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Focus only on your own growth.
GapYear is a time for growth and happiness.
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Hell Joseon — even the color of spoons, and building up resumesYoung people in South Korea are really busy these days and very anxious about an uncertain future. I'm the same. But rather than looking at my future short-sightedly or viewing our country negatively, if we share, show consideration, and make efforts together for the future and for each other's happiness, wouldn't Korea become a happier place? A young person positively impacting the world / Im Chung-man, a gap year participant (gapper) |
59th Gap Year Tribe — GapperIm Chung-man
Gap year period:July 2014–August 2016 (a total of 26 months)
1,200 km pilgrimage over 50 days
Currently, South Korea is:
Each year 60,000 middle and high school students drop out, 346,000 people in their twenties have no dreams and just idle, and the job turnover rate within one year of employment has entered the 40% range,75% of university students are not satisfied with university life, and over 80% of employees say they do not feel happy.Many people tell them to 'dream,' but to address this problem that lacks practical methods and support,we aim to introduce the 'gap year' to South Korea.
Gap year (Gapyear)is a period for combining or temporarily pausing studies and work to engage in various activities such as volunteering, travel, internships, education, and starting a business,It is a time to set the direction for the future and is a cultural practice recommended in the U.S., Europe, Japan, and elsewhere.
*Check out the variety of experiences on the Gap Year homepage!(click)
# I had no idea what dreams I wanted to pursue or what career to choose.
Until recently, during a two-year leave of absence I was able to freely try the things I wanted. The reason I took a two-year leave with one semester remaining was mainly because I regretted not having many varied experiences due to preparing three times for the college entrance exam and a transfer in my early twenties. I chose the science track because I liked math, but after taking the entrance exam and trying to decide on a major, I couldn't decide which major to choose.I had no idea what dreams I wanted to pursue or what career to choose. I thought about it a lot, but I had no sense of what I liked or what I was good at.
At that time, I think getting more varied experiences and reading more books would have actually helped me find a career path, but because I only focused on the immediate entrance exam, I couldn't see a clear direction. When I was retaking the exam alone, I sometimes became very depressed, so for the third time I attended a cram school while preparing.
Even on the third exam there wasn't much improvement in my score, but without a clear goal I couldn't keep preparing for the entrance exam, so I chose a university and department according to my score. However, once I started attending that school, I found the mismatched studies even harder. I still had lingering attachment to the entrance exams, and only then did I realize I liked English and began to find direction for my dream and prepare for a transfer.
Transfer exams heavily emphasize English, so I decided to prepare. I decided to change from the ill-fitting electrical engineering department to either business administration or English literature.At that time, my dream was to become someone who helps students who, like me, are uncertain about their dreams or career paths. To do that, I thought I needed to be a role model for someone, so I began to study hard.
After preparing for the first six months for transfer, I failed all the first exams. But this time my goals and dreams were clear, so I could be more motivated and focus on studying. I felt like I was letting my parents down, so until May I worked part-time while earning tuition and studying, and after that I focused on studyingI enrolled in the university I wanted after seven years. After attending three semesters and before my final semester, I chose to take a leave of absence to experience the world outside the well.
# Raising money for a gap year
I didn't receive an allowance when I was young. My parents only gave me money for meals and transportation when necessary, and from age 20 I always worked part-time jobs at pet groomers, PC bangs, restaurants, wedding halls, hotels, and so on. However, from age 24 while preparing for the transfer they gave me a small allowance.
While preparing for the transfer, I saved about 7 million won through part-time work. Feeling really sorry toward my parents, I started earning money for the transfer academy fees; during my studies my parents covered the academy fees, and because I had no opportunity to spend money while studying, I saved steadily. The money I saved was used for living expenses after passing the transfer and for a London internship and travel in Europe.
After that, I worked as an intern in the university's international office for six months to earn living expenses. What made the international office internship better than other part-time jobs was that I was responsible for assisting foreign students on campus, so I could meet students from various countries and become friendly with them. As a result, while handling administrative tasks I was able to use foreign languages and learn about their cultures, which was meaningful and allowed me to earn the amount of money I needed.
# My lifeI decided there was no need to compare myself to anyone and to spend my time wisely.
After taking the college entrance exam three times and entering school, I was relatively older than others. Since I had also prepared for transfer admission, I was truly among the older students at school. Having a gap year made me anxious at times because I was always older than others in extracurricular activities and other programs.
