畢業就像做好的菜要出鍋。
入職工作就是把菜端上桌，供社會品嘗。
升學進修就是換個鍋，繼續燉。
但是呢，有人之前就沒按菜譜來，結果成菜不過關，上不了桌。
要繼續燉嗎？ 也不確定面前這鍋就一定是自己想做的菜。
沒籤約工作，也沒確定升學，那接下來怎麼辦呢？
要不，乾脆把火關掉，半成品放冰箱，抽出時間好好想想，gap一下。
間隔年是啥？
A gap year is a semester or year of experiential learning, typically taken after high school or university and prior to career or postgraduate education, in order to deepen one's practical, professional, and personal awareness.
間隔年通常是一個學期或一年的時間，在這段時間中進行體驗式的學習。間隔年通常是在高中或者本科結束，在讀研究生或工作之前的時間裡開展的。間隔年的目的是讓人們在職業和個人方面有更符合實際的認識。
In other words, gap years provide young people with time and space to learn about themselves and the world — much of which they haven’t seen or experienced as a child living in their parent's home.
換句話說，間隔年能夠給予年輕人時間和空間去了解自己和世界——這種了解通常是住在父母屋簷底下的小孩從未見過或經歷過的。
為什麼要間隔年？
Unfortunately, there's a stigma surrounding taking time off to travel and learn. Too many people believe not heading directly to a university or the workplace means a young person is destined to work in a menial job forever or never go back to school.
遺憾的是，間隔年一直背負著誤解。很多人認為放棄直接升學或者工作就意味著這個年輕人註定以後要做一份平庸的工作或永遠都無法再進修了。
But studies have shown that taking a gap year not only are tied to increases in college GPAs, but more significantly is tied to improved job satisfaction. In short, taking the time to figure out what success looks like is a surefire way to be directed in achieving it.
不過研究顯示間隔年不僅僅與績點上升有關，而且更重要的是還與工作滿意度的增加有關。總的來說，花時間想清楚自己要的成功是什麼樣子一定可以幫你定位到正確的方向上。
If you're thinking a gap year is just a time to slack off and avoid the hard work required to pursue a college degree, think again.
如果你以為間隔年就是做一條鹹魚，逃避取得學位所付出的努力的話，那你再想想吧。
There are real benefits that result from it.
間隔年是真的有益處的。
You can see the world in a different way, determine your real goals and the best way to achieve them, and gain valuable career experience.
你看待世界的方式會變得不同，能夠找到真正的目標和實現它最好的方式，而且還能獲得寶貴的職業經驗。
Bear in mind that your gap year is not confined in traveling abroad only. In fact, you can combine travel with an educational opportunity that changes the way you think forever. For example, Find an internship abroad if you can.
記住，間隔年可不只是出出國、旅旅遊。事實上你可以在旅行中得到啟示，這將改變你的思維方式。比方說，可以找一個海外實習啊。
有誰選擇過間隔年？
史蒂夫·賈伯斯
He famously started Apple, with all its iconic imagery and minimalist aesthetic. But what's less well known is that he spent months living in India, meditating in the mountains and learning how to tap into what was important to him.
賈伯斯創立了擁有標誌性形象和極簡主義美學的蘋果公司，他也因此聞名於世。但很少有人知道賈伯斯曾在印度生活過幾個月，在山上冥想並思考究竟什麼才是重要的。
He contracted lice, dysentery, and eventually scabies before running out of money and returning home to start a new project, the original Mac.
他染上了蝨子和痢疾，還得了疥瘡， 隨後又花光了錢。然後回到家中，他開始了一個新項目，也就是初代的Mac電腦。
J·K·羅琳
J.K. Rowling spent three years teaching English as a foreign language in Portugal. During this time, Harry Potter went from being an idea on a piece of paper to the first three chapters of Harry Potter & the Philosopher’s Stone.
J·K·羅琳曾在葡萄牙當了三年英語教師。在這期間，「哈利·波特」從紙上的想法變成了《哈利·波特與魔法石》的前三章。
Her time spent in a new country allowed her to craft her vision of the young wizard world and a yearning for the British landscape.
在異國的時光讓羅琳編織出了自己的年輕巫師世界，也讓她思念英國的風景。
艾瑪·沃特森
A gap year doesn't always have to be a break from the intellect. In fact, Emma Watson decided to take a break from her acting career to study feminism and gender studies, committing herself to reading a new book every week as personal study.
間隔年並不是說一定要中斷學習讓大腦放假。事實上，艾瑪·沃特森之前就中斷過演藝事業，來學習女權主義和性別研究，保證自己每周閱讀一本新書作為個人學習計劃。
本尼迪克特·康伯巴奇
When he was 19, he traveled throughout the Himalayas, living with a Nepali family outside Darjeeling, and teaching English to Tibetan monks and nuns.
卷福19歲的時候就去了喜馬拉雅山麓，住在大吉嶺的一個尼泊爾人家裡，在那兒教藏傳佛教僧侶們英語。
"They were amazingly warm, intelligent, humorous people. Hard to teach English. I built a blackboard, which no other previous teachers seem to have done. With 12 monks in a room with an age-range of about 8 to 40, that's quite important — and the reward-punishment thing of sweets or no sweets, or game or no game, worked quite well."
「當地人都很熱情、聰明、幽默。但是教英語很難。我製作了一個黑板，之前的老師好像都沒做過。課上有12個喇嘛，年齡8-40歲不等，這很重要。還有獎懲措施，發不發糖果，允不允許玩遊戲，這一招相當管用。」
"But they taught me a lot more than I could possibly ever teach them. They taught me about the simplicity of human nature, but also the humanity of it, and the ridiculous sense of humor you need to live a full spiritual life."
「不過他們教會我的東西比我教給他們的東西多多了。他們讓我領悟了人性的至簡和仁慈，還讓我領略了精神生活中所需要的幽默感。」
間隔年不是目的，它不是用來逃避現實的萬靈藥。
不確定自己是否要考研或工作的時候，試著把間隔年作為一個手段。
通過學習課堂和職場都教不了的知識，或許你可以把未來的路走得更堅定。
Notes
menial /minil/ adj不需要技巧的；枯燥的；報酬低的。
surefire /ufa/ adj一定能成功的；可靠的
minimalist /mnmlst/ adj極簡主義的
lice /las/ n（louse的複數） 蝨子
dysentery /dsnteri/ n痢疾
scabies /skebiz/ n疥瘡
wizarding /wzd/ adj巫師的
spiritual /sprtul/ adj精神的；心靈的；宗教的
編輯：陳月華
來源：Forbes Winterline