Think a gap year is just taking a break from work?
Think again.
in china taking time off can set off alarm bells with hr and suddenly that break feels like a barrier the good news
though knowing the challenges means you can prepare and come back stronger we discuss how to navigate the gap year stigma and how to reframe that time off not as a red flag but as a unique edge in your career story coming to you from beijing this is roundtable i'm he young for today's program I'm joined by Yushun in the studio and Bob Jones via video link.
First on today's show.
Who says gap years are just for students?
A while back, the adult gap year trended hard on Chinese social media.
People boldly walking away from work to find themselves or hit reset.
The rest of us scrolled through their nine photo grids, half envious, half anxious.
But now that some of them are trying to return to the workforce.
Reality bites.
Many Chinese employers aren't buying the personal growth narrative.
So, is taking a break still too risky in today's Chinese job market?
Bob, let's go to you first.
What is a typical gap year?
This idea is imported from the English-speaking world, so give us the rundown.
I think the idea of having a gap year has been around for a long time.
We tend to call them sabbaticals.
And people look at them as a means of, you know,
maybe they've had a really tough time at work and they feel really burnt out and they need to have a bit of a break.