Taking a year to travel
I'm an incoming freshman at a target school thinking about a career in finance. I'm wondering if it's possible for me to take a significant amount of time (a year) after graduation to travel around the world before starting work at a bank. Alternatively, is it possible to take a gap year before the start of business school after two years as an analyst?
The best time to do it is now. You won't have the mood to travel at those times
Travelling immediately after finishing your undergrad is not a good idea. Doing it before heading off to business school is slightly better timing, but I still wouldn't do it.
Also, I like the fact that you are confident you will be working in IB in four years. You should pray that things don't go to shit until that time.
Call up your school, get a deferral and start travelling NOW!!! It's by far the best time to do it and I would really recommend. As others have said, a year off right after undergrad is a very poor idea (especially if you want to do banking). Right before MBA is slightly better, but still not ideal (and the MBA is a 2-year vacation anyway).
Or just do as much study abroad as your school allows. It's not quite the same thing, but it will satisfy your itch without having the drawbacks of time off. Plus, there are gaps from Dec-January and obviously summer that you can take advantage of keeping in mind you'll need to get internships.
Do it. You'll get older and your energy will dwindle.
Wouldn't taking a year off after graduation cause OP to completely miss out on OCR opportunities...?!
Better to either take a year off school to travel, or take a year off after working for a few years.
Thanks for the feedback. @mrb87 is it frowned upon to take a year off after a few years of working? Is getting a job after a break much harder?
I would think it would be a lot harder to get a job after taking a year off.
A few better ideas: - Negotiate with your new employer 3-4 months between leaving your job and when you start the next one - Quit your job after you get into business school. You'll find out in December if you apply in round 1, which gives you 8-9 months before you start school
A year backpacking after Bachelor? (Originally Posted: 05/20/2014)
Hi monkeys,
I am currently at bachelor student at a European business school and I plan to apply to a Masters cursus in a target school (Oxbridge, SSE, HSE ...), I have a high GPA and will surely get a high GMAT as well.
Between the bachelor and masters I plan on taking a year off to backpack thought the world.
But I am wondering if the Masters degree application jury would appreciate the experience or on the other hand think that I would not be a serious student because of that.
What do you guys think?
Thanks in advance for the feedback.
Casting aside what the admission guys would think about it, I personally recommend it very very much. I also went to a backpacking trip for a couple of months (during the summer after my freshmen year), and it totally changed my point of view towards the life and the world. I wish I could do it again.
health insurance?
do it while you have the chance
You most likely will never have this opportunity again. Do it.
Do it. You'll be fine for grad school admissions. For me, starting work soon after undergrad seemed really important at the time. Looking back, a few months of traveling would have been far more valuable.
Depends on the school, some schools favor people who have excellent academics and internships, and are completely focused on their career. Other schools value a more diverse set of experiences. I have a year off on my resume and it didn't hurt me for getting into a top school.
First of all thanks for all your inputs.
@T-3000 when you are saying that it depends on the school and some prefer career driven guys which school do you think about?
If you're awesome, taking time off to be more awesome wont stop you being awesome.
Time off before first job - Gap on the resume? (Originally Posted: 02/07/2012)
I recently learned that I will have about 8 months off between graduating college (undergrad) and starting my job as an analyst at a consulting firm. I am trying to figure out what to do with the time, and am wondering if what I do will affect my MBA admissions chances. One thing I am definitely going to do is take the GMAT. Besides that, I am considering traveling the world, or becoming a ski bum for a season.
1) Is this a gap on the resume that I will need to explain? I am not doing this by choice, the firm simply assigned me a delayed start date. To my knowledge, the decision purely based on luck of the draw, and the firms business need, not anything I did (wrong or right).
2) If I run off to Asia to teach english or have "lift operator" on my resume for 6 months will b-schools look unfavorably on that? Do I need to find something productive to do (i.e. work for a startup)?
3) Any other suggestions on what to do and how it will play with b-schools?
One of my best friends has the same opportunity and he just left for Hawaii on a two-month surf trip. Enjoy your life. You can study for the GMAT during your time off but enjoy the last bit of it you'll probably ever have till you're 50.
.
A friend of mine quit his job, went backpacking for a year, came back got a job at MS, got into Wharton.
If you're still worried about your resume, language study/teaching always looks legit because you can spin it as part of your "international experience." There are also summer internships at an American Chamber of Commerce or other organizations abroad.
