Final answer:
Taking a gap year is the least likely to be considered a conventional opportunity cost of starting a career immediately after high school, as it does not necessarily represent a direct economic tradeoff like pursuing higher education, traveling with purpose, or starting a business.
Step-by-step explanation:
The opportunity cost for a recent high school graduate who starts their career right away by getting a full-time job includes any other alternative use of their time and resources that they are forgoing.
The options provided as potential opportunity costs are essentially alternatives to entering the workforce immediately.
These include:
- Pursuing higher education
- Traveling the world
- Starting a business
- Taking a gap year
However, since taking a gap year does not necessarily mean that the graduate is engaging in a productive alternative that has a direct opportunity cost to starting a career (it could be viewed as a form of rest or personal development), it would be the least likely to be considered a conventional opportunity cost in the economic sense, particularly when compared to the other options which either involve furthering education, entering the job market, or creating economic value.