Just to throw an alternative on the table.... My husband and I both went straight to university, into what we thought was our chosen majors for 1.5 - 2 years, and *then* took the year or so off to work, reflect, and ponder what we actually wanted to do with our lives. Both of us returned to new majors, and in my case, a new faculty. A year off working in a lab convinced me that I love science, but I utterly lacked the tenacity to be a chemistry major!
For both of us, this sequence worked very well. We had enough education to work in "real" jobs, and get a taste of our ostensibly-chosen professions. When we returned to school, we knew what we really wanted, and had the experience and maturity to get it.
P.S. Alas, I know far too many 40-year-old post-docs to suggest lengthy postponement to anyone who might have serious grad studies on their horizon.
