hello! seeking some advice ( long post sorry )

my girlfriend and i have been together nearly two years, we met about halfway through our first year of university. at the end of this year, we will be graduating.

the problem is, we cannot really afford to not live with our parents. her parents live near london, and mine near scotland. we can't live with each others parents for various reasons i won't get into here. for her, financial stability is a huge goal as she has struggled immensely throughout university and has barely been able to afford to live.

she has suggested that, for the sake of our future, once we graduate, we break up for a year and then reevaluate. her reasoning behind this is that we can live at home and work full time and save up money, so that if we then get back together and move in together, it will be purposeful, we can really think about where we want to go and what we want to do with our lives, and we will have enough money to afford a place. She thinks that long distance would be painful for both of us (I agree, as I have bad anxiety) and that this would be a better option (provided one of us doesnt manage to get a high enough paying job near the other and is able to move closer) as this will give us a year to grow as people. She is a very independent person and always has been, and wants the chance to stand on her own two feet before jumping into our life together.

This is also both of our first proper relationships, and she thinks it'll be good for us to date other people if we want to, to make sure that we have had this chance to see what is out there, and this'll make us more secure in our relationship to each other that we have CHOSEN each other. If we happen to find someone that makes us happier, then that is also good because we love each other so much that we want the best for each other, even if that means being with someone else.

I have also had problems being too dependent on her in our relationship at points, and have worked on this A LOT and am doing way better at it. However, some time apart would give me the chance to learn how to rely on myself even more and could be good for me.

For me, I see both negatives and positives in this idea. The positives are that because we are leaving education for the first time, we really need to learn who we are outside of education and outside of each other. I think this would really strengthen us as a couple in the long term. It'll also mean that I don't rush into a career just because I find a job or a grad scheme that is close enough to her and pays enough for me to get my own place. I can really figure out what I want to do and not let my relationship impact my options. I do also agree that the option to see other people and then choosing each other could make our relationship more secure, but right now I could not possibly fathom wanting to see anyone else.

The worst part would be how miserable I would be if we broke up. Even if the goal was for it to be temporary, this year would be hell for me. I think a lot more in the short-term and it's hard to fathom sacrificing one year for our whole life together, as I just want to do everything I can to start it as soon as possible. But, trying to rush into it would be financially irresponsible and could also damage our relationship in the long term. For her, I think the year would be less hard as she is autistic and has described her brain being in one mode at a time. When she is with me I am all she can think about (and the rest of the day if she has seen me or is going to see me), but when she is in 'work mode' I pretty much don't exist to her. I know this sounds unromantic but I find it quite sweet, her lack of object permanence is funny and when her mind is on me it is ON me. She thinks she would be able to quite easily turn her brain to work mode for the best part of a year, and would gladly do so in sacrifice of the life she wants with me. She described it as giving up her now for our forever, and as she is someone who does not use forever lightly, this means a lot.

I also think despite the mature approach of "if we find someone that makes us happier that's good" - if we were to see other people it would hurt a lot. She pretty much thought she was aro / ace until she met me and says it would be unlikely she would date but she wants me to so that I can be sure ( I think this is partly her insecurity thinking she is not good enough and I have settled ) But still, the thought of either one of us with someone else makes me feel sick. If we got to the end of the year and she dated someone else and didn't want me anymore it would destroy me.

Provided we don't secure opportunities good enough that we don't have to move home and can figure something out sooner, what do you think? Is there truly a chance we could survive the year and this be good for us? Do I give up and sacrifice the short term for the future with her I want more than anything? Or do I fight for a different option? Even though that might destroy us?