There are some points that I'd agree with in this post, but the framing is all wrong. The author begins the article saying that abstractions are fast (the DOM) and ends the article saying that abstractions are slow (jQuery).
The native vs web argument has been beaten to death. It comes down to this: there is no perfect solution and everything has trade-offs (speed, quality, and cost). Use your brain and pick the solution that works best for the problem you are trying to solve. As much as web apps have replaced many things that may have previously been implemented as native apps on the desktop, there is still native development being done.
I think that this is the most impressive fact so far. Being successful on your own as well as maintaining a good work/life balance (especially with a family) is an incredible feat. Way to go.
There's no reason you can't do both. I worked for a web dev company while going to school at the same time and it was certainly difficult, but I learned a lot about priorities and juggling things of equal importance. Got 8 hours of work to do plus a paper due the next day? You'll learn some valuable lessons. Getting a degree is a lot more than just learning some skills.
As far as your development skills go, Read looks like a great app. If you're young and already cranking out stuff like that, keep at it and you'll go far. You'll be taken seriously as a developer more so by the things you make than by the papers you hold.
One suggestion on your site, make a beta signup form to make it as easy as possible for people to show their interest. It may not seem like a big step, but having to copy that e-mail address out of the alert box and then composing an e-mail is enough to prevent someone from following through.
My advice is to just be ok with the fact that you might not see EVERY submission. Watch the home page to see what's hot, look through the New section and see if something interests you. Just enjoy it.
I think an important aspect of the internship, as touched on by bartonfink, is the social connection. This decision isn't as easily boiled down to whether you'll make more impressive things at an internship or on your own.
I don't think forgoing an internship would necessarily hurt you, but your portfolio would have to really stand out to make up for it.
I would say continue to pursue internships and see what turns up. If nothing viable or attractive comes up, then plunge into your ideas.
I just went through something very similar. I had been working with a smaller company all through school and for a while after I graduated. The people I worked for were family friends and just great to have as employers. Then, I had the opportunity to join another company that I felt would allow me to do more of what I enjoy and had more room for me to grow, so I went for it. It was quite difficult telling my boss that I was leaving, no doubt about it. He offered everything he could to get me to stay, but in the end I knew that it was time for me to move on to something new.
That being said, here's a few tips that I think could help you.
1. Remember that this is business. That doesn't mean forgetting about the people involved, just that the most important thing in this situation is your career.
2. Do as much as you can to help the transition. The new company that I went to work for wanted me to start asap, but I was willing to give my previous employer 2 full weeks of my time since I did value the relationship and wanted to leave on the best terms possible.
3. Just be honest. While they may not want you to go, they should understand that this is what you need to do.
Thanks for all the great feedback, everyone! This was our Node Knockout submission, so if you get a chance, please give us a vote. Give us some big points for innovation!
Just saw this in the productivity section today. Although I don't use Heroku, it looks nicely executed.
One suggestion I have on your website: I think you should follow through with the actions you demonstrate on your video. You do so when on the console. But when you show off the "Add Collaborators" and the email function, it just feels weird to see the cancel button clicked so much. This is pretty minor, but just something I noticed.
The native vs web argument has been beaten to death. It comes down to this: there is no perfect solution and everything has trade-offs (speed, quality, and cost). Use your brain and pick the solution that works best for the problem you are trying to solve. As much as web apps have replaced many things that may have previously been implemented as native apps on the desktop, there is still native development being done.