Summary:
Common Gap connects high school graduates with startup jobs for paid gap year experiences, offering an alternative to traditional college paths
Participating startups must pay at least $75,000 annually, with many offers expected to exceed $100,000 for teen workers
The program targets ambitious teens interested in taking time off before or during college, particularly in the AI and tech sectors
Founder Oliver Zou sees early-career talent as a major unlock in the AI talent race, asking "Why wait for them to graduate?"
Application process skips traditional résumés, asking for "the most impressive thing you've done or built" with optional video interviews
The Rise of Paid Gap Years for High School Graduates
As college application season heats up, high school seniors are increasingly considering an alternative path: taking a gap year to work at startups. A new program called Common Gap is formalizing this trend by connecting ambitious teens with paid positions at innovative companies.
Oliver Zou, founder of Common Gap and Deep24
What Common Gap Offers
Common Gap matches high school graduates with startup jobs for paid gap year experiences, targeting teens interested in taking time off before or during college. The program requires participating startups to pay at least $75,000 annually, with many offers expected to exceed $100,000.
Why This Matters Now
Delaying, dropping out of, or skipping college has long been popular in Silicon Valley, with icons like Mark Zuckerberg, Steve Jobs, Bill Gates, and Larry Ellison taking similar paths. As artificial intelligence hype draws young founders to San Francisco, programs like Common Gap are becoming more mainstream.
"Why wait for them to graduate?" says Oliver Zou, the 24-year-old founder of Common Gap and Y Combinator-backed startup Deep24. He sees early-career prospects as a major unlock in the AI talent race, where technical machine learning roles can command million-dollar offers.
How It Works
Common Gap takes its name from the Common App college application platform, offering a similar streamlined approach. The application process skips traditional résumés and instead asks applicants to share "the most impressive thing you've done or built", with optional video interviews. Zou is even considering using AI as an initial filter in early interview rounds.
The Startup Partners
Several startups have already signed on, including:
- SuperBuilders (Austin-based, makes technology for AI-powered private school Alpha School)
- Various AI-focused companies in health tech and insurance
- Deep24 (Zou's own productivity analytics startup)
Many partners have gone through Y Combinator, the prestigious Silicon Valley entrepreneurship program.
Historical Context and Similar Programs
Programs for early-career techies aren't entirely new. The Thiel Fellowship (founded 2011) awards $200,000 to early-stage founders who drop out of college. Venture capital firms like Kleiner Perkins have similar internship matching programs.
The Founder's Perspective
Zou, who graduated from the University of Pennsylvania a year early and previously worked as a product manager at Uber, wishes he had taken a gap year himself. "If you choose to go to college, you're going very intentionally," he says of Common Gap participants.
"I certainly think that college is not right for everyone, and it has kind of become a default," Zou adds. "Being able to do real work, rather than just turning in assignments for someone to grade, is quite rewarding — and good learning."
Business Model and Funding
Common Gap doesn't have its own funding — participating companies pay the students' salaries directly. The program won't turn a profit, focusing instead on creating opportunities for young talent and startups alike.
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