My close friends and younger peers began to get jobs one by one, and I worried whether, having taken a gap year, I could find a respectable job at a relatively later age and live well. Above all, I often wondered whether choosing this path would make me happy.
I was scared, but I believed in myself. Comparing myself to others right now could make me anxious about starting late, but I decided that since this is my life, rather than comparing myself to someone else, if I find what I truly want and am good at and live each day meaningfully, my life will never feel wasted and I won't need to compare myself to anyone. I resolved to cherish the time given to me.
#I wanted to take on unique challenges and meet a more diverse range of people rather than go on a predictable trip.
After a one-semester leave of absence, I applied for a winter 2015 internship program in London and visited a European country for the first time. As a business major, visiting the birthplace of the Industrial Revolution in the United Kingdom was an opportunity to experience the culture of a developed country firsthand, and I also prepared to take the dream solo trip around Europe before I began serious job hunting.
For about a month, I interned in the marketing team of an education company on weekdays, and on weekends I traveled to nearby towns or explored central London. The UK is famous for its museums, many of which have free admission, so I visited them often.Traveling around central London, I experienced culture and art, and interning in the marketing team allowed me to directly feel and experience the company atmosphere — a valuable experience.
During the London internship and the trip with my friend, I came to appreciate and feel joy for the precious people in my life.
After the internship ended, while traveling in Barcelona I decided to walk the Camino de Santiago from León to Santiago de Compostela — about 300 km.The remaining timeI wanted to meet more diverse people and take on unusual challenges rather than go on a predictable trip.Also, since I had been serving as an accompanist at church since I was 20, I wanted to walk the places where Jacob, one of Jesus' disciples, preached the gospel.
On the first day, not knowing anything, I walked 50 km over 12 hours and suffered severe foot pain as an aftereffect. Still, while walking the Camino de Santiago I met people from various countries, listened to their lives, and had time to share my values and life with theirs. And finally...When I arrived at my destination, the Santiago Cathedral, three things came to mind first.
Grateful to my parents for my health
Precious relationships
The next item on my bucket list
In fact, the things I felt during the journey were far more valuable and longer-lasting than the brief sense of accomplishment upon arrival. However, after returning home and starting serious job hunting, the lingering feelings from the pilgrimage gradually faded.
# Reply 1988
Everything I learned and experienced during my gap year might have been for the project I am about to describe. After walking part of the pilgrimage last year, I always kept in my heart the desire to come back someday. I also had the regret of not completing the full course, andI wanted to walk again, meet and interact with diverse people, and grow through personal challenges.
Then I suddenly wondered, 'Can I go not later but right now?' I began to think about whether I could share what I had felt with more people and whether it could help someone else, andI thought about reflecting everything I experienced during the gap year. I ultimately decided to both travel and run a project that, through putting what I had learned into practice, could help someone. I thought about what I liked, what I was good at, and what could serve the public.
As someone born in 1988, I participated in the 88th blood donation event, and the pilgrimage reminded me of roughly 800 km. I began to think about collecting 88 blood donation cards and donating them to children with cancer while promoting the gratitude of being able to walk and the joy of travel. I had once heard that our country lacks blood donors and sometimes imports blood, and that there are many tragic deaths among children with cancer because there are few bone marrow donors despite technological advances. So, to raise awareness about blood donation and with the hope that, through my small help, children with cancer could be fully cured and also be able to study and travel like us, I started preparing to walk the pilgrimage once more.
At that time, the drama 'Reply 1988' was wildly popular, so I named the project 'Reply 1988'.
Departed for Barcelona on February 29, traveled to St. Jean Pied de Port, and began walking on March 3.I walked the pilgrimage routes for about 50 days: 800 km on the French Way to Santiago, 120 km to Fisterra and Muxía, and 260 km on the Portuguese Way, totaling approximately 1,200 km.During that time, I met not only Spanish friends but also Korean friends and people from all over the world, shared their values and cultures, and learned about the world, and at times...Walking alone, I was able to reflect on my past life and think about and organize my thoughts on my future dreams and career.
