The Wanderjahr

I didn't take a "wanderjahr" after college per se, but it did take me a while to truly figure out what I wanted to do in life. It was a lot longer than a year, however, I think it served a similar purpose.

When I think of my experience with this, I think of my research topic- bad faith. The example of the waiter, where he wants to do something more with his life, but the very thought of going out & applying for jobs doesn't sound appealing, so he just stays a waiter. I think a lot of people do this; just simply stay in the job that they're at because it's easier than doing what they truly want to do in life. Or maybe it will put a financial strain on them that they don't want to go through. Or maybe they're afraid of how that might look to others around them. Whatever the reason, I would bet that there are more people out there that experience this "bad faith" existential crisis than their are who overcome it.