting opportunity, and one that doesn’t come around often.

You get this massive amount of time to work your butt off, pursue your passions and potentially travel the world. It can be as cheap as you need it to be and there’s a tonne of places you can travel on a budget (check some out here)- Europe or Asia are popular options depending on the amount of cash you have. Working full time is a always a solid option or you can try out a heap of different things like short courses and volunteering.

Having a year off study also gives you valuable time to just think and make choices untouched by the stress of schooling. It’s time for you to figure out your own head and what you genuinely enjoy, without having to deal with the pressure of writing an essay about it or sitting an exam.

Cons

Honestly, there’s moments during gap years that can feel a bit isolating. While you do have a lot of freedom, that freedom can make it feel as though you’re being left behind by your mates who are all slogging through their degrees or just generally appearing to get their shit together.

Also, the idea of no studying can sound cool, but it’s also hard to remember that when you’re polishing your 320th piece of cutlery to save for your Europe trip that’s still four months away.

The verdict?

Honestly, the pros for both doing schoolies and having a gap year far out-weigh the cons. Both experiences are exciting and worthwhile and most likely worth the money you’re going to fork out.

If you can afford it, look to this image for some final inspiration:

When it comes to money, saving for travel can be frazzzzling! School doesn't really teach ya how to actually use money in everyday life...eek! 😵‍💫 That’s why we’ve teamed up with Westpac to give you the rundown on earning, spending, and saving your money in the big wide world. Suss it out here!