Tech Job Vs. Research Scholarship?

[Bass 0]

Hey guys,

 

I'm a 2nd year looking to apply next cycle to many schools across the country. Definitely the 4 in Ontario (I'm IP), and potentially UBC/Calgary/Alberta.

 

I'm currently figuring out what I'll be doing this summer, and it looks like I'll either get a tech job down in SF for 4 months or get a research scholarship/job at my university. I have no prior research experience and very minimal work experience, and I was wondering which of those two you think would be more beneficial for my application considering my situation. I think I'd be equally excited to pursue either as they're both interesting opportunities, so I'd just like to hear your input. Thanks!

[canucks_14 85]

are you leaning towards one or is it like dead 50/50? Is the tech job for a big company? I've heard the jobs at google etc are very good jobs and also hard to get.

 

People are always gonna tell you to do what you want, but if the tech job is for a company like google, that may be more impressive than or at the very least, more unique than the research job, for the purposes of an application.

 

But then again, this may be a good chance to see if research is for you, because it's not for everyone. But I suppose you could just get a part time lab position during the year to try it out.

[ploughboy 398]

Who is the tech job with?  Who is the research position with? 

 

In the absence of other information, pick the one with the best reputation.

[Bass 0]

Unfortunately, it's not with a huge company like Google, but the companies are still pretty great. I'll probably end up working with either Mozilla or Fitbit. The jobs aren't 100% confirmed, but I think I have a good shot and the recruiters seemed interested.

 

The research position will be an NSERC USRA if I can get it, otherwise it'll just be a normal research job with a supervisor at my school. There are a couple other scholarships I applied for but they're all very similar to NSERC.

 

Of course, at this point nothing's been confirmed, but I think I'm competitive for both and I'd like to decide which would be the better option ahead of time.

[peachaso 10]

The tech job would certainly be more unique, but go with whatever you would enjoy more.

[ploughboy 398]

Go to the Bay Area for 4 months

[Bass 0]

Thanks for the responses, everyone. I think if I do get offers for both research and a job, I'll go with the job. I can do research later, but getting your first software internship as a third year is very tough.

[ArchEnemy 132]

Assuming you're actually working on a project rather than fetching coffee/donuts for the geeks, I would value the student who had experience at Tech job at Mozilla or Fitbit over an NSERC scholarship any day.