Quick background, I have suffered major depression since about 13 years old, and am now 17. In that time I've experience two hospitalizations for suicide attempts. For the longest time I never realized what was preventing me from happiness, but I think I now know.

I live in a city (though it applies to most of my state) that is kind of ridiculously religious and conservative. I'm atheist and very liberal. Being stuck in a place of people who are so vastly different than me is probably contributing to my depression. In fact, I'm sure it is. Additionally, I have always been very mature and in the top 1% of intelligence (at least if standardized tests such as the ACT mean anything). I think this has contributed to my depression as well, as I'm stuck in an environment (high school) that I probably don't really belong in.

Luckily, I graduate this May. I spent the past few days in California (all expenses paid) interviewing for a summer internship position as a software engineer at a fairly successful startup in the San Francisco Bay Area. Though I haven't heard back from them yet, I got the strong impression that I'd be offered the position. I think that trip is what made me realize what's been making me depressed. The interview was basically just spending three days working in their office, and I absolutely loved it. I love the area and I loved the tech startup environment, and I feel like I belong there. So if I get the internship I'll definitely be going.

However, post-internship is where I need some advice. I feel like if I attend college I might feel stuck again. I'm fairly confident that if I do the internship this company will offer me a full-time position at the end of it. I don't know if college is the path I should go, or if I should just go straight into the industry I want to eventually work in. I think for my mental health going straight into industry might be the best option, any opinions?