It was a pilgrimage started with good intentions and was joyful and pleasant, but it wasn't always easy. Crossing the Pyrenees on the first day was a major challenge. Although March is a transitional season, Spain is known for intense sun, so I packed mostly thin clothes to reduce backpack weight, but the weather was truly fickle with snow and wind-driven rain. When crossing the mountains, it was hard to see because of the snow and wind, and the steep slopes and accumulated snow caused several near-slips that made me fear for my life. Some pilgrims, due to the severe weather, left the mountains and traveled by car with help from local residents on the road.
Still, the trip left more memories than hardships. I met several friends taking a gap year: an older brother who came to walk the pilgrimage before studying in the UK, a younger brother who came before enlisting in the military, a younger brother who had repeatedly failed and came to recharge his energy to restart, a younger brother traveling the world after finishing a working holiday in Australia, and juniors who took their first international trip at 20 to walk the 800 km pilgrimage. Eating dinner and talking with them was a time when I learned a lot from them and grew as well.
In my case, the goal was not simply to complete the pilgrimage; I had a project I prepared myself, so I publicly pledged on the app BigWalk, which accumulates virtual currency called 1noon for every 10 meters walked that can be donated. Over about 50 days walking the Santiago pilgrimage, I promoted blood donation and bone marrow donation and asked for participation, and although there were many times I wanted to give up because it was hard, I often thought of the people who cheered me on along the way...I often thought of the people who walked with me. I also thought a lot about those who are unhealthy and have difficulty walking. Though my steps were small, I walked and walked hoping they would help them even a little.
As time passed, more and more people cheered me on and donated blood donation certificates, and seeing people one by one also agree to participate in organ donation made me truly proud and became the driving force that allowed me to keep walking.When the pilgrimage ended, a total of 2,106 people participated in the project, and I was able to collect 98 blood donation certificates—more than my initial goal of 88—and donate them to the social welfare team at Hanyang University Hospital after returning home.
Things I learned from taking a gap year
# Happiness
I got to know myself better and became happier. People often don't know their own potential because they haven't had many experiences of pushing themselves to their limits.Walking 50 km a day for 12 hours, I wondered how far I could go and what I was capable of. I was happy to have the opportunity to challenge myself.
# Confidence
At first, people might think you're crazy. But if you believe in yourself and take one step at a time, confidence follows.My confidence and self-esteem increased a great deal. I also wanted to live a life that helps others more.
# My gap year isn't over yet.
My gap year isn't over yet. In June, I participated in the 'Getting to Know Your Parents' Homeland' camp held in Manila, Philippines, and next week I'm going to Cambodia for overseas volunteer work.As I experience things and meet new people, new ideas for making the world a better place keep coming to mind.
I also created a fundraising project for pediatric cancer patients on BigWalk and, together with alumni seniors, am preparing 'Reply 1988 Season 2'. I recently applied to be an organ donor as well, and in the future...I will continue to put love into practice through ongoing volunteering and blood donations.
#Our steps become nourishment for someone.
Find your own happiness, and when you share it, it multiplies.And don't be impatient; follow your own path.Because I retook the exam three times and transferred, it took seven years to attend the university I wanted; Spain, which I had wanted to visit since middle school, I was able to go to after more than ten years. But taking one step at a time taught me that direction matters more than speed.
Like the yellow arrows on the pilgrimage route, the destination of the path may not be immediately visible to everyone from the start, but if you have your own destination, keep working step by step. If you do your best each day, before you know it you will have arrived at your destination.
Hell Joseon, spoon color, and building up credentials.Young people in Korea are really busy these days and are very anxious about an uncertain future. I feel the same. But rather than looking at my future short-sightedly or viewing our country negatively, wouldn't Korea become a happier place if we share, care for, and work together for the future and the country we will live in so that we can all be happy?
For that to happen, you must be happy first.Let's share the gratitude of life and the joy of travel together.
Our steps become nourishment for someone.
We at Gap Year love everyone who has a gap year!
Even if the activities or experiences of gap-year people during their gap year differ from your own views...No malicious comments.!:(
To protect the dignity and rights of gap-year people,any indiscriminate malicious comments about gap-year people
will not only be managed and deleted internally butwe will actively and strongly respond.
We always welcome nominations and tips for 100 gap-year participants.
Please leave a comment or a message, or email our marketing manager Da-young Choi at choi@koreagapyear.com!