Ask HN: What would you do if you had 6 months off to transition to a new career?

In January of next year, I’ll be 6 months away from getting out of the Navy, which means I’m eligible to participate in the Department of Defense transition program known as SkillBridge. SkillBridge allows military members the opportunity to arrange their own full-time internship with a company or organization anywhere in the US. I still get paid by the Navy, and the company I work for gets free labor and a chance to help a veteran, so it’s a win-win for all parties.

Some friends of mine decided to pursue competitive veteran internship programs at places like Goldman Sachs and FaceBook, which often turn into full-time positions. Another one of my friends decided to do something less rigorous and more interesting, and went to work for a farm for a few months. Right now, I’m leaning towards joining a startup to gain some operational experience at a faster pace than I’m used to in the military/government.

Looking back on your careers in technology, business, engineering, etc., what would you do if you had an opportunity like this?