Opinion | Taking a break to get ahead

Jackie Alves, senior screenwriting major

Hearing the words “gap year” is a dreaded phrase to many parents and students alike. Somehow it means putting a pause on your dreams or the start to inevitably giving up on your education. However, college absolutely isn’t a one-size-fits-all experience. 

Already a student enrolled at the Dodge College of Film and Media Arts, one of the top film schools in the country, I knew the typical college experience wasn’t something I was going to have. Usually these years are defined as a four-year journey that consists of securing two internships – maybe a job – and eventually finding a career after obtaining a degree. For me it’s been three years, two internships, a slew of jobs on and off campus and the start of my career as I take on my gap year – and this is all before I walk across the stage to President Daniele Struppa. 

With COVID-19 sparking a complete change in both the workplace and the classroom, I found myself in a unique position and an opportunity I wouldn’t have been able to take if I had stayed “on course” to graduate in four years. Last summer I was fortunate enough to intern at DreamWorks Animation in their Television Animation Production department, where I made countless friends, learned the inner workings of a top-tier animation company and – most importantly – made connections. Going into my junior year at Dodge College as a screenwriting major, I already missed the DreamWorks campus and the creation of beloved stories. However, with the lockdown in March and the move back to my hometown in Boise, Idaho, I thought my career and possibly my degree would need to be placed on hold. Fortunately enough, DreamWorks was still hiring and operating completely remotely. Their recruiters reached out to me and I was offered a job as a design assistant on the new DreamWorks Animation and Netflix television series, “Jurassic World Camp Cretaceous.” 

It came down to the option of whether I chose to take the job, focus on my final classes at Dodge College or – as I was hoping to do – balance both at the same time. What came along with the job was benefits, and I realized that after six months of working at DreamWorks Animation, the company will pay for college courses that apply to my job.

Since all of my remaining classes are within Dodge College, this felt like both the right financial move and career move for me to keep moving forward. I would still graduate on time while getting tuition reimbursement and being able to fully focus on my new job as I started in late August. So with that, I withdrew from my fall courses and realigned my game plan.

A gap year is something I never imagined myself doing. I’ve always been an extremely scheduled person and I enjoy following the course I prepare for myself. This felt like the right choice and the right change for a fruitful tomorrow, rather than staying on the track I thought I needed to follow in order to be successful. The college dynamic is always evolving. With it, you get to shape the experience based on your own path, not the one outlined for you.