- #1
chill_factor
- 903
- 5
I have 2 projects I'm considering. One is a very high risk project that I would be taking nearly full ownership over, where I would be building a new measurement instrument for characterization of a very hard to measure property in semiconductors. Cons: will probably be heavily managed by professor. Professor is new. I don't fully understand the theory behind the project and it is a lot of theory to take in. I don't know if I'm actually good enough at programming and electronics to handle it. Even if I work hard, results are not guaranteed. Materials used are not used in industry, characterization techniques used not in industry, making it risky for employment as well. Only employment value is selling transferrable skills.
Second project is a low risk project. The professor just received tenure and has a track record of placing students in industry. The equipment is commercially available except for some modifications, and most of the work will be in data analysis and sample fabrication. All the equipment is used in industry and has specific jobs lined up. Results are guaranteed if I work hard. I understand and like the theory behind his work. Cons: relatively routine work. mostly data analysis of results using known instrumentation. little real device fabrication or instrumentation involved, at most data analysis and modeling.
Second project is a low risk project. The professor just received tenure and has a track record of placing students in industry. The equipment is commercially available except for some modifications, and most of the work will be in data analysis and sample fabrication. All the equipment is used in industry and has specific jobs lined up. Results are guaranteed if I work hard. I understand and like the theory behind his work. Cons: relatively routine work. mostly data analysis of results using known instrumentation. little real device fabrication or instrumentation involved, at most data analysis and modeling.