gap year is almost unherad of in malaysia, but extremely common in europe. even the interpretation is different here in malaysia.

in europe, gap year is treated as extra-curricular activity that in a way will enhance and benefit the individual, which in turn will make them into a better graduate. the student will retain all privilege as a student and could represent the university in any events (sports, conferences etc). people not only want to do gap year, they also are encouraged to do it, and will tell other people proudly that they did something good during a gap year.

however in malaysia, gap year is mostly taking a break from studies either to work (earn a living, sustain self etc), to get away because of too stressed, or got pregnant.

do u see the negative connotation (from the perspective of society and potentially the employers as well) in malaysia?

errr... gap year assumes u're doing something in between of something else. for example, u've just finished 1st year of ur degree, went out to do charity work in tibet for a year (this being the gap year), and then continue ur 2nd year after returning from tibet.

if u've just finished SPM and did not immediately continue for STPM/A-levels/matrics, that's called bumming around.

depends what u're doing exactly. if u're earning money coz u cant afford pre-u, i'm sure it's fine. heck, as long as u can account it to something, it'll be fine too. u just dont have to call it a gap year, because it has a specific meaning attached to it.

what i'm saying is, do something productive if u dont plan to continue straight after SPM. and make sure that the thing u do somehow benefits u in some ways that the potential employer deem valuable. like doing charity work.

they might ask. but it wont have any significant effect to ur employability. i mean even if u say "i'm bumming around with my friends chasing hot girls", what are they gonna do, right?

look, university life can be hectic. if u dont wanna burdened with education loans (like PTPTN), then the most logical way is to sacrifice a year (or a few) of ur life to earn some money before continuing ur studies. employers would see this as ur own initiative to take matters into ur own hands. which is good!

there are other more important questions that they will ask that will directly impact ur employability. i suggest u concentrate on those. for example:

i. working experience
ii. softskills
iii. degree curriculum, syllabus & accreditation
iv. professional license

and stuff like that. if i were to put that on a scale, those four will weigh about 80%, and the gap year probably about 1%. so dont worry about it!

like i said, it doesnt matter. just tell the truth.