Neha Lohia

Age 19- Placed, 20- Working, 21- Quit. Did I join another company? No Is it my gap year? No How can it not be either? A lot of us take up work early to gain experience. I was fortunate enough to be placed in college itself. Worked for an year. And then quit to study further. But, even if it's not this case. Can we stop calling this time a 'gap year' because, We never know, Who is there for their family. Who is working on their skills. Who is pivoting in their career. Who is coming out from a toxic workplace. Who is trying hard but hasn't found success yet. Life happens. It's unpredictable. At times the gaps we take to excel might not work in our favor. And any of this doesn't make us any less of a person who's willing to bounce back. Everything can be learnt, the person should be willing. The most critical thing to have is attitude and the ability to pivot. So, Stop looking for perfection. It just doesn't exist. Hire attitude and mindset. Not resumes. And don't reject 'gaps' just because they exist. Take a chance on people. Give a chance to people. Everyone deserves it. PS- I'm studying currently. This is just my personal opinion with respect to gap years. #gapyear #corporatelife

You're going to be 23 for 365 days. And you could die at 24. When your mom asks you if you want to sleep in her bed, say yes. Stop cancelling plans; go out and use your legs while they work. You're guaranteed nothing. Stop denying affection. You'll never be able to love someone as a teenager at 35. Someone, many someones are going to tell you they love you. Don't keep quiet because you've been told it's too soon. If you love them, say so. Be brutally, beautifully honest. Go out and change the world. Fight for peace, equality, and change. When you're 80 and can only watch news all day you don't want to see the same issues still going on when you had every chance to fight it. Stop romanticising the "I don't need anybody" and "I don't have feelings" attitude. It's easier to make friends in high school than in nursing homes. Embrace feelings. Don't feel guilty. You're only a teenager for 2,556 days and then you're in your 20s, 30s. Life never slows down. Bones become fragile and break. People die and heart becomes weak. With every atom in your body, live right now.

Age 19- Placed, 20- Working, 21-Quit. And I started working again at 22. Yes, I took a gap year. My UPSC year. A lot of us take up work early to gain experience. I was fortunate enough to be placed in college itself. Worked for a year. And quit to study further for UPSC. Now, I’m working again. But even if it’s not this case. Can we stop calling this time a “gap year” because, We never know, Who is there for their family. Who is working on their skills. Who is pivoting in their career. Who is coming out from a toxic workplace. Who is trying hard but hasn’t found success yet. Life isn’t linear. Gaps aren’t failures. Life happens. It’s unpredictable. At times the gaps we take to excel might not work in our favor. And any of this doesn’t make us any less of a person who’s willing to bounce back. Everything can be learnt, the person should be willing. The most critical thing to have is attitude and the courage to pivot. So, stop looking for perfection. It just doesn’t exist. Hire attitude and mindset. For potential. Not resumes. And don’t reject ‘gaps’ just because they exist. Take a chance on people. Give a chance to people. Everyone deserves it. #gapyear #linkedIncommunity