According to Alok Bansal, "A Gap Year Can Be Productive And Useful In Scaling Up Your Career."

 According to Alok Bansal, "A Gap Year Can Be Productive And Useful In Scaling Up Your Career."

Gap years are typically linked with students who desire to take a break from their academic trajectories to travel, but working people are also growing more and more interested in the idea. In reality, a 2005 survey by Harvard Business Review found that 24% of males and 37% of highly skilled women have quit their careers at some point with the aim of coming back.

Visionet Systems India's MD and the world's head of the BFSI industry, Alok Bansal.

A career gap year, often known as a "adult gap year," is becoming more common in the work industry, particularly in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic, according to Alok Bansal, MD of Visionet Systems India and Global Head of BFSI Business. It's okay that many people are evaluating their options and rearranging their priorities and lives. It's crucial to keep in mind that many prospective employers still view these gaps as a warning sign. This is why having a long-term plan is crucial when leaving the corporate ladder.

He refers to a recent TechGig survey that revealed that gaps in resumes make it difficult for 78 percent of IT workers to land the positions they want. According to Bansal, "These pauses can be deliberate or brought on by a loss of employment, but the goal is to make the most of them to upskill yourself, hunt for better chances, and avoid letting this period make you lose confidence or make you stagnant." You can use this time productively and to advance in your profession with a little effort.

Here are some of his recommendations:

Acquire new abilities

Upskilling is crucial for career advancement, and a gap year can be the ideal opportunity to take a few online or offline courses, focus on weak areas of your resumes, gain some experience as a freelancer, come up with and launch your own project, and pursue interests that feed your spirit and promote your mental or physical health. You will undoubtedly wow the recruiters at the conclusion of the year when you make up for the gap year with new skills, references, and success stories. Not only will upskilling boost your confidence, it will also enable you to explore new organisational roles and career paths.

travel and establish new relationships

Long-term residence can leave you feeling uninspired and unmoving. Travel the world while on a gap year and rediscover your love of living. Couch surfing makes it simple to travel nowadays, even on a tight budget, assuming you have the motivation. When you travel, you can discover new facets of your personality, meet new people, and pursue new business prospects. Travel also improves your Emotional Intelligence (EQ), which is, incidentally, one of the top abilities recruiters want, according to a World Economic Forum report on the "Future of Jobs." Traveling alone teaches you perseverance, resourcefulness, and even crisis management in addition to giving you the chance to see a new culture and learn a new language. It goes without saying that these abilities will be useful to you when you eventually work for a company.

Follow your passion

Recall the dream you buried beneath a mountain of obligations? You may salvage it, dust it up, and investigate it while on a gap year; who knows, you might end up becoming a polymath! Whether it's singing, dancing, drawing, or taking photos, bravely pursue your desires to awaken your dormant creativity. If a person has the desire and dedication to broaden his or her knowledge in many ways, multiple occupations are nowadays conceivable. A gap year also helps you gain a greater understanding of the objectives you truly want to accomplish in life. Additionally, now is a wonderful time for review and course correction.

Volunteer and make a difference.

It is simple to lose sight of everyday realities in fast-paced corporate employment, yet as studies has shown, doing good makes us feel good. Adding to your resume and giving you an advantage over competitors is volunteering for social good and bigger causes. Therefore, when on a gap year, seek for opportunities to volunteer at senior centres, orphanages, animal shelters, or for any other worthy cause. Offer your technical expertise to redevelop a website, create brochures, and assist in promoting an NGO. Your soft skills will be improved by these encounters, and you'll learn the precious satisfaction of helping others.

By considering the future when planning your professional break, you won't ever have regrets.

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