East European here, a bit similar similar history to yours in that I've also got a scholarship in the US and I went the college route. In between the college years I've taken a few years of "leave of absence" to work in industry (back in Europe) - the US colleges (at least mine, but I suppose it's similar for most of them) do enable students to pause the education and return a bit later without any hassle, even my scholarship was still kept.
I'd never go back to change getting the degree - it's a great stepping stone in the professional world, opens doors and interviews, you can go back to industry any time later on. However the college is much "easier" when you are 20 - easier to fit in, make friends etc. With life, responsibilities will pile up and there can and will be much more friction to decide and get back to college later on.
College then led to masters (in ML) and that has become and still is a technical basis of all my professional career, so I have a deepest gratitude for all of these educational opportunities.
I'd never go back to change getting the degree - it's a great stepping stone in the professional world, opens doors and interviews, you can go back to industry any time later on. However the college is much "easier" when you are 20 - easier to fit in, make friends etc. With life, responsibilities will pile up and there can and will be much more friction to decide and get back to college later on.
College then led to masters (in ML) and that has become and still is a technical basis of all my professional career, so I have a deepest gratitude for all of these educational opportunities.