Taking time out: for some students

Swoosh! Another stolen ball, another basket for the other team. Things are getting out of hand, so the coach immediately calls a time-out so the team can regroup, focus, and execute the game plan.

In sports, time-outs are often the key to victory, and they can work the same way in life. If you feel your game plan for life after high school is not clear, or if you really don't know what you want to study in college, then calling a time-out may work for you.

The idea of a "gap year"--a time-out of 12 months after high school graduation--has long been popular in Great Britain and is catching on fast in the United States. Last year, almost 10 percent of U.S. high school grads took a gap-year time-out.
Don't get the wrong idea. Taking a gap year does not mean living as a couch potato for 12 months or partying for weeks on end. It's something entirely different.

"For a student to stay home and veg out on the couch watching TV is a bad plan," says psychologist and educational consultant Carol Maxym, coauthor of Teens in Turmoil: A Path to Change for Parents, Adolescents, and Their Families. Maxym says students should choose to do something "gutsy" during their year, something that stretches the boundaries of their experience.

Career World talked to Holly Bull, who runs the Center for Interim Programs, headquartered in Princeton, N.J., and Cambridge, Mass. Since 1980, Interim Programs has found gap-year projects for more than 3,500 people and has a database of more than 4,000 options worldwide.

The typical students who come to Interim Programs, said Bull, are "kids who want to go out and explore, who don't want to be munched up by the system, who don't want to march in lockstep into college when they really aren't sure what they want to do."
After a year off doing something completely different, said Bull, "the students often come back eager to go to college, more mature, more secure, and more motivated. As one girl told me, 'I feel like I'm making my career choice myself, not being pushed into it.'"
Career World talked to three students about their recent gap-year experiences.
IAN HOCK, 20, New York City: "I went to a private high school in New York," said Hock. "Everyone was ferociously competitive and worked really hard. I just wanted some time to chill out, and summer was not long enough.


"I heard about kids who had taken a gap year, but I thought they were slacker kids and they were hurting their career," said Hock. After asking friends and teachers about gap years, he changed his opinion and told his parents he wanted some time off. His parents supported his plan. He went to the Center for Interim Programs and told the counselors there that he was interested in doing something outdoors. Soon the New York City kid found himself working at Mission Wolf, a wolf sanctuary located in the remote mountains of Colorado.
"We took care of wounded wolves, rescued young wolves from people who illegally owned them as pets, and helped protect them in large, fenced-in areas. The hardest part was cutting up the carcasses of dead livestock brought in by ranchers to feed the wolves."


Hock went home after three months in Colorado and, in February--the dead of winter--flew to Fairbanks, Alaska, to work at a remote kennel for sled dogs--another match found for him by the Center for Interim Programs. "I enjoyed both jobs during my gap year. I felt for the first time I was really on my own, in a working environment, doing something useful. It cleared my mind, and I could focus on what I wanted to do in life."

Hock was scheduled to attend Colorado College in September. He felt that his experience during his gap year made him more mature and better able to pursue his college career.
STEPHANIE YARGER, 18, Dayton, Ohio, "I hated high school," Yarger told Career World. "I needed more of a challenge, and I wanted time off just to breathe. I didn't want to be like some of my classmates who simply were going to college because it was expected of them. They didn't really want to be there."

Yarger found out about gap years through her high school guidance counselor. With her parents' support, she joined a group called Where There Be Dragons that offers several programs of educational travel in Asia. Yarger signed up for a three-month trip through Nepal and Tibet to study art and culture in the Himalayas. "We moved from village to village as travelers, not tourists," said Yarger, "studying the culture and religion."
Because of that experience, Yarger realized that she wanted to study world culture and take up a career that would allow her to travel. "I knew right away that I wouldn't be happy at a desk job," she told Career World. "The gap year really changed my life in a positive direction." Yarger was scheduled to attend Wesleyan University in Connecticut in September.

RICHARD HEROLD, 19, Bernardsville, N.J. When he graduated from high school, Herold wasn't sure what he wanted to do. Because he was interested in many areas--political science, English, film studies--he "decided to take a year off to find out what I really wanted to do."
With the help of the Center for Interim Programs, he went to England and took courses in political science in a program at Oxford University. While at Oxford, he signed up to serve as an intern for a member of Parliament (MP). "Interning with an MP was just a great experience," Herold told Career World, "but I wanted more. I came back and took courses in filmmaking at the New York Film Academy, then moved on and worked for Project Vote Smart, a nonpartisan organization that helps educate voters."

