Research vs Tech Startup vs Google Intern

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SUMMARY

The discussion centers on a student's internship offers, particularly from SLAC's SULI program and potential opportunities at Google, focusing on computer vision. The student expresses uncertainty about pursuing a graduate degree due to a low GPA of around 3.00 and a lack of motivation. Insights from participants suggest that transitioning from academia to industry is feasible, and an advanced technical degree may not be necessary for career advancement once managerial roles are reached. The consensus encourages exploring industry opportunities, especially if there is apathy towards research.

PREREQUISITES
  • Understanding of internship application processes
  • Familiarity with computer vision concepts
  • Knowledge of the SLAC SULI program
  • Awareness of industry versus academic career paths
NEXT STEPS
  • Research the SLAC SULI program and its benefits for career development
  • Explore internship opportunities at Google, particularly in computer vision
  • Investigate the dynamics of transitioning from academia to tech startups
  • Learn about career trajectories in tech startups versus traditional research roles
USEFUL FOR

This discussion is beneficial for students considering internships in tech, individuals weighing the merits of graduate education versus industry experience, and anyone interested in the intersection of research and technology careers.

laxatives
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So I've been in the processing of interviewing with a bunch of different places for summer internships, but it seems like this whole process is about to get wrapped up in the next few days. The catalyst: I got an offer from SLAC for DOEs SULI program. Needless to say, I'm very excited. However, I'm not sure how I feel about continuing with research/physics in general. In fact, just a few months ago, I posted a long whiny rant on PF about how garbagety I'm doing what I'm going to end up doing.

Things turned up pretty quickly I guess. However I'm still not sure whether I can pursue a graduate degree; I'm held back by a very low gpa (lets say around 3.00) and a good amount of apathy. I think I might like to go to a tech startup/google for the summer and give that a whirl before I make a decision like grad school/industry next year.

I'm in the process of getting placed at Google. I would love to work on computer vision at Santa Monica and was hoping I could leverage this offer at Stanford to make me somehow more competitive. However I think that plan might have backfired, since I haven't heard back in several days and my offer/decline deadline is coming up in about a week. I'm also interviewing with several startups and have (hopefully) the final round of interviews over the next few days. My dream would be to do both a startup and SLAC in Palo Alto/Menlo Park, but the one startup I mentioned the idea to wasn't enthusaistic.

All that being said, I've always felt it would be much easier moving from academia/research into industry than the other way around and part of me feels like I should ride out this physics thing for as long as I can. So I'm basically looking for some input on what I should consider and your experiences with mobility between different fields. Is an advanced degree critical once you're older and have climbed ladders? Other thoughts?
 
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An advanced technical degree is not critical in industry once you've climbed up the ladder..by that time you'll mostly be doing managerial stuff anyway
 
If you got apathy towards physics or whatever, then go in the other direction. Schools ain't going nowhere.
 

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