I am currently a sophomore. I have interned at this contractor for 2 years already.AWS pros:Full time TC is ~70k more defense contractorIn a city which would be funResume valueAWS cons:No job security (not sure if I would get a return offer)Bad WLB/Toxic environment (?)A lot of companies refuse to hire ex Amazon (idk if this applies to interns?)Defense contractor pros:StableGood WLBCan get TS Clearance on full timeLive close to parents so I can save on housingDefense contractor cons:Limited upward mobility/pay raises etcLocated in a boring ish suburbPays a lot lessMaybe would look bad to employers that I've kept interning at the same place for multiple years (?)

Meta has a massive hiring pipeline for ex Amazon folks. From junior engineers to directors. Go with Amazon. Way more opportunity than defense. You’ll also work on better tech stacks, move faster, and have less compliance type of work

AWS all the way. Get the experience and see if you like it. If you don’t you can always go back to the defense contractor. Additionally, if the defense contractor has already sponsored you for a clearance. You can use that on the AWS Federal side and have the best of both worlds.

Are you working for this defense contractor part time during school too? And if so, is that income you need to get through to the end of your degree? The practical considerations here trump everything else: you need the degree, and you need to eat and pay bills until you get it, make sure you have that covered. The most important part of your internships is that you had at least one. Degree + internships = best chance at acquiring that first job, and that first job is the whole ballgame. I can't stress that enough. You can always pivot after the first job, but not getting the first job in a timely fashion after graduating increases the chances your career will be Something Else. AWS internship might improve your chances at getting hired *at certain companies* but it doesn't really do much to your overall chances in the broader market IMO. Nobody will care that you interned at the same shop more than once; actually at a defense shop, that's a strong sign they want to hire you fresh out. After you graduate, your internships should fall off the resume. 6 months after starting your full time career, nobody will care where you interned. I wouldn't stress too much about how this name vs that name will look on the resume, take the path with the best chance to secure that first job IMO.

First congrats on getting 2 internship offers. I would stick with the defense contractor internship for a few reasons.1. If this is a summer internship, it is 2-3 months, that is a small amount of time and you can always explore nicer more exciting cities during fall and winter breaks or in the future. Another thing it’s not always easy to find short term housing, especially affordable short term housing. If you are going into any sort of debt for your degree you should save any money you can on housing.For the last few years the job market has been unstable, if you have a stable position with the defense contractor stick with that, internships and your first few jobs are all about learning, as long as the pay at the defense contractor is decent don’t worry about the salary at the moment It won’t look bad to companies that you did multiple internships to the same company. If anything it is a green flag that you did a great job and they wanted you back. It only becomes a red flag in tech when an employee stays at their first job beyond 7 or so years. For the purposes of pay it’s recommended that you jump ship every 2-3 years, but wait until you have been doing it as a full time employee for a few years before you think about looking elsewhere. The same argument applies to limited upward mobility once you have been in a full time position for 2-3 years then you can leave the junior title behind and get a mid level title.Lastly security clearances aren’t easy to get from my understanding companies have to sponsor you to get the clearance and having that clearance for future opportunities 2-3 years down the line will open up some additional doors for you.At the end of the day, you will save money on housing, get a security clearance, have a much better work life balance and have more stability and a better path forward

AWS or Defense Contractor Internship?

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AWS or Defense Contractor Internship?

I am currently a sophomore. I have interned at this contractor for 2 years already.

AWS pros:

Full time TC is ~70k more defense contractor
In a city which would be fun
Resume value

AWS cons:

No job security (not sure if I would get a return offer)
Bad WLB/Toxic environment (?)
A lot of companies refuse to hire ex Amazon (idk if this applies to interns?)

Defense contractor pros:

Stable
Good WLB
Can get TS Clearance on full time
Live close to parents so I can save on housing

Defense contractor cons:

Limited upward mobility/pay raises etc
Located in a boring ish suburb
Pays a lot less
Maybe would look bad to employers that I've kept interning at the same place for multiple years (?)

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code4moneySoftware Engineer

AWS for sure

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