Ask HN: Accept an internship or direct your own learning?

1 pointsby hacklyvor 15 Jahren2 comments

Some of you students have been through both situations before: working during the summer for a company, or remaining jobless and directing your own learning and projects. I currently have to decide whether to pick the former and work at a great software company (for which I already worked before) or choose the latter and take some courses and dedicate the summer for my own personal projects. The pros of working for a company are obvious: besides working on "real-life" and challenging problems, I get to build contacts which will pave the way for full time employment upon graduation. However, the problems assigned to me won't necessarily be of my choosing, and I'll probably end up working on stuff I'm already comfortable with (and will definitely learn new skillsets along the way).

Being the self-motivated person that I am, I believe that I can gain a lot more from self-directed learning while working on the projects of my choice and passion. However, there's the downside that one day, I'll look back and regret not having built on those company contacts that would have guaranteed me a good job (where, don't get me wrong, there's much learning to be done).

So for those of you who have been through this (or who can still offer good advice based on experience), what would you do if you were in my shoes?

1 comments

matomescvor 15 Jahren

Personally i would definitely take the job, given that the projects that you'll be working on are interesting. Seeing as you are pretty dedicated, you can study / self-learn on the side.

hacklyvor 15 Jahren

Thanks matomesc. What tends to happen is that I end up dedicating all my efforts and energy to excelling at work, leaving me no time for my personal projects (or very little at least). The kind of projects I wish to undertake will require a full commitment.