Hey there, I recently received two job offers from 2 completed different fields: one from a top college here in my city, the other from a S&P 500, both as a researcher and both with similar pay. For most people, this would be an easy pick but here’s why I feel torn:
Pros for academia
– I like the PI and the people in the lab so far
– I like the research topic and the work they’ve been putting out
– that recommendation letter cuz grad school and this is a p good research school
Pros for “S&P”
– it’ll be my first commercial experience and i really want to get out of academia and stop getting rejected because “i don’t have real experience other than academic research”
– It was my dream company to work in
– since I’ll be moving across the country there’s a potential to work for their overseas branches
Note: I did mess up by being a bit too eager during the interview portion (plus I wasn’t expecting to hear anything back) so neither of them were aware of my other interviews. I feel bad declining the academic one cuz I was pretty enthusiastic about their project. I’m also hesitant to decline “S&P” because I do want more commercial experience.
My question would be: what are some questions you’d ask yourself when you’re at a crossroads like this, when both options are equally attractive to you?
So yeah, feel free to ask questions and all that. Appreciate y’all.