Taking a bit of time before starting college isn't a bad idea

Kathrin’s recent entry mentioned Simon, whose worries as a pupil made me think about something relating to education beyond universities. A favorite topic among those getting ready to graduate: the gap year.

As I understand, it’s quite popular in Western countries. A spare year is open to you; it allows you to broaden your horizons while learning something new or doing some part-time work – or simply travel. One of its aims is to give you some extra time to plan your future. It’s natural that your interests may lie in different spheres by the end of school – so I think it’s good to take some time to think them over and decide where you want your path to lead. But for some reason, this positive phenomenon is practically unknown in lots of countries, including Russia. Why?
One reason is that the number of universities and colleges has increased significantly over the last two decades – getting higher education has been made into a fetish. If you don’t have a diploma or don’t enter a university immediately after school – you are seen as a loser. What about those who have some peculiarities of mental development or have shown no interest in further education? Jobs that require physical skills could be a good solution for them, but the system of colleges and vocational schools has degraded since the early 1990s, when “the new Russia” appeared on the political map. And it is really difficult to rebuild this system – but it is vital if we don’t want to over-saturate the market with university diplomas that are hiding the fact that graduates have few professional skills. That can happen especially in regions where universities created courses within their programs but never found qualified professors to be responsible for teaching them.

I'd like to see gap years become more popular in Russia

Another reason people don’t go for gap years in Russia may be that all males over 18 must spend a year in the army. There are some ways to defer conscription, and studying in a university means getting it. As most boys finish school at 17, they have to enter university right after it, otherwise they will be recruited. But why don’t people want to spend a year in the army? Well, unfortunately, people in Russia think there’s too much violence against younger conscripts and too much corruption. That’s why parents prefer their sons to go on to college. I wonder why don’t consider reforming the army. After all, that’s what civil society is supposed to do when it is not satisfied with a situation.

The third reason that stops people is money. Travelling during a gap year is not what many families can afford (and teenagers usually haven’t saved much money themselves by the end of school), so parents invest in the traditional model of education. Self-education used not to be popular, but as Bob Dylan sang, “The times they are a-changin’…”.

I do hope the practice of a gap year will spread among the people in my country. It means experience, learning how to manage your independence – it’s another brick in building your personality.

The Internet offers a wealth of ways to continue your education

Many people in Russia used to believe that it’s enough to get your university degree – then you can start working and forget about education (until your children go to kindergarten, at least). They’d say you’ve developed your skills, so you ought to find a job and get on with your life. Many still think this way. Sometimes I discuss this topic with friends, and it’s great that our generation seems to have a more modern way of thinking: We believe that it’s natural to have a “second” higher education, to attend courses even as a grown-up or to change jobs several times before retiring.

That means we need something other than the traditional educational model of going from kindergarten to elementary and high school, then on to a university or college and, finally, to graduate school. This has been the model for a long time, and is promoted by the government (Also see my second and third entries for some of the problems I see with that model).

So what’s an alternative? The answer is simple – we shouldn’t forget self-education! There are so many possibilities out there!  You can get the skills necessary for a job – a process most associate with university education – by teaching yourself.

Libraries used to be quite popular for self-learners, but the Internet is changing that. Life is getting more dynamic while the majority of Russian libraries haven’t changed their basic model at all. They don’t offer Internet access to find certain types of information quickly, and they don’t get very many specialized magazines in foreign languages. So people treat libraries not as a source of enlightenment but as a place to get a book to spend several days with.

Online resources can be wonderful if you know a foreign language beyond the basic level. And in fields like medicine or economics, you’ll likely need specialized language skills in English. Clearly you also need Internet access to use such resources – although for Russians in rural areas, a fast Internet connection is often impossible to get. But once these requirements are met, you have the whole world at your fingertips.

Russian libraries have some catching up to do

Some well-known foreign universities offer online courses or lectures for free. That’s a contrast with many universities in my country, which do not promote their websites as independent sources of knowledge. As I see it, there is also a lack of such programs for teenagers before they get to college, at least in Russia.

Clubs or associations formed within schools or by external groups are good ways to learn, too. Here you’re only limited by your interests! For example, my friends own a bookshop that organizes regular lectures devoted to literature. They invite poets or professors, and the series has grown popular with families – not just with young people.

One thing I believe firmly is that you do not get educated FOR your life, you get educated THROUGHOUT your life – no matter how old you are or what step on the social ladder you occupy.