Did Deloitte screw you with a February start date too?
Taking time off to travel after graduating (Originally Posted: 03/24/2011)
Hello,
I am a recent graduate in Finance from a non-target Canadian university. I plan on writing my CFA Level 1 in December, and will be going balls to the wall with the job search until then.
In the case that the job hunt turns sour, I am trying to decide if taking some time off (a few months) to travel would be a bad idea, I have this burning desire to travel and I feel that if I do not take the time now to go I may never have the same opportunity once I land a job. A few general ideas I was contemplating was the GR20 trek, and/or doing SEA working my way South and closing with a roadtrip along the coast of Aussie to Sydney.
My question is, how many of you took some time off to travel after graduating? How many of you did not, and wish you had?
'Discover yourself' on off time. Unless you come from money, and then who the hell cares what you do. Taking a vacation instead of looking for work makes it harder to find a job, to answer your question.
Its a delicate situation, the problem you will have is that many employers out side of wall street dont like people who have been unemployed for more than 6 months regardless of the reasons. So if you dont land a wall street gig you could be screwing yourself. But the experiences you will gain from traveling are ones you can never learn in a classroom or in an office.
Get a job first, and then travel before you start. You'll enjoy it more too.
Why do people announce their intentions to take L1 of CFA? I saw it on a resume today, "CFA L1 candidate"-Is that supposed to impress anyone?
Sorry to get off the topic. We like to see focus, taking time off to travel is not a good sign of focus. them:"why did you travel?" you: "the job market sucked" Them: "so you gave up looking for work? Thanks for coming in, we won't be in touch"
I did this in interviews and looking back realize how much of a cunt i must have looked like. I'm sure the interviewers were thinking "Holy shit, this kid actually was able to afford the CFA test and can manage to find transportation to the test, we have to give him a fucking job".
I wasn't stating "CFA Level 1" to impress anyone, I was merely stating it as one of my objectives (along with traveling) within the year. I do appreciate your input on the lack of focus it would demonstrate, however I would not be traveling just because the job market sucks and I am "giving up". That's like saying I'm going to flip fucking burgers at McDicks for 5 hours a day cause I have nothing else better to do.
Also, I don't come from money.
I am not opposed to landing a job first, then taking off (which is the most logical thing to do). I was just curious if anyone has taken a bit of time off to travel before landing a gig..it appears not.
Ok answer these questions tough guy.
-So why did you go to Europe instead of participating in our Spring/Fall recruiting events? -Why didn't you take CFA in June before you left for Europe?
I love kids who say they wanted to take some time off after graduation to travel - what exactly are you taking time off from?? You got burned out by all of the drinking, partying and skipping class that you did in undergrad?? You're fresh out of college - get a job, work hard for the next couple of years then take a long vacation when you're burned out or between jobs. You'll have more spending money and you will appreciate it more.
If you really wanted to travel, you should have done a study abroad while in school. I did and it was awesome :)
Time off before first job - 8 months off between graduating and working (Originally Posted: 02/07/2012)
I recently learned that I will have about 8 months off between graduating college (undergrad) and starting my job as an analyst at a consulting firm. I am trying to figure out what to do with the time, and am wondering if what I do will affect my MBA admissions chances. One thing I am definitely going to do is take the GMAT. Besides that, I am considering traveling the world, or becoming a ski bum for a season.
1) Is this a gap on the resume that I will need to explain? I am not doing this by choice, the firm simply assigned me a delayed start date. To my knowledge, the decision purely based on luck of the draw, and the firms business need, not anything I did (wrong or right).
2) If I run off to Asia to teach english or have "lift operator" on my resume for 6 months will b-schools look unfavorably on that? Do I need to find something productive to do (i.e. work for a startup)?
3) Any other suggestions on what to do and how it will play with b-schools?
is the offer at MBB?
-
Yes, it matters. However, you have options. I know of a guy who self funded a 40-country travel experience for a year and they loved that. If you were to go to Asia to teach English but took the extra time to do an independent study of sorts (startup climate), I think that could be pretty positive, especially if you could somehow publish the experience (local paper, etc.). imo, Adcoms care about how you approach the world, not necessarily what you do. They want to know that you are intellectually curious, a sharp thinker, and interested in the world, as opposed to someone that would recreate Hangover 2 while teaching english for 3 hours a day in Thailand.
