I was previously a college student studying computer engineering, but I ultimately decided to take time off because I was unhappy with the quality of the curriculum and also wanted to focus on some mental health issues I'd been dealing with. Fast forward ~9 months, and I am now interning as a Program Manager at Microsoft. Although I have received very positive performance reviews, Microsoft’s HR is not willing to extend a full-time offer unless I go back to school and finish up my undergraduate degree.

I would describe myself as a generalist that has pursued different experiences over the past several years, including bioengineering research, developing CS curriculum, and software engineering internships. As a result of these diverse experiences I was recently contacted by Google for their prestigious APM program. However, they are not willing to move forward with the interview process unless I commit to finishing my degree as well.

At the current moment I am torn: I have always approached my education in a non-traditional fashion and have stubbornly refused to fit any template, which eventually led to me leaving university. I believe the diversity in skills is what makes me a good fit for the PM role, and I’m ready to enter into an industry position. But now that I am being contacted by top companies I am unsure of how to proceed.

Are the “brand name” companies worth going back and taking a couple of years to finish my degree, or should I take a risk and try to pursue other opportunities? Any advice the HN community has would be greatly appreciated :)