Paid vs. Unpaid Research

zogoto
Mon, 05 Sep 2005 05:07:46 +0000

I have worked in the same lab at the local University for the past 1 year or so, completed a project that got me to ISEF and that I will probably take to Siemens Westinghouse this year. The thing is, I got the position through a local program that gives us a $500 scholarship at the end and prints the board for us that we use for the regional level of ISEF (this is about $100 worth of stuff).

This year, I don’t know if I should do the program again, which is valued at about $600, none of it cash, or take the paid job offer that the lab has given me. It pays $7/hour and I could probably make around $1500 throughout the year, and even hold it for the summer if I wanted. I would be doing the same work in either case, but do colleges like paid or unpaid research better? Unpaid shows more that you are doing it out of passion, but I hope that I have already shown that, and if I do it paid, not only will it show that I am not just sitting around and that they are actually willing to PAY me to continue, it will also make it more possible since I will not need to worry about getting another job or anything.