You are 16. That is 2 years younger than many, many students who will be graduating from high school this spring. It is no surprise that you don’t feel ready for college! And yes, it is perfectly OK for you to take some time off before continuing your education.
One of the best ways to figure out what you want to do is to get a job. You will be able to practice getting along with people in an environment that is very different from school, and you will start to get a notion about potential career pathways. Not all pathways require a college education, but most will call for some kind of technical or on-the-job training in order to advance from beginner to higher levels in that career field.
To get started, you will need to find out what jobs are open to someone your age in the area where you live. Some jobs will be closed to you because you aren’t 18 yet, and a few will be closed to you until you are 21. The area where you live may also restrict the total number of hours you can work each week, and the schedule that you can work. However, within those parameters it is likely that you can find a job.
Provided you don’t take any college-level courses for credit, if you do decide to continue your education and you want to go to college in the future, you will be able to apply as a freshman.
Wishing you all the best!