After years of college, Rachel Jones was burned out. She had completed her bachelor’s degree, her master’s degree and taken the Graduate Record Examination (GRE). Although her parents had ideas of her going on to complete a doctorate and become an English teacher, she needed a break.
But Jones, an English professor and a doctoral candidate at Binghamton University, didn’t rest. She traveled abroad and went to work, eventually coming to love education again.
“Teaching English in South Korea helped me figure out what I wanted to do,” Jones said. “I really didn’t want to get my Ph.D., I wanted to go back to Korea and teach in Korea forever.”
Jones shared her experience Friday in the Old University Union as part of a panel in “Take a Year On,” which featured BU alumni who shared their experiences taking time off to travel abroad and in the United States after graduating college. “Take a Year On” is a program run through the Fleishman Center for Career and Professional Development (CCPD) and Center for Civic Engagement (CCE) which helps undergraduates plan their post-graduate future.
Wren Fritsky, organizer of the event and a career consultant at the CCPD, led the discussion by asking panelists about their decisions to take time off after graduation, where they went and what advice they had for younger students.
“We want to encourage understanding and opportunities of international education and broaden everyone’s horizon for global issues,” Fritsky said.
All the former students on the panel said it benefited them to take a break, and in some cases the life changes helped them acquire jobs they may not have acquired.
Jones said that her time after graduation gave her professional perspective.
“I did learn what I [wanted] to do,” Jones said. “It helped me realize and focus my energies on what I wanted to do.”
Sarah Lister, a 2012 alumna who majored in economics and spent six months with an AmeriCorps volunteer unit, advised students to take a close look at any programs they apply for.
“What I would recommend to you is, if you are thinking of applying to any of these short-term commitments do your research because the application process is extensive,” Lister said.
Kristina Bilello, a senior majoring in Chinese, said that the panelists made her feel more confident about going abroad.
“Attending this panel fortified my want to take a year off and got rid of some of the fears I had about studying abroad,” Bilello said.
The event made working and traveling abroad more tangible, according to Annie Dailey, a senior majoring in art and design.
“It’s not as intimidating knowing that these people have done a year abroad and that they were still able to find careers or get into graduate school,” Dailey said. “When I came here, I was on the precipice between taking a year off or going right off to graduate school, but now I’m leaning towards taking a year off and going abroad.”