HN

Thanks for opening - this is a bit of a long read, but I would appreciate any advice you have to offer.

I'm about to graduate in December with a degree in computer science from a large university in the southeast. While I don't consider myself an incredible programmer, I've had my share of conventional success through a couple of internships, independent ventures, contract work, etc. I'm currently a full time offer from a very large company that is known for it's short turnover rate, I'm sure you can connect the dots.

I don't want to accept this offer - this role is not what I want to do. While it has good money/prestige, I felt like a zombie after two summers of working on somebody else's project that I don't really care about / will never use.

My main hope is that I'm granted one of the two foreign research/english teaching scholarship grants that I've applied for, and believe I have a solid shot at receiving based on research and my credentials. Both of these, however, are not announced until April-ish and start in July. If I don't receive these, I'm going to pursue some sort of other option along this route, whether it be a less prestigious program abroad or simply using the money I make in the meantime to travel independently for the next 6-9 months. Since I'm potentially going to be out of the country for a year on a grant, I don't want to use the spring semester to travel abroad beforehand.

My concern is that, regardless of whether I get a grant or not, taking the spring semester off will push me back to at least a year with no solid development experience. I'll be continuing a few side projects and doing the freelance work I currently do, so I won't be completely stale or worried about money, but I likely won't be gaining that much useful development experience.

If I were to take this job, I would leave in June at the earliest and probably December at the latest, meaning I would be staying anywhere from 5 months to a year. Will I be screwing over the company if I come in simply for 5 months? Will they understand that I was given an unique opportunity / scholarship to pursue something worthwhile? I am not interested in returning to the company after, but don't just want to cash in on a short opportunity if it's not the right thing to do or if it will hurt me in the future.

Sorry for the scattered thoughts - going through a tough time at the moment. I appreciate any feedback. And of course, if anybody has an opportunity or would like some work done early next year, I'm open to new plans.