Herold now knows what he wants to do: He was scheduled to enter Northeastern University in Boston in September and major in political science. He hopes to become a lawyer and maybe pursue a career in politics. What about filmmaking? "It proved to be an awful lot harder than I thought," said Herold.

GAP-YEAR ADVICE

Do the stories of Ian Hock, Stephanie Yarger, and Richard Herold inspire you? If they do, and you want to seriously pursue a gap-year program, here are some tips from Taking Time Off, a book about gap-year strategies by Colin Hall and Ron Lieber.
Gain Acceptance. Students should complete college applications in their senior year and defer enrollment for a year. Most colleges will gladly do that, but don't take it for granted. Find out first whether your chosen college defers enrollment.
Find Your Passion. Take the year to accomplish a goal, live out a dream, or really explore what you want to do.

Calculate Finances. Some students pursue their year off with an internship in order to earn money. For those who don't have to be as concerned with earning an income, volunteer opportunities are a great way to serve a community. (Keep in mind that some gap-year advisory programs charge a fee to match you with a program.)
Get Your Parents on Board. Everyone Career World talked to about gap-year strategies agreed on this point. Most parents will at least consider the idea if you assure them you're going to do something, not just sit around watching TV or listening to music.
In fact, you might just be getting to know yourself and starting to make plans for the rest of your life.


Here are some sources about gap-year programs:
Nonprofit programs that offer gap-year opportunities include AmeriCorps (www.ameri-corps.org), which places volunteers in community service around the country, and Earthwatch (www.earthwatch.org.), which offers internships for volunteers and placement on scientific expeditions worldwide. Also check out Where There Be Dragons at www.wheretherebedragons.com.
Consulting firms charge a fee to match students to programs. Here is a short list:
Center for Interim Programs: www.interimprograms.com or 609-683-4300
Where You Headed: www.whereyouheaded.com
Interpoints: 860-868-6778
Phyllis Seinbrecher Associates: 203-227-3190
Discuss
Ask students:
* What might make a student decide to take time off from school?
* Do you think it's a good idea to take a gap year, like the ones described in the article?
* What kind of attitude would you need to succeed in a gap year?
Write
Imagine an Opportunity
Have students imagine their ideal gap year. Have them research gap year opportunities related to their "ideal year" and write a proposal for where they'd like to go and what they would like to achieve in their gap year.
More Resources
Taking Time Off (Princeton Review Series) by Colin Hall and Ron Lieber, is a guide that helps students make the most of their break from school, whether they decide to work, travel, or volunteer. The guide includes stories from 26 students whose time off was well-spent. (Princeton Review, 2003)
COPYRIGHT 2004 Weekly Reader Corp.COPYRIGHT 2004 Gale Group

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Buying a new digital camera

Buying a new digital camera by Nick Stubbs
I feel, after visiting so many websites and reading so much advice, and also by frequently visiting photography forums, that I have to speak on this subject.For the majority of the buying public, there are 2 categories that we fall into when getting started or upgrading in digital photography, the "Absolute Beginner" or the "Amateur" (or serious amateur sometimes labelled as semi pro). Now for the beginner, or someone getting started in photography itself (not just digital), the choice of cameras nowadays is quite overwhelming! Everywhere you look there are cameras, not just in camera shops like the good old days. You even get given a cheap digital camera as a gift for buying something else in some places. There are reasonably powerful digital cameras in the more expensive mobile phones now and they come in all shapes and sizes.So where do you possibly start and how do you make that choice for buying a camera for yourself or someone else. Really it is quite simple and there are 3 criteria you should look at:1.Quality - If you want the camera to last at least a few years and not get bothered by a bit of bashing about, go for quality. A titanium body, not plastic, something that is fairly heavy and robust in your hands, you can feel quality!2.Features - Do you want quality video capabilities? How big do you want to print the pictures that come from the cameras files (how many mega pixels)? Do you want to have at least some manual features so you can get a bit creative? Or do you just want a "Point-and-shoot" digital camera?

