Like many soon-to-be college alumni, I remember facing multiple options for life post-grad. Two felt responsible — attend graduate school or immediately enter my career — while the third seemed more personally fulfilling: go see the world.
As graduation day approached, I still didn't have an answer. Even with a wait-list letter from an Ivy League and silence on the job front, traveling didn't stand out to me as a feasible option. Career-driven, not the bravest of people and lacking the financial support of my parents to jet-set, there were a number of reasons why, while romantic, the idea of traveling post-grad didn't seem like a legitimate choice. I never had to really consider it though; I received a job offer right before graduation and took the more conventional route.
My college roommate didn't.
Within weeks of finishing the final courses for her degree, Kristin Wallash and her twin sister, Briana, flew on one-way tickets to Bangkok to start a year-long backpacking trip. Suddenly, her Facebook wall was flooded with exotic locales, stunning sunsets and somewhat-nauseating local cuisine — the typical fare for millennials on post-grad trips. With the intent of WWOOFing, Kristin and Briana set off to work on organic farms across Southeast Asia, wherever their paths took them, to finance their trip.
Our two diverging lifestyles made me wonder: Is it better to put off your career to travel?
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The Benefits Of Traveling Before Starting A Career
While Kristin and Briana's deviance seemed foreign to me, their impulse to buck the conventional post-graduate step is common. According to
Traveling is expensive, but it doesn't seem to be a luxury reserved for established adults anymore. That change can be explained by a cocktail of reasons, ranging from a tough job market to a shifting value system.
"The millennial generation prioritizes experiences — and by extension, travel — above all else," said Susana Hawkins, a design researcher at Lextant. "Given how easy it has always been for them to access things digitally, millennials see analog experiences as the preferred way to develop a deeper understanding of the world around them."
Dan Nainan, a frequent traveler and New York-based comedian, said that the traditional retirement model doesn't necessarily appeal to millennials.
"We do not subscribe to the old model that our parents' generation did — that you go to school, and then work from age 22 to 65, 43 miserable years at some job you hate, and then get to travel," Nainan said. "Who wants to live that way? The best thing is to have mini-retirements along the way. Work a few months, then travel a month. Work a few years, then travel for a year."
Entering the grind might not even be a choice many millennials have. Gen Y faces higher-than-average unemployment rates, especially those fresh out of school; according to March 2015 data from the Bureau of Labor Statistics, 10% of Americans between 20 and 24 are unemployed. That number drops to 5.6% for the 25-to-34 age bracket — 20 basis points above the national average and the highest unemployment rate of any age group above 25.
All the while, the Internet is making traveling easier and more accessible to unemployed millennials, who have easy access to travel blogs, infinite listicles on what they should see at any destination, and Yelp reviews on everything from tiki huts to St. Peter's Basilica.
"Part of it is that we (or at least my friends and I) see ourselves as part of a broader community where national borders do not matter as much as they did in previous generations," said Stephen Richey, a millennial who has traveled to over 25 countries. "There is not as strong of a nationalistic streak as was engrained in our parents and grandparents. I don't think of myself as an American (despite being a non-combat veteran of the U.S. military) so much as I see myself as a citizen of the world."
It's certainly in millennials' favor that, depending on where they travel, it can be done rather cheaply.
"I am young enough to travel cheap, like roughing it on overnight buses, sleeping in dorm rooms with 20 other snoring people, and all the other fun things that come along with traveling on a budget," Kristin said.
Kristin had backpacked previously for six weeks in Indonesia, Thailand, Cambodia and Vietnam for $3,200 total (including airfare) using earnings from part-time jobs when she was a student to cover the costs. That expense is nowhere near that of a six-week excursion in Europe, for instance — for one, the exchange rate was in her favor — and cheaper lodging and transportation options help. Many young adults pursue travel while also advancing their careers through programs like Teach Away, an abroad offshoot of Teach for America, which is free for instructors.
Buying a one-way ticket to an exotic place does require some opportunity-cost analysis, however. By traveling for an extended period of time, what are you giving up back home? The true travel costs might exceed what you pay for your flights, hostels and meals.
The Opportunity-Cost Of Not Working Right Away
I'm a pretty perfect foil to Kristin. Instead of traveling for a year, I graduated early and started working at 21. By trading travel for full-time employment, I made strides professionally and adjusted to a workplace environment. I also got a clear look at how that head-start positioned me compared to my peers who took longer to get to the workplace.
In that year, I earned a 401(k) with my company, a promotion, saved up a good amount of money and adjusted to a new city that initially made me feel like a tourist. I developed a more realistic outlook on adulthood and came to terms with many of the anxieties that first set in upon starting a career and making big life choices.
From such a close vantage point, that year of work seems incredibly valuable, but is there much difference between nine and 10 years of work experience? What's the income or experience difference when comparing a 29- versus 30-year career? Likely not more than the nominal cost of becoming more cultured and making lifelong memories.
Socking away just $500 per month, split between personal savings and retirement, would net $6,000 toward your future in one year of working — not factoring in interest rates. Sure, the job market is tough on recent grads, but that might be a good reason to jump right in, considering how competitive it is. On the flip side, those who work abroad can obtain on-the-job experience in a less competitive environment and have great color for their resumes down the line.
I see the decision to travel or work as boiling down to what your goals are. Some travel because it's fulfilling, while others might do it as a last hurrah before entering adulthood and accumulating all of its associated responsibilities. There unfortunately isn't a clear answer for what's best. Sure, I learned a lot and was exposed to a lot of great opportunities in my career by taking the obvious option, but you can't quantify lessons you didn't learn or opportunities you passed up.
Sometimes I do wonder, since I didn't take that long trip before jumping on the employment train, when will I ever?
