By Chew Zhi Wen

THE gap year - that period of time between graduating or completing national service and the next step - presents a rare opportunity for youth to relish the emancipation from the hustle and bustle of school.

It is a time to embark on a journey of self-discovery and reflect on the important decisions that lie ahead.

Most, though, decided on the traditional nine-to-five office grind, through work and internships. They believed that every job made a difference to their resume.

Me? I became a dancer.

I turned my hobby into a part-time job, learning and working as a dancer for the past eight months.

I started dancing at 14, in a secondary school CCA, so I had some experience.

The gap year provided me with a rare opportunity to further hone my skills.

The combination of taking classes, conducting classes and doing shows was physically and psychologically exhausting.

The ups and downs of this experience enlightened me to the differences between a passion and a profession.

Was I good enough to be a career dancer? I think I got my answer.

Secretly, I was relieved that I did not have to do this my whole life.

Nevertheless, I was glad I gave it a shot anyway.

Perhaps I could have gone with the norm and done a few internships to improve my employment prospects.

Or I could have taken up a well-paying, full-time job.

But while we have an entire lifetime to make money, we are young only once.

My priorities lie in making enough to live comfortably, and enjoying my youth while I can - before family and career responsibilities start to dominate my life.

There is a time for everything, and I believe that I have an entire lifetime to climb the corporate ladder.

But will I have the time in the future to do an up-tempo hip-hop dance?

Somehow, I doubt it.

Chew Zhi Wen, 21, has a place to read law and economics at the National University of Singapore.

This article was first published in The Straits Times on June 30, 2008.