“So… you wasted two years?”
That’s the question I heard more times than I could count.
And honestly, for a long time, I believed it too.
I was the guy who hit pause on life after high school, took a detour chasing IIT dreams, and ended up with nothing but sleepless nights, self-doubt, and a rejection letter. While my friends strutted into college, updated their bios with “Engineer at XYZ,” I was stuck—no plan, no direction, and a head full of ‘what ifs.’
But here’s the plot twist:
Those two “wasted” years ended up teaching me more about life, resilience, and growth than my four-year engineering degree ever did.
Let me tell you how.
Lesson 1: You’re Not Your Results
I still remember the morning the IIT results came out.
I refreshed the website over and over, fingers trembling. When the screen finally loaded and I saw the “not qualified” message, everything inside me crumbled.
For two years, I had tied my self-worth to an exam. I believed that cracking IIT was the only ticket to success, and failure meant I was… well, a failure.
But over time, sitting alone in my room, away from the noise, something shifted. I realized I wasn’t defined by an exam rank. I wasn’t a number. I was someone who tried, learned, and endured.
It was the first time I asked myself:
What do I really want?
And not what society expected from me.
That question became my compass.
Lesson 2: Silence is a Great Teacher
While the world moved ahead, I lived in stillness.
No lectures, no campus buzz, no friend circle to distract me. Just me, my thoughts, and endless self-reflection.
I journaled. I read books outside my syllabus. I questioned everything.
Who was I without achievements?
Why did I fear failure so much?
What truly made me happy?
In those silent moments, I became aware of my strengths and shadows.
It was uncomfortable. But it was real.
That stillness made me emotionally intelligent in ways no engineering formula ever could.
Lesson 3: Failure is Just Feedback
When you fail in the Indian education system, it’s often treated like a dead-end.
But during my gap years, I started to see failure differently. Not as shame, but as feedback.
I began looking at where I went wrong—not to punish myself, but to improve.
I realized I never had a study system that worked for me. I studied for hours, but not effectively. I never asked for help. I assumed intelligence was fixed, not earned.
Those lessons stayed with me far beyond academics.
They helped me when I switched my branch from Electronics to Mechanical.
They helped me when I faced rejection again after graduation.
They helped me when I eventually pivoted from engineering to education, and later to content creation and personal branding.
Lesson 4: Reinvention Begins with Acceptance
Taking a gap year is taboo. Taking two? Almost scandalous.
I had to face family, relatives, and society whispering behind my back.
I had to face myself.
But somewhere during that time, I began accepting my journey. I stopped comparing. I stopped rushing. And I started reinventing.
I took the courage to switch branches when I realized I didn’t enjoy electronics.
I gave myself permission to dream beyond a 9–5 when I discovered my love for teaching and storytelling.
Eventually, those two “wasted” years became my foundation for everything I do today.
Lesson 5: The Best Education Happens Outside the Classroom
Don’t get me wrong—my engineering degree gave me structure, discipline, and a great CGPA.
But it was the gap years that taught me real life skills.
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How to handle failure without falling apart.
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How to learn independently and think critically.
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How to pivot when things don’t go as planned.
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How to develop emotional resilience.
No degree taught me these. Life did.
And it started with the moment I failed—and chose not to give up.
If you’re in a gap year right now, or considering one, or stuck in a phase where nothing makes sense—let this be your reminder:
Your life isn’t on pause. It’s on purpose.
It may not look like growth, but it is. It may not feel like progress, but it is.
Because some of the most powerful transformations don’t make noise. They happen silently, when the world isn’t watching.
Those two years didn’t delay my journey.
They deepened it.
And I wouldn’t trade that for any degree in the world.