do what I'm more interested in vs what I'm more experienced in

[bsd]

As a graduating senior, I major in CS and MechE. I had quite a lot experiences in robotics/drone-related research. I worked in a lab for one year and a half, but unfortunately did not get a meaningful result from the research and also I found myself not suitable for a PhD. And thus I am applying for Master/MEng currently in CS. In my free time, I read a lot about finance and traded stocks. Therefore now, I find this really interesting and would like to find a quant job after my graduate from master.

As an international student, it is already difficult to find a job in US and it is even harder for a senior to find a intern during the summer. If I only got into one-year MEng program, this would be my last summer before full-time job, so it is quite important. 

Now the questions is should I try to get a intern in Robotics or quant during the summer? 

It's like dream vs reality.

I did not have any tangible experiences in quant at all except some analyzing code I wrote for fun, but I do have some sort of experience of working with robotics and some projects that I can show.

Adding the stress of waiting for decision really freaks me out.

 

[TakeruK]

What are your long term goals? Which of these two options will get you towards these long term goals?

Also, as an international student in the US, you are probably on F-1 status? Don't forget that you can be eligible for OPT that lets you stay and work in the US for some time after graduation. I think it has to be related to your field of study though, so maybe only robotics work for this case. So, if your long term goal is quant, it might be worth it to apply to both robotics and quant internships, so that you can stay in the US and continue to apply to quant positions (you'd need them to sponsor you on some other status though) while on robotics internship.

[bsd]

Thanks!

My long term goal would be a quant, but I currently have minimal experience in this, which makes me frustrating.

[ExponentialDecay]

I mean, you can try to get an internship in both. Trying only costs your time.

[sc9an]

Finding quant finance internship without a relevant degree (financial engineering) or demonstrated research experience in quant areas (Physics PhD) is relatively hard. It's easier to use your CS skills on certain supporting roles in a securities firm in your domestic country or some smaller US fintech firms/regional investment management companies, and it could add relevance to your resume. 

[YAO ZHAO]

My father discussed a similar question with me several years ago. Based on his lifetime experience, he gave me some useful guidances:

1. You can have a job that you are not interested in it. In fact, this is life for most of people if you really consider the people around you.

2. You cannot have a job that you hate it. 

3. You love/ have a strong interest in something, which is totally different from making a living from it.