37 36 Because they both had passpor ts that made them eligible for a working holiday visa for Australia, they ’d spend par t of the year earning money, and then they ’d travel through Southeast Asia with their savings. Also, both had completed basic sailing theory and decided to work on getting more credentials before looking for jobs with sailing companies in Australia. “We wanted to do some more courses on top of the licenses that we already had that would qualify us to work on big yachts.” The Reality of Planning a Gap Year If you think taking a gap year is just an easy escape from responsibility, think again. A successful gap year takes a lot of planning. “We had to write CVs, apply to loads of jobs, and go through interviews Anja’s Gap Year Wo r k i n g H o l i da y For a lot of students, the final years of school are all about university applications, career decisions, and figuring out what ’s next. But what if the best choice isn’ t rushing straight to university, but instead taking a break? That ’s exactly what Anja did when she decided to take a gap year—and she has zero regrets. For Anja, this wasn’ t something she had planned for years. In fact, it all star ted as a joke between her and a friend when they were feeling overwhelmed by university applications. But the more she thought about it, the more it made sense. “Once the idea of taking a year off was in my head, I just couldn’ t shake it. I was way more excited about planning a gap year than filling out applications.” So she and her friend came up with a plan. before we got anything,” says Anja. “It wasn’ t necessarily easier than applying to university—it was just different.” Once they landed jobs on sailing yachts, the adventure truly began. They spent months at sea, working as crew members, learning navigation skills, assisting guests, and even dealing with seasick passengers. Some days were tough, but Anja fell in love with sailing and realized she was way more capable than she had ever given herself credit for. “I'm more confident now after having had to deal
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