I think a gap year is great for people who have some direction, like you. You were self-motivated and you taught yourself a lot of programming so you had the sk

I think a gap year is great for people who have some direction, like you. You were self-motivated and you taught yourself a lot of programming so you had the skills necessary to get a job. But not all people have the same kind of motivation, and I think some folks still need just a little more "time" to wander around in a traditional academic setting before deciding on what they want to do. I think maybe the better advice might be to go to community college or a trade school. That'll give people the same type of structure they might need to learn without the price tag, and also still allow them to develop a lot of core social skills required for adulting.