I don't think taking a year off before going to college is a bad thing.

I personally had to quit college because after only a few months there, I was not able to do the things I wanted and learn what I was interested in. It was a waste of my time and energy, so I had to quit.

But I believe taking a break after high school is a good thing, especially if you don't really know what to do next.

If you have a certain goal, and you know what college to go to, and what you want to do in life, sure, go ahead, you should go to college and follow your dreams, there's absolutely nothing wrong with that.

But I believe that if you don't really know what to do, taking a break, travelling, or trying new things is a better option than going to a college you don't really want just for the sake of going.

People overestimate the importance of a degree these days. When I quit college it was because I learned nothing about programming in a college that had as a primary subject "computers". Most of the people there were supposed to come from high schools where they learned a lot about computers. I had to learn about that on my own.

I knew more than them.

And I'm sure that in only one year of learning how to code on my own I'll know more than they learned in college in 4 years. That's only because I know exactly what I want to do with my life and I'm focused on making progress, not getting a diploma.

Sorry for the long comment, I wanted to express my opinion. I strongly believe people should take a break after finishing high school and learn what they want to do in the future instead of just going to college just to get a diploma.