Volunteering as lab assistant worth it?

[Neuronette]

There's an unpaid lab assistant position open at my school in the chem department. I have worked in a biology lab before and as a premed interested in bio, I guess this isn't exactly what I want, but I figure gaining exposure to other fields is still important.
Anyhow, the position requires 20 hrs a week during this summer. I'm currently taking 2 chem classes but they are quite easy so I don't think I'll feel overwhelmed but do you think it's worth doing or is it too many hrs for a volunteering position?

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[Verum]

If it leads to you getting on good terms with the PI and later on getting your own project then sure.

 

[TheMightySmiter]

There's an unpaid lab assistant position open at my school in the chem department. I have worked in a biology lab before and as a premed interested in bio, I guess this isn't exactly what I want, but I figure gaining exposure to other fields is still important.
Anyhow, the position requires 20 hrs a week during this summer. I'm currently taking 2 chem classes but they are quite easy so I don't think I'll feel overwhelmed but do you think it's worth doing or is it too many hrs for a volunteering position?

What will you be doing as a lab assistant? Will you be helping with actual research, or will you be cleaning equipment and such? Is there a potential for you to move up to a paid position and/or get your own project somehow? Is this research that you know you aren't interested in, or are you unsure? What did you do in the biology lab, and is there a reason you're no longer doing that?

I think the best sort of lab position is one in which you have the opportunity to get really involved in the research and perhaps do your own research under the PI's supervision. There's no point in switching between a bunch of labs if you're never going to get the chance to get more responsibility. I think it's better to stay in one lab that you find interesting, get to know the PI, and become a trusted member of the team.

 

[penguinism]

10 hours? Maybe. 20 hours? Only if I was getting money or academic credit. Perhaps I was spoiled in undergrad to have a PI that paid me for working over the summer, but it was a lot of work to be a research assistant. I was in the lab at least 5 days a week, and sometimes even weekends if there were experiments that needed to be done. Unless you're really interested in working with this particular professor or doing this type of research, I would try to find an position that is paid. Alternatively, you could try asking this professor for a stipend to at least cover your living expenses over the summer.

 

[circulus vitios]

I would never volunteer in the summer to work in a lab, let alone for 20 hours a week.

 

[ccrone]

I hate to give firm advice, but in this case I have a hard time avoiding it.

Don't do it.

This professor has (or should have) funding for lab assistants. If he does have money and isn't willing to pay you, then this isn't the type of person you want to be working for/with. And if he doesn't have money, then you should seriously ponder why that is. Is this guy such a dolt that it never occurred to him to budget for lab assistants? Or does he just not have grant funding? If this person can't get grant funding, then it's probably a job that isn't going to lead to better opportunities for you down the line.

 

[Neuronette]

To clarify, the job was initially listed as a part time PAID position ($8.00/hr).
However, it is a party of a work study program which I am not a part of, so the only way for me to take the position would be as a volunteer.