If you have the job, and you want to travel, I would consider creating an actual plan of attack for your travel experience, and going after it.
you have a once in a life time opportunity right here. You have a full time job that is allowing you to spend 8 months doing whatever you want. You better take advantage of it because this kind of time off wont come till you're possibly 60 years old.
Do what ever it is that your heart desires.
Will traveling to Europe after graduation affect my chances at IB recruiting? (Originally Posted: 06/24/2013)
Hey everyone, just a quick question. I am planning a trip to Europe after I graduate with family for no longer than 2 weeks (end of May beginning of June) and I was wondering if this trip could affect me in any way, or are most banks pretty lenient about this kind of thing since this will most likely be my last vacation for a long while. Thanks for the help!
This must be a joke. How did this question/issue pop into your head?
i guess a better question to ask is:
how lenient are banks on adjusting your start date by 2 weeks?
if he is for sure going on the trip, how does he bring this up in interviews? does it need to be addressed immediately?
Thank you AndyLouis, that is a better question. I obviously plan on not going if it really is a huge deal just wanted to see what WSO's opinion was on the subject
Hell no. They own your ass. They will find someone who can start day 1 like everyone else. I would not do this.
FYI most BB training programs don't start until mid-to-late June (eg a number of them started today) and some as late as July. So a trip after graduation for a few weeks is very common.
That said, asking to delay your start date at a firm that has any sort of formal training program is simply a no-go.
do you know which banks have a later start date for their training programs?
Did you get an offer / or even an interview yet? I mean I would start worrying about what the banks think about me taking vacation days when they actually want to hire me.
To answer some of the questions I most likely wont go BB, and I don't have an offer or interview at the moment. I'll graduate next May, and the main reason for asking this question is because I don't want to waste my time planning a trip that I may regret going on. But from the looks of it I'll just wait on the trip. Thanks for the input everyone
Graduation Travel Sabbatical (Originally Posted: 09/24/2013)
Hey gummy bears,
I'm gonna be graduating this semester and will have 5 or 6 months completely free before I start working. What would you do, or did you do, with this time?
I'm thinking of spending it traveling EU and SEA, backpacking some of the time and going on tour programs some of the time.
Open to other suggestions (either favorite locations, or alternative plans).
How much money do you have? And how long do you plan to actually spend travelling?
Last time I had two months (May 15-August 1st) I spent a summer learning to ride a motorcycle.
I will be taking two classes next semester and plan to use the balance of my time going hang gliding and working on my H3.
How was learning to ride a bike? I have plans to do this next semester. Did you take a course? I'm guessing that's what I'll do.
If you are planning on going travelling for a couple of months, I would suggest limiting the destinations you go to. It is very easy and very common to get drained/exhausted/jaded from constant moving around during a big backpacking trip. Each new destination will begin to fade with the others. It would be better to set up in just a few places for a couple of weeks or a month in each place. You could easily hang out in Bali for a month, spend a month in Shanghai, and then have a month in Hanoi. You could go at a slow pace and pick up some simple language phrases in each place. You could bring your running shoes and go out on regular runs, just like you live in the place.
I have never done any tour myself, but I am considering treating my parents to a tour with this company: http://www.imaginative-traveller.com/ If you are travelling alone, it might be nice to experience an adventure and make some new friends at the same time. A tour might also make the destination much more accessible and enjoyable if you don't know the local language (which is a major reason why I am considering sending my parents on one).
Curious to hear more about this topic also, I will have ~7 months off between graduating and starting my FT job also. Also wondering what to do with my time. Thinking of doing some volunteering overseas, but the programs that really interest me (working on a game reserve tracking and looking after wildlife in Africa, for example) actually cost quite a bit of money, and I don't think I'd be able to afford one for a few months. Could do 1-2 months though, and I'm seriously considering that. Another, viable idea is teaching English in China/Thailand for a semester- that's viable because they pay you enough to cover your basic living expenses.
If you want to do it on a small budget, you're going to have to put some effort in. I've been to SE Asia (only about ~3 weeks worth of travel), so if you're just looking for general advice I can help ya there.
I just did a 1 month backpacking trip in Cuba and met a huge amount of backpackers. No matter where you'll go, there's always going to be someone who did everything you'd like to do or someone who's homesick but doesn't want to admit it. Since most of you are from the USA, it's obviously not worth it to give you tips regarding Cuba (if people are interested, PM me or post here).