3.Price - You will have a budget in mind of how much you want to spend. Get the best camera and memory you can for your budget, worry about extras later! Don't be cheap; if you want reasonably good quality prints, by spending too little on a very cheap camera, you will waste paper, printer ink and/or good money at your local lab. Get a good make and model of digital camera now and it will outlast a cheapie 4 or 5 times.DO NOT be swayed by digital cameras that have "Non-Photographic" features, gadgets and gizmos. Any of these unnecessary features added means that some quality has been sacrificed elsewhere. Buy a camera to be a camera, and nothing else. I would also suggest buying one of the top brands such as Canon, Nikon, Konica-Minolta, Olympus etc., they may cost a little more, but the difference in quality is worth it. They all make cheaper end cameras too.Look for decent features such as a good optical zoom, NOT digital zoom. Digital zoom is an unnecessary marketing tool; it is the same as zooming in on the photo once you get it onto your PC. 10-20X digital zoom is acceptable but I have seen video cameras with 1000X digital zoom, have you ever tried holding the camera steady at these kind of magnifications, even with a tripod?!! Basically, write down exactly what you want and need from the camera, go to a reputable dealer and buy a good branded camera that has what you need for your requirements and budget, don't be swayed by the salesperson into buying more than you need. Now, the Amateur or Semi Pro. When you start to look at Semi professional Digital SLR's or Advanced digital compact cameras, the choice is a little less but no less confusing. The same advice goes here as in the previous section, think about what you need the camera for, how you think you may progress in this hobby and your budget. The "prosumer" advanced digital compact cameras available today are steadily encroaching on the quality of the DSLR, although in my opinion, they will never catch them. The optical zooms are fantastic, the sensors, albeit smaller than the DSLR are powerful and produce stunning images, and some even have "built-in" image stabilisers…Great!

Again, my advice would be to go for quality. These cameras are more expensive anyway and you want one that will last and put up with a bit of knocking from your "getting creative in photography" moments! Once you have your advanced digital compact, don't be swayed by the latest upgrades, updates or releases. Get to know what you have, learn how to use it effectively and learn the photography side of photography, not the technical side.Once you are happy with your progression and feel that you want to move on, be more in control and maybe even start to earn from photography, only then should you splash out and upgrade to a Digital SLR. The Semi Professional Digital SLR or consumer DSLR is a fantastic thing in photography. Many of the "die-hard" film photographers are seeing the light and going digital. Many aspects of film are still widely used and will do for some time, as large format film photography produces the absolute finest detail I have seen (at the time of writing. In 2020, who knows?).

However, the latest batch of Digital SLR's have now reached the point where they match or out perform 35mm film. It is predicted that next year (2006) will be "boom time" for the sales of DSLR's as the quality increases and the prices come down. There has never been a better or cheaper way to get into 35mm photography!The BIGGEST thing to consider when buying a DSLR kit is to choose your brand loyalty.

Look at Canon, Nikon, Konica-Minolta, Olympus, Kodak etc., and make your choice, why? As you progress and become more enthusiastic or serious, you will want to add more lenses to your kit. Wide angle, telephoto, zoom, macro, standard….there is a massive choice. With the way technology is going, you are much more likely to upgrade your camera than you are your lenses and it will be a lot cheaper to do so once you really get into this hobby, believe me! One decent lens in my kit cost €2,000 (£1400) alone. A decent lens will, with care, last you a lifetime. There is only a certain level of quality of the glass you can obtain with optics so remember this point when buying your camera. My choice? Canon. I used to work for Nikon and had a preference towards them, but nowadays all my kit is Canon. I feel they are one step ahead with technology and the lenses (especially the nice white ones) are amazing! Just look at the next major sporting event on TV, how many "White" lenses you see.

Only Canon makes white lenses.Again, once you have made your choice, BUY the camera, ENJOY it and LEARN from it! If the sensor (i.e. 8MP or bigger) produces LARGE, high quality prints, why be swayed by the newer, latest upgrades? Photography is about "learning" and enjoyment, DO NOT be intimidated by technological gobbeldy gook, as long as your camera has the features that you need, quality to match and you build a nice set of lenses over time, who cares if the latest model has 0.1% better white balance control, or flashing lights?If you are new to Digital SLR's, I have a section on my website that explains all the bits and buttons.