Should I take a gap year?

I would not suggest you take a year off unless you were studying abroad or doing some kind of community service program like Americorps. Sometimes while taking a year off, you become so complacent and unmotivated to even want to go to college. Everything becomes more important than getting your education. I know you're in your junior year so I would recommend you to take time volunteering and finding activities that you are passionate about to turn into a career opportunity. Also, go straight to college after high school, you really don't want to miss out on the fun!!

I agree with Ken's analysis and suggestions. I too have known several folks who thought they wanted to take a year off but never came back to finishing their education. It costs money to live and once you get a job, it is hard to quit and go back to school. You also get out of the habit of studying so if you do go back, it is a lot harder to get back in the rhythm of things. I graduated with my BS and then waited quite a few years before going back and getting my MBA so I have some experience in that area. Even now, after having completed my MBA a few years ago, I find I am back in school for certification and having to re-train myself again to study. It is not impossible to do, but if it is possible to complete your education before getting a job and getting tied down with all the responsibilities of living, I would recommend doing so.
If however, you have the opportunity to do something exciting that relates to your future goals, it may be a learning experience in itself and may be worth the time. Only you can make that choice since you know your circumstances and the underlying reasons you are looking at College. Good luck in your choices!

Hi Albett!

Here are some hints on how you can figure out what you want to do with your life.

Here are some exercises that you can take to answer some of your career questions. You can also talk to your academic adviser and/or your school counselor about taking career interest and aptitude tests. Doing this testing, even though you think that you know what you want to do, will either confirm your thinking or open up some more possibilities for your to explore. In either event, it is definitely worth the time spent:
https://www.themuse.com/advice/14-free-personality-tests-thatll-help-you-figure-yourself-out

When you find careers that are interesting to you, you can do the following:
- talk to your school counselor/academic adviser about participating in coop, intern, shadowing, and volunteer programs that will allow you to see the inside of the career and see what people do, how they got there, and how you feel about it.

- talk to the head of alumni relations at your school to arrange to meet and visit graduates of your school who are doing what you think that you want to do. so you can learn more.
- talk to your academic adviser/school counselor and/or the reference librarian at your local library to locate and attend meetings of professional organizations to which people in your career area of interest belong, so you can mix and mingle and learn more. These organizations are open and encouraging of student participation and inquiry

Best of luck. Let me know if and how this was of help. I would like to follow your progress. Please keep me informed.

Hi Albert,

As someone that has worked in college academic advising this is something I come across with a lot of students. My answer is that there is no right or wrong answer to this question. It is all about what is best for you. The truth is that times are changing, and college degrees don't bare as much weight as they did 5 yrs ago. Now, that could change. The job market has trends, and what companies want changes.

If you take time off you do risk losing motivation to go back. I specialize in working with nontraditional students. Many of the students I worked with were in their 30s and 40s finally starting their degrees. They planned to take a short break for a year and ended up not going back for 20 years.

Another chunk of my nontraditional students were ones that started college before they were ready and ended up dropping out and are finally going back 20 years layer.

So either is a risk. You have to decide what risks you are willing to take. Do you want to take time off and risk not going back preventing you from getting opportunities you would have had if you went? Or, do you want to jump into college when you aren't ready and risk taking on student loan debt for something you don't finish? I can't answer those questions, but below are some steps I recommend.

P. S. In regards to college, you will still be able to find a good school if you take time off. It will be all about what you did while off. If you sat on the couch all day, a college admissions Director won't be impressed. However, if you traveled or did some internships, many schools will respect that.