This is a tough thing to wrestle with for people who don't have access to family wealth. I'm assuming you can't afford to go without an income for 9 months. I know I couldn't. That said, I have to impress upon you how important an internship is for getting your first post-degree job, especially in this market. An internship is table stakes, IMO you need to get one and accept the financial risks. You have a few options to mitigate it. I'll present them from best to worst. One, in a lot of cases companies may be willing to extend the internship after the traditional summer timeframe, typically as a part time job. My internship company did that for me, and the first three companies I worked for also did that for some of their interns - this is not a rare thing and hiring managers are sympathetic to the fact that you need to earn some income until you graduate. Ask about the possibility of extending the internship during the interview. Two, you might be able to negotiate a return to the old job after the internship. If your boss is a good person, be honest with them about your intentions and your timeline. They should see that they're eventually going to lose you one day after you graduate; the question between now and them is how to make the current relationship most beneficial to both parties. Three, you could look for other work towards the end of the internship. Four, you could take a private education loan to cover the difference in the remaining 9 months, assuming you are not too loaded with debt. My story: I ended up staying past the end of the summer internship season, all the way until April when I got swept up in layoffs. I ended up at a friends house for several months until I got my first SW job. I don't know what your situation is, I won't pretend this isn't fraught with risk; but I like coding, I like making money, and I like these things more than the alternative paths that were available to me. I wish our social/governmental systems made it easier for people to pursue a degree without putting themselves at risk of hunger and homelessness...but they don't, and you need to play the cards you have. Best of luck to you.

Thank you so much!