The article pretty much says it all for me. I have no regrets taking time off to recharge and get to experience life a different way in my gap year. The most important thing I got to learn in my gap year was being able to work with all sorts of individuals. I feel pretty humbled to have worked in a restaurant at $10/hr and working with employees I never would have met in high school. Working a job definitely made me more mature and appreciate life a lot more. The job made me more empathetic to those barely scrapping by in college and life, even though I was so fortunate to get lots of scholarships for college. It also made me value life more when a former coworker died in a car accident at 17… It made me realize how precious time was and how we all need to do what is right for our well-being, health, and goals. Gap years as a concept had a little stigma when I told my peers since most were going to elite schools immediately but the year off was for me, not them or anyone else. Asides from working it’s so nice to be able to sleep 8 hours a day, exercise regularly, hang out with friends frequently, have time to read, play video games, travel in my state, learn some new skills I always wanted to invest time in, and being more mentally healthy. Had I gone straight to college after high school I don’t think I would have made it…I was at the breaking point with anxiety and depression and I feel like my decision saved my life.The gap year was a blessing and I look forward to college in the fall 