Help me choose between two offers for summer internship (Europe)

[super_adun]

So, I'm a engineering physics student doing my masters in financial mathematics. I have 1 year till graduating and this is thus my last opportunity of doing an summer internship. I wish to work in the banking sector later on, with analysis and technical work involving a lot of programming and mathematics. I am not quite sure where yet though.



I have been offered and accepted an internship position as a electrical market analysts at my countries biggest energy company. The position would involve computing regressive analysis and using optimization models. I have done some courses in optimization but did not find it to stimulating. I figured this job would help me gain some knowledge in analysis and optimization. I have accepted the offer in an email but have not yet signed a contract. I told the recruiter I had an other interview upcoming and asked for some time before I accepted or rejected the offer, but they wanted me to answer on the spot. As I did not have any suitable offers at the time, I accepted.



The other offer is a summer internship program at a large commercial bank. I will be doing credit risk calibrations from a large quantity of different data and learn tons of how to apply my math skills in practise. This summer job is more in line with what I want to do in the future than the one at the energy company.



I am planning on calling the first company and explain in some way I have gotten an other offer I would rather take than their one. What is the protocoll for doing this? Is this acceptable? What job would you recommend for me, given my aspirations?

I'd grateful for any advice! Thank you in advance!

 

[Ken Abbott]

You had better be sure about your decision. Reneging on an offer is serious business and is likely to make company 1 very angry. These things have a way of catching up with you...

 

[alain]

Following Ken's advise. if you have already accepted and then decide to go back on your word, you will leave a mark. People will remember (I will if I'm the one being rejected).

 

[super_adun]

Thank you for the advice. If it matters, I have no wish to ever work for this company in the future.

 

[CasanovaJ]

Thank you for the advice. If it matters, I have no wish to ever work for this company in the future.

It's still a dick move

 

[super_adun]

Of that I'm very aware. But right now I'd rather be a dick than not choose the best move for my future. I will call my boss at the first job and explain the situation maintaining that while I still am excited for that job, I have gotten an offer with better opportunities for thesis work (which is true). I'll continue from there based on his reaction.

 

[CasanovaJ]

Of that I'm very aware. But right now I'd rather be a dick than not choose the best move for my future. I will call my boss at the first job and explain the situation maintaining that while I still am excited for that job, I have gotten an offer with better opportunities for thesis work (which is true). I'll continue from there based on his reaction.

If you're gonna be a dick, though, the one thing I'd say is you should at least have the decency to do it quickly-- stringing them along will just piss them off even more and give them less time to find a replacement.

Don't put off the phone call.

 

[Ilya W]

super_adun, DO what is better for YOU, and I do not think you are a dick becuase of that. Do not think that they will not find another candidate if you decide to let them go. You were fair with them letting them know that you have another interview going on, but they forced you to give them a decision on the spot. That what I called being dicks. They could warn you that the place might go away but do not force you to answer. Someone might say they can do that because they are hiring, I agree, but in this case, you have all rights to play the same game.

 

[super_adun]

Thank you all for your advice! I ended up calling my boss and explained the situation with thesis work and all. I profuse apologised and he was dissapointed but understanding. I accepted the other offer directly afterwards and now it looks like I'm going to learn credit risk computing

 

[pingu]

I'll bet the job at the Electrical Company will be more interesting than the one at the commercial bank. You are just rationalizing your decision because you want to work at a bank. Good luck! Hopefully it doesn't come back and bite you in ass.

 

[super_adun]

It's possible and a risk I have to take. Optimization all summer did not sound to appealing though. Thank you anyway!

 

[CasanovaJ]

super_adun, DO what is better for YOU, and I do not think you are a dick becuase of that. Do not think that they will not find another candidate if you decide to let them go. You were fair with them letting them know that you have another interview going on, but they forced you to give them a decision on the spot. That what I called being dicks. They could warn you that the place might go away but do not force you to answer. Someone might say they can do that because they are hiring, I agree, but in this case, you have all rights to play the same game.

I'm not claiming it was an irrational thing to do, but sorry, I do believe that reneging on an offer after explicitly accepting it is at least mildly dickish... it looks like he got away with it, though.

 

[super_adun]

I do still feel like a dick. But I feel they were a bit dickish as well. I'm a she though, not as it ma

 

[CasanovaJ]

I've actually never thought about whether a girl could appropriately be called a *dick* in a situation like this, or whether one should come up with some sort of alternative (but synonymous), more gender-appropriate noun... I'll ponder for the next few hours and get back to you

 

[zyz]

I've actually never thought about whether a girl could appropriately be called a *dick* in a situation like this, or whether one should come up with some sort of alternative (but synonymous), more gender-appropriate noun... I'll ponder for the next few hours and get back to you

LOL

 

[C S]

I will be doing credit risk calibrations from a large quantity of different data and learn tons of how to apply my math skills in practise.

Doing calibration on big data, especially data almagamated from different sources, has much less to do with math skills than data preparation skills. Not that that is not a valuable, worthwhile ability to pick up. I think you're in for a surprise.

 

[pingu]

Doing calibration on big data, especially data almagamated from different sources, has much less to do with math skills than data preparation skills. Not that that is not a valuable, worthwhile ability to pick up. I think you're in for a surprise.

A bad surprise I believe.

 

[IntoDarkness]

well, that calibration gig can be another optimization exercise too