Sure, but the path of college->career is much easier to take when you're a young kid straight out of high school. Everyone I knew who "took a gap year" only ever managed to complete an associates degree (and way later), whereas most people who went straight to college did a full bachelors in the typical 4 years. Many (not all ofc) even did internships and had job offers while in their final year.
Student loans are predatory, but even though I don't have any data to back it up, I do think they're worth it if you actually finish your degree. The main mistake is to go to one of those expensive private schools. Even with rich parents paying it all, those are a rip off. The only value is networking potential (since most students have rich parents too), but the value of that tends to be overstated IMO