I can remember traveling to Colorado for my BVS orientation, still a little unsure about what I was getting myself into. I had planned to go to graduate school immediately after graduating from college but ultimately decided that taking a gap year would be more beneficial; it would give me a break from being in a classroom and I could learn some practical job skills.
I started my year, still wondering if I made the right choice to take a gap year. Of course I loved my placement, enjoyed working with my supervisor and co-workers, and was excited to explore a new city. Yet, I still wondered how my life would have been different if I went right to graduate school instead of into BVS. And somehow, I still chose to do a second BVS year, in a new role, but in the same city.
I often found myself wondering how my life would have been so different if I spent two years in graduate school instead of taking two gap years. I could be almost done with a graduate program; I could have spent two years settling into adult life. But I would have missed out on so much growth during my two volunteer years.
I remember telling my supervisor about one month before my second year ended, “wow, I have learned more in my BVS years than I learned in college.” Of course, college taught me a ton of important and valuable skills, but I learned so many practical and real-life skills during my time in BVS. I gained more confidence in my abilities and the knowledge that I had while serving in BVS than I could have in two years of graduate school.
I have also made so many connections that I wouldn’t have been able to make in graduate school. I met so many people that encouraged me throughout the two years and continue to. I now have such a long list of people to call when I am struggling, need a reference, or want to debrief something. I could have made connections in graduate school, but not these exact connections, which I am forever grateful for.
Now that I have been done with my two years of volunteer service for a few months, I look back and still sometimes wonder how my life would be different now if I hadn’t taken those two gap years. However, I also don’t think I would do anything different if I was given the opportunity to. Those two years taught me so much more than I ever could have anticipated, and knowing what I know now, I wouldn’t want to miss out on the skills I learned, the people I met, and the opportunities I was given.
There is so much to learn, experience, and grow in during a time of service in BVS, and even if it means putting something else off temporarily, serving in BVS is still always worth taking a year off.
