Annabella
"Somehow on and on I go, I keep on rollin’ with the flow." – Charlie Rich
Throughout my life I have always had a life plan. A life plan that structured my aspirations, future achievements and social life. But it came to a point where I was confused by my own premeditated direction. Am I really ready for a life outside of academia? Was this career pathway what I wanted to commit to? Will I be able to manage the fierce competition within my future field? All these questions and failed expectations I had for myself came crashing down right after I graduated from university.
Studying my whole life and then jumping into the workforce at 21, especially after studying and gaining work experience online due to Covid, felt surreal. I had to take a step back and figure out what my next move should be.
I’m going to share what my gap year looked like before jumping into the Bar Practice Course and why taking time off in your early 20s is so important for figuring out what you really want in life. I’ll also talk about how to plan your gap year ahead of time to make sure it fits your needs and helps you make the most of the time for personal growth and self-reflection.
From Pavement to Grass: Making my own route
Deciding to take a gap year right after graduating was one of the most nerve-wracking and anxiety-inducing decisions I have ever made. I had a paralegal job lined up and was ready to dive into work, thinking it would give me the experience I felt I lacked before starting my professional Bar course. At the time, it seemed like the "right" thing to do and something that most of my peers were doing, and just like that I was following along with the crowd—get a job, gain experience, then move on to the next step.
But deep down, I could not shake the feeling that this wasn’t truly what I needed. I had only planned to start working as a paralegal because most of my peers naturally transitioned to that as their "next step" in their legal career.
I panicked and had the natural case of FOMO, that I was drifting towards starting my postgraduate studies after university but still having no real work experience. I thought that by jumping into the working world, like the rest of my peers, I could ease my anxiety and follow the path everyone else seemed to be taking. But it just wasn’t one that felt right to me.
It got to the point where I decided to bring out the big guns and have a talk with my mum about my anxieties over my plans after university. She heard me out, and her reply was very simple and to the point; she said, “Take a gap year. Travel, eat good food and be happy that you have a roof over your head. You cannot control everything, you cannot envision your future mistakes, but you can influence your future from even the smallest choices you make every day.”
Becoming a barrister and being called to the bar is not something that has a time limit attached to it. Through many networking events, I met newly qualified barristers in their late 30s and their early 40s, some of who were practicing dentists. (Finishing both medical and law school is still an insane concept to me!) After that fateful talk, I decided that I will not be living by my scheduled calendar app anymore. I would take a year off for myself to focus on improving my skill set, getting rid of my imposter syndrome (still working on it) and personal hobbies that were equally important to me.
Baby steps: Planning before you start your gap year
I knew beforehand that I could not walk into this gap year completely blindsided. I needed to have a skeleton approach to the year, with enough wiggle room for spontaneity!
My plan was simple; spend a good month researching and deciding how I could fill my gap year with productiveness but also enough time for me not to feel burnt out. I started my gap year plan with these simple directions:
Realistic objectives for the year
Setting realistic goals is key to every step or action you take. Overloading yourself with long lists of to do’s always will be a common mistake young professionals make that naturally leads to burning out! Don’t overload yourself with endless tasks, learn to prioritise what you view as important to your overall progression and what would be an added benefit.
Breakdown of the months and distributing out my objectives
“When walking, walk. When eating, eat.”- Zen proverb
Just like the quote says, when walking just walk. Don’t try to juggle everything all at once, you will not get through that never ending to do list in a day. Look at your objectives and decide when its best for you to complete them by.
What I did:
I planned the year around my known deadlines. If I knew that I had a specific internship that I had applied for, then I planned my other tasks around those busier months. During an internship I had with a banking law firm in Albania at the beginning of the year, (February/March) I booked in any networking or advocacy training events outside of these months (mainly April/June).
Towards the end of my gap year, I focused on levelling up in my personal hobbies, like Taekwondo. I trained hard throughout the year but put more focus on it towards the end of the year and hence was able to compete in multiple competitions. I was able to win big at the European Championships held in London, where I won silver and bronze (late June/August).
TOP TIP: Be smart and plan ahead of time about how you distribute your time so that you can help reduce your own anxieties over how you manage your time efficiently.
Apply to anything and everything
I hate rejection, just like everyone else. But you need to build thick skin! It used to affect me at first, especially if I heard nothing back at all. Don’t feel dejected by it! If you hear nothing back or receive a rejection from the internship or work experience that you applied to, then send a polite email asking for feedback! You can still gain something from a simple email like that, mainly areas that you need to work on, and you leave a good impression by being proactive for the next time you apply!
Informal experience works just as well!
Because of Covid and the lack of Courts being open to the public due to them being online, I knew that I needed extensive exposure to the litigation process and how the courts operate. Being able to sit in a public gallery and watching barristers in action was the most important experience and it can be counted as informal shadowing. This is perfect to add on your CV if you haven’t been able to get formal shadowing experience or a mini pupillage through the chambers.
My Gap Year: “My year of rest and relaxation”
My gap year was not nearly as bad as the book by Ottessa Moshfegh, but I did have some ups and downs.
My positive takeaways for the year:
Started learning Spanish
Won silver and bronze at the ITFU Taekwondo European Championships (2024)
Networked and shadowed some amazing legal professionals, both in Albania and in the UK
I travelled throughout Europe, read 100 books (my goal of the year)
I got accepted into my desired bar course provider (after a 5–6-month application and interview process)
My downsides for the year:
Left said bar course provider because it was not suiting my learning style
After anticipating the start at the bar course I applied to a whole year before my gap year, I slowly began to realise that it wasn’t the right fit for me. The course began with several months of self-study, which I tried to push through thinking I should just stick with it since others weren’t struggling as much. I realised that I needed to focus on myself and not get back into the toxic trait of comparisons and focusing on other people.
Right after the gap year, and starting my new bar course, I decided to leave and have an extra few months off before I started my studies with another provider. This was one of the best decisions I have ever made. I have been able to network even more through my institution and have a work experience LLM attached to my postgraduate course.
Did I follow my original plans? No. Did I make mistakes concerning my studies? No. Did I waste my time? No.
With every choice you make and every pathway available to you, it’s best not to overthink about if “I’m making the best possible choice right now”. There is no best possible choice, there is just a choice that suits your needs, your path, and your time.
My friend took a gap year and decided to switch career paths fully, and instead of pursuing law, she became a policewoman. Another friend went into working in project management during their gap year after deciding to take a break from their bar course studies.
Your gap year does not need to be the busiest and most packed in scheduled year of your life. You can decide to do whatever you want at your own pace; the main point is to focus solely on your journey and your needs.
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