Here is the situation.
I was hired in my current position about 9 months ago, they have agreed to pay part of the cost of my Master's, which I start in less than a month. Also my entire family is on their health insurance. I am learning a lot where I am, the work is enjoyable, and everyone in the local group is friendly and helpful.
I went to a tech conference over the weekend, I started talking with the people hosting and really love their mission. The environment and culture is amazing as well. They indicated that they are hiring, and one of the employees (not a hiring manager) urged me to come in and apply. I would need to catch up a little with the technology stack used, but my background with science makes me stand out against other software developer hires.
I really want to jump in, if only to work part time and get my foot in the door. I don't think I can leave my current job because
- Moving to a startup I'd be taking a risk by leaving a bigger and more stable company.
- My company is helping out substantially with school, and I would need to stay at least two years before being able to leave without breaking contract.
- I have only been here 9 months, I am worried that leaving would give me a bad reputation for job hopping.
Likewise, since I will be starting my Master's soon I do not think I will have the time to work part time for them.
The general question is how would I communicate that I would be more than willing to do part time work in a year after I have finished my Master's. If anyone has advice specific to the situation, please label it as such and I would be happy to consider it.
Thank you,