InventiveLabs Gap Programs

InventiveLabs is founded on the principle that people with ADHD, dyslexia or on the autism spectrum are powerful, unique thinkers who will excel in an accepting environment. Our gap year program focuses on passion exploration and career options using a unique approach for those with learning differences. The goal is to pick the college and the major that matches your unique skills.

IS A COLLEGE DEGREE ONE OF YOUR GOALS BUT YOU ARE UNSURE WHAT CAREER ALIGNS BEST WITH YOUR STRENGTHS? FIND YOUR PATH IN OUR GAP YEAR PROGRAM. 

Our Gap Year Program is tailored to help people who think and learn differently develop a strategy for completing college. We accomplish this by doing a deep dive on career options that will work for the individual based upon their strengths (and weaknesses). 

Our view is that people in our program need to know the reason they are attending college in order to succeed in college. For many, college can be a struggle, and having a clear outcome in mind can make it worth the struggle. If this makes sense to you - join us!

Outcomes and Benefits

We see multiple benefits for the Inventives that attend our Gap Year Program:

• Confidence in pursing a major that best matches you and your chosen career(s)
• Internship possiblities from your career exploration
• Independant living skills (gained without the "crush" of the academic environment)
• Maturity, better self-awareness, and stronger executive function skills
• If you have been accepted into college, and deferred admission, affirm or reconsider if that remains the best choice for you.
• If you haven't been accepted to college, apply to the “right” colleges for your identified career path

  Program Summary: TWO CONSECUTIVE 4-MONTH SESSIONS: 

DISCOVERY SESSION: Exploration

~ Generate a list of 50 plus career/major choices that match your interest through field trips, brainstorming, and ideation techniques from the Lab

~ Investigation - Examine potential career match through projects, job shadowing, informational interviews, and self-exploration

~ Reduction - narrow ideas to a Top 10, and eventually your Top 3 potential careers and associated majors

~ Selection - Pick a top choice with two alternates to explore

LAUNCH SESSION: Validation

~Deep-dive on 3 career choices by taking online courses, understanding educational requirements and creation of a career canvas

~Field research - visit companies in your chosen fields! Try to live the life to see if it fits

~Networking - learn how to find and meet people in the fields you have chosen - this is how you get the job once you graduate (we have networking techniques for extroverts and introverts.)

Mentor program - we will pair you up with a mentor in your top field choice

Timing

We run sessions in the fall and spring of each year. Applications are accepted year-round on a rolling admissions basis.