Should I leave my job for research

[amazing tekkers]

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I have a pretty good student job with a government agency. The job however is meant for students majoring in civil engineering, IT, communication, finance, accounting or social sciences--I am not majoring in any of these things (originally planned). Should I leave it for a summer research program which is decent pay but only for the summer? What should I do after the research ends?

Over the summer, I could rack up to 500+ hours and get a publication. I'm currently a sophomore at a large public university.

 

[BlackBox]

I have a pretty good student job with a government agency. The job however is meant for students majoring in civil engineering, IT, communication, finance, accounting or social sciences--I am not majoring in any of these things (originally planned). Should I leave it for a summer research program which is decent pay but only for the summer? What should I do after the research ends?

Over the summer, I could rack up to 500+ hours and get a publication. I'm currently a sophomore at a large public university.

If your goal is to go into medicine, then you will need research experience. However, med schools do like diversity. I don't know what your current job is, but can you work it into a medical angle (i.e. is it policy-related?).

If you choose to start research, you may want to also find a lab that you can stay in part-time through the academic year. Hours are important, but so is a long-term commitment.

Good Luck!

 

[AlteredScale]

I have a pretty good student job with a government agency. The job however is meant for students majoring in civil engineering, IT, communication, finance, accounting or social sciences--I am not majoring in any of these things (originally planned). Should I leave it for a summer research program which is decent pay but only for the summer? What should I do after the research ends?

Over the summer, I could rack up to 500+ hours and get a publication. I'm currently a sophomore at a large public university.

Taking a leave of absence would be great for this type of experience, especially if it is your first! This is exactly how I left my job at Sbux, firstly as an internship and then was hired on the way through it!

If, and only if, you enjoy research after the program, apply to more biomedical research labs post summer. Do not keep pursuing bench research if you hate the bench work and want it to just look good on your app.

If you don't like bench research, try clinical research. I feel it is harder to get into these programs however.

If you don't like research after, go back to your other job! It's different and I'm sure if you love it then it's just a great experience to talk about.