The Right Way to do a Post-Graduate “Gap Year”

This week marks my first full year living in New York City and the one-year anniversary of what I like to call my “not a girl, not yet a woman” year. Shout out to B Spears.

From May of 2013 to September of 2014, I slept on azure blue Pottery Barn Teen bedding that I hand selected in 2003. I took the first nine-to-five job I could find, ate home cooked meals with a dash of guilt and internally berated myself for becoming yet another recession statistic.

One year later, I’m proud to have been a “boomerang kid.” I’ve realized that moving back in with your parents isn’t a sign of failure; it’s a sign of pragmatism and financial responsibility.

Ironically, delaying adulthood is now the best way to prepare for it.

The Deck has been Stacked

For those concerned about the boomerangers, let’s get one thing straight: We’re not lazy. We’re poor. Living at home after graduation is merely a responsible financial decision.

A record 21.6 million, or 36 percent, of our nation’s young adults aged 18 to 31 lived with their parents in 2012 – the first substantial increase since the 1960s.

Source: Pew Research Center

A closer look will show you that student loan debt, the cost of tuition, the unemployment rate, unpaid internships and renting costs have increased alongside that number. Add stagnant wages and benefit cuts to that lovely equation, and you’ve solved the great mystery behind the “lazy” boomerang kids.

The stereotypical kid shacking up with mom and dad these days is college educated, severely indebted, and working a job they’re overqualified for, if they can find one at all. The pot-smoking, couch potato college grad leeching off of his parents is a cliché of the past.

The fact is, true independence is only delayed further when you make life decisions based on age-old social norms instead of your bank account. Saving as much money as possible is no longer a luxury; it’s a requirement.

Planning Pays Off

In addition to being in the best interest of your bank account, boomeranging back to your childhood bedroom is also a wise career move.

The traditional trajectory of finding a job and moving out at the tender age of 22 is a lot of pressure, regardless of financial circumstance.

“Who I am now isn’t who I might be in the future, and the education and recruitment system needs to give us the space and time to make the right career choices,” said Abigail Lane in a 2013 article from The Guardian.

Others have echoed Lane’s sentiment. According to market research Twentysomething Inc, a cool 65 percent of college seniors now expect to live with their parents after graduation – often to strategically plan their career.

“Boomerangers want to get it right the first time,” said Neil Howe, author of Millenials Rising: The Next Great Generation. College grads living in their parents’ basement are free to choose the job that’s best for their career – not their bank account. For a generation bent on working from the heart, this is extremely important.

Our Take

Reflecting on my year with mom and dad as roommates, I’m finally able to see it for what it truly was: Important and necessary. Despite feeling ashamed of my post-grad status at times, I wouldn’t have been able to discern my career goals, save money and ultimately make the sluggish economy work to my advantage without that gap year.

With that being said, boomeranging has a time limit. Don’t sweat it when you’re trying to find a job and gain some financial footing, but don’t get too comfortable in your childhood bedroom either.

Would you advise your peers to take a “gap year”? Share your advice in the comments below or catch up with us on Facebook.