BPM development (specifically Pega) or automated testing in Java, what to choose?

Question

Java

Good everyone!

I will describe the situation.
22 years old, 3rd year student of the Faculty of Finance, school21, I have basic skills and knowledge in development. Specifically: C, Java, Sql, html, git, maven . I understand the essence of OOP, concurrency/collections/a bit of stream api, I can work with basic data structures and understand the differences between them, including "from under the hood", unix user (I work freely in the terminal).

About a month ago I realized that I would like to move at a faster pace and gain knowledge on a real project directly at work. An internship as a java intern, it seemed to me, could contribute a lot to this. Actually, having sent out a resume and having passed several interviews, I have potentially two ways for further development.

First:test automation trainee (monthly training and signing a contract for at least a year of work in the field of testing). Of the benefits - stability and good salary (according to hr). Of the minuses - I'm not entirely sure that this is the right direction, which will give the necessary development and skills (initially I would like to develop as a developer) and the inability to leave due to obligations.

Second: an intern in the development of bmp on the pega platform. Of the benefits (as I see it), training in the field of development and an excellent employer according to reviews from acquaintances. I'm not sure about the stack used in this, I think, narrow direction (pega, bpm) and how relevant these skills will be (maybe I'm mistaken, most likely).

Specific questions:
1. What is bpm development? How does it correlate with the generally accepted stack (spring, hibernate, etc.)?
2. Are there many skills you can get in AT that are relevant for further development in development? Will there be a stagnation in terms of development in a year? What percentage of the time does the automator work directly with the code in relation to the rest of the routine (as far as I know, manual testers do not write code at all).
3. Is it worth it to apply for the position of a tester and set aside a year for this in order to further apply for the position of a junior developer? Or is it better to get experience in BPM development? There is also an option to spend another six months studying frameworks, technologies, and then look for vacancies for a junior with no experience.

The question of which path to choose and where to move on has been hanging over me for a long time and there is still no clear answer. I hope for help from people who have already gone a certain way and can, with their knowledge and experience, give a recommendation where to go. An important addition: the acquired skills are a higher priority factor than the amount of salary.

Thanks to all who responded!

ps
do not judge strictly if you wrote nonsense somewhere

Answer 1

1) I worked as a peg developer. This is a terrible stack. You will not have a debugger and a refactor. Search by "code" in 99% does not find everything, but only a part. A little less than nothing correlates with the overall peg stack. Yes, it is spinning on the websphere and the java application itself, but firstly, application servers are dying, and secondly, pega has its own language and java is only in the guts there. Pega about visual programming with a mouse basically. If business requirements go beyond the current boundaries of pegs, then this is sadness from editing pegs jsp.
If God forbid there is a bug in the peg, then you will correct it yourself, since support from the Indians will answer just don’t do it. As an example, a number field would accept letters and the user could fill in the form with invalid data, validating only on the server side and discarding all user input. On a peg ticket, I was told to just not enter letters in the number field. This approach to self-fixing bugs pegi creates the pain of updates, where a quarter of your crutches need to be rewritten again.
2) It is better to immediately find a job as a java junior than to go into a profession that is not interesting to you

Answer 2

On the one hand, testers are like dogs in the market, and BPM will give you rare experience and knowledge that will make you a valuable specialist for the enterprise, especially banking. On the other hand, this is a specific area, I'm not sure that it is good for a beginner and will teach you how to program, and not set up Pega for business.

Answer 3

If you want to program, you need to program. ;-)
1. Tester. Find out on what and how tests will be written. Google it, think.
2. Drawer of pictures. IMHO if you want to program, and not "know the subject area", then you should not.

Answer 4

No one will answer you. Make your own decision as an adult.
The list of technologies or works does not tell you what is actually happening on the project. You need to find out about this from those who work there.
A good salary according to recruiters - how is it? Let's name the amount. If they do not call, then communicate with those who call.
Development in test automation is also a good way, especially if you will receive RFP.
A year is not much. Learn to work, learn to make independent decisions - also ok.
Don't be afraid to lose a year, be afraid to lose 10 years for fear of starting something.
Again, if you have "potential two spots", are you already interviewed? Why weren't these questions asked in the interview? There are just those who know best what to answer you.