I recently attended a college graduation of a close family member. I hadn’t been to a school graduation in a few years, particularly due to…you guessed it… the pandemic lockdown. With fresh eyes, I sat and marveled at the pageantry in this process. What always gets me is the animated excitement that African-American families display. They are truly thrilled about the academic accomplishment of their relative, who almost floats across the stage. This contrasted sharply with the ways that white families generally express for their graduates. From my experience, I determine that Black families have a lower percentage of immediate relatives with a college degree than white families. Statistics from the National Center for Education Statistics back up that assumption. In addition, the average college graduate tends to earn significantly more income over a lifetime career than a person who stopped with a high school degree. This perspective justifies plenty of the boisterous shouts in the arena bleachers.
I felt a wave of nostalgia as I witnessed the graduates at their commencement. I once was that Black college graduate walking across the stage to accept my degree. As I walked, I knew that I had no solid job offers once I finished my education. Plus, I had the pressure of making payments on student loans once it was reported that I was no longer a full-time student. A few months after graduation, I was blessed and relieved to land a professional job.
For transparency’s sake, I’ll also share that I grew up in a strict household. My mother, in particular, wielded a strong will in defining expectations for her sons’ behavior while we lived under her roof. This parenting technique benefited us as we maintained good grades throughout school. However, this same dynamic was detrimental as I progressed through college. I remember moments in my college years when I was with my friends at bowling or hanging out that I would need to call home. Out of respect for my mom, I’d call to say that I needed to extend the time I initially stated I would leave the gathering. She never understood because I’d set an expectation earlier. More often than not, she’d demand that I return home. Considering that I was driving the family car and still lived at home, mom had an outsized influence on my young adult life.
Thus, I had high hopes when I moved away to start my career. I could finally regulate the flow of my social life independently. I was single and ready to mingle! I felt like I was the king of my world, but I soon discovered that the world would get much slower. Many people who I tried to engage in plans for nights out had “been there, done that." When I finally met folks who didn’t mind traveling four hours roundtrip to Chicago or even for an overnight trip, time would prove that many of those travel friends were only there for a season. We still speak later in life, but moments shared together have become few and far between.
This brings me to the topic of the “gap year.” This was a foreign concept to me until I heard that one of the members of the most prominent African-American family in the US was taking one. Malia Obama had decided to defer her entrance into college to enjoy a year off after her high school graduation. Details of this gap year concept center around her traveling and exploring the world as a young adult with the energy to do it and minus responsibilities such as children or property. I was astounded by this opportunity she took. This turn of events blew a fuse in the minds of many African-Americans pursuing the standard path for higher education. The “hows” of funding Malia’s gap year were understandable since the Obama family was so successful. Still, she was interrupting a pattern that was an ingrained tradition for most African-American families.
I’ve felt haunted by the revelation of this “gap year” option. While I am now well into a career that utilizes my college degree, I have accumulated responsibilities over time that make taking an extended leave prohibitive. American culture has an aversion to resting during the workday…or even resting at all. The “You sleep, I grind” culture is a prevalent mindset in America for the 18–62ish employee set. As I am moving through achieving this traditional 9–5 work expectation I have been conditioned to meet, the benefits I could’ve potentially accrued through extended interaction with the wider world may be fading.
Here’s the thing: will we Americans be financially fit and healthy enough in our senior years to enjoy exploring the world in retirement? The advantages of taking a gap year are that young minds and bodies absorb novel experiences whose benefits will help them as they pursue careers and later responsibilities. These young people know themselves better, and their goals are more focused. With that knowledge, they have a longer period to successfully execute those goals. Employers and communities are better off with well-rounded citizens who have worldly perspectives.
Maybe in the multiverse, there’s an alternate version of me lightly lamenting over lagging tech skills due to him setting different life goals based on travels during a gap year. That guy may’ve tried many jobs. Lived in a variety of locations. Intermittently “frustrated” parents who were insistent on him plowing through the tried-and-true path to a degree and then to a profession. However, maybe the satisfaction from that alternate, immersive route would’ve provided the strength of mind to offset others’ apprehensions about him taking a year to discover himself in the world.
This post originally appeared on Medium and is edited and republished with author's permission. Read more of Joel A. Johnson's work on Medium.