A gap year program is lining up six-figure startup salaries for teens

Tech Insider : Business, Technology
Oliver Zhou
Oliver Zhou, founder of Common Gap and Deep24

Oliver Zhou

After a breakup, I traveled for a year to learn how to be alone again. It led me to move to a country I'd never imagined calling home.

Tech Insider : Travel, Business
Claire Drinkwater is swinging on a hammock in Belgium.
After her travels came to an end, Claire Drinkwater decided to settle down somewhere new.

Provided by Claire Drinkwater

I left my Hollywood stunt career for 15 months to travel to 35 countries. I came back ready to plan my future beyond LA.

Tech Insider : Travel, Business
A woman with yellow hair walking with white lions in Victoria Falls, Zimbabwe.
Sharonda Scott's spent 15 months traveling to 35 countries (including Zimbabwe, pictured).

Provided by Sharonda Scott

I quit my job at 29 and traveled solo. I didn't tell my parents until I'd finished my business plan.

Tech Insider : Travel, Travel, Business
Cassi Zheng running down a street in Italy.
Cassi Zheng

Provided by Cassi Zheng

They left their jobs in their 50s to reconnect with their kids. It helped them rethink their long-term career plans.

Tech Insider : Travel, Travel, Business
A selfie of a man, a woman, and their three sons in Turkey.
Pablo Slough and Karen Gilchrist quit their tech jobs in mid-2024 to take a gap year to spend time with their sons.

Pablo Slough and Karen Gilchrist.

My husband and I quit our jobs to travel for a year. My biggest concern was having a career gap on my résumé.

Tech Insider : Travel, Business
Maria Laposata and her husband in the Masai Mara, a national game reserve in Kenya, with elephants walking in the background.
Maria Laposata and her husband left their jobs to spend a year traveling around the world.

Provided by Maria Laposata

I couldn't afford to take a gap year in college. So at 53, I retired early and did exactly that.

Tech Insider : Travel, Travel, Business
Kelly Benthall and her husband in Seville, Spain.
Benthall and her husband retired early and spent the first year traveling around the world.

Provided by Kelly Benthall

I saved $50K to take a 'gap year' from work. It helped me reprioritize my life and find joy.

Tech Insider : Travel, Business
Alma Rex-Ezonfade wears a white dress, seated on a pink chair with a pink wall behind her

Alma Rex-Ezonfade

When I was 30, my mom gave me $15,000 to spend on a gap year in Italy instead of a house or wedding. I have no regrets.

Tech Insider : Travel, Travel
Rooftops and cathedral di Santa Maria del Fiore in Florence, Italy, with mountains and bright-blue sky in the background
With my mom's help, I lived in Florence, Italy, at the end of 2023 and early 2024.

xbrchx/Getty Images

My son and I deciding whether he'll go straight to college or take a gap year. I'm fine with whatever he chooses.

Tech Insider
Photo of young man wearing a backpack with skateboard looped through it from behind at sunset.
Stephanie Kaloi's son (not pictured) is deciding whether to go straight to college or take a gap year.

Alvaro Medina Jurado/Getty Images

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