As I was already planning my next trip while in Cuba, I was able to listen to many different stories and will try to summarize the things I've heard. Please keep in mind that the following facts are what the people I met during my trip told me: - South America: Brazil, Bolivia, Peru, Venezuela, Colombia and Argentina. I met 3 different people who did a 6 month trip around South America and they loved it. They said that is was quite safe (1 guy got robbed during the carnival in Rio but it's because he followed somebody to the "real carnival"). While going up the Pico Turquino with our 20kg backpacks, the highest mountain in Cuba, an other traveler talked to us about the death road in Bolivia which was the most intense experience he ever had. Prices are relatively cheap. If I were to go to South America, I'd probably try to go 2-4 weeks in each country depending on my interests and the country.
Thaliand & Vietnam: Incredibly cheap and awesome. I'm actually planning on going to Vietnam and simply buying a motorbike in the streets (I heard that it was really common, you buy it for 150-250$ and sell it when you don't need it anymore) and going from Ho Chi Minh to Hanoi. Usually the food in these countries is good and cheap. I heard that such a trip would take approx. 1 month if you take the time to enjoy the beaches and other things to do along the road.
I'll finish with Europe. The positive thing about Europe is that you can travel around Europe quite easily with low cost companies such as Easyjet. You can also buy an Interrail ticket, which allows you to take any train you want during 1 month for about 500$ (I think it's only available for Europeans but I'm pretty sure there's something else). Go to Paris for 4 days, then move to Berlin for 3 days, etc etc. If you want more info regarding Europe, I'll give more details if needed.
I wont give more tips regarding countries because I don't want to spread misinformation but don't forget that you can also do a backpacking trip in the USA.
Now, here's some general tips that worked for me: - always stay in hostels, it's an easy way to meet people if you travel alone or with friends. - done packing? Perfect, take 1/4 of the stuff out because you'll be the one carrying the extra t-shirts you won't even wear. It's not a beauty contest. - Buy travel guides (this was useful for Cuba because we didn't have internet) but they provide a concentrated amount of information that you can read anywhere you want). - Always be open minded.
Bottom line is: travel, you won't regret it.
I was in your position last year (3 months off). Spent almost a month in Mexico and about a month in SE Asia. I highly recommend either, but prefer Asia. The semester before I went to EU for about 10 days, probably my least favorite of the three (still pretty cool).
Graduating at 24 - Can I take 6 months for "personal experiece" before entry as M&A analyst? (Originally Posted: 11/08/2010)
Hi ya!
I am a Spanish guy living in Barcelona. I am graduating in January, and I have to decide what to do with my life.
--> Let me talk a little bit about my background:
I am in my last year of a well known business school in Europe (Esade) and I have done a Double Degree Program. That means I have also obtained and Msc in Finance after being one year in Italy. My grades are not bad (wish were better!): 6th in the ranking of the class and around 8.5 / 10. I have been an intern for PwC. Even if it isn't a bank they have an M&A department and the job is quite similar (less hours and less money, but similar job). Now I am in the selection process for the M&A department of Deloitte and PwC (middle market both). (In fact PwC is not a "selection process" as I have worked with them and they know how I work, so they just wanna talk about my interests and possible vacancies within the company). Both interesting but both to entry in January.
--> Now the dilemma:
I REALLY would like to go to some English spoken country to improve my English. My idea was going to Australia for six months, improve my English while preparing CFA Volume 1. I could make money giving Spanish lessons. I have done it before and I worked really well. I would come back with really good English level, with the CFA passed (and "fresh in my mind") and with a very interesting "experience" that I think could really make me grow personally and professionally. And also I would be able to think about going to work abroad. Right now my English is not bad but I am sure i wouldn't feel comfortable working in an "English Environment" (I would feel like an idiot...)
THE DILEMMA? I am now 24...will be 25 in March. Do you think it would be a problem if I decide to go to Australia that, when I come back, I will be 25? (I should say that I look much younger).
Thank you all for your attention and I am sorry if something is not clear! (that wouldn't have happened If a were already in Australia! :P )
BTW: Great site, great forum with great advises.
come to canada instead, everything in australia will kill you
I what sense???!
It's summer in Australia. Good timing, I can see they are hiring a smart fella!
No, your age won't be a problemo.
Go to Australia - it'll be summer. Unless you love skiing/snowboarding and you're going to be in British Columbia - I wouldn't want to be in Canada during winter. But I am cause I live here, so